Four authors contributed to the development of the Strengthening Multi-Ethnic Families and Communities Program: A Violence Prevention Parent Training Program in 1994, with updates to the program appearing in 1996 and 2005. Now, in 2011, the program has been restructured, re-formatted, and specific topics enhanced. Given the many changes and our commitment to presenting information from a "strengthening perspective" as opposed to a "deficit model", the program has also been renamed: Strengthening Multi-Ethnic Families and Communities: A Parent Program Promoting Peace.

The Strengthening Multi-Ethnic Families and Communities Program is a strength-based prevention-intervention program for parents with children between 3 and 18 years of age. The curriculum is structured into an Orientation Session and twelve weekly 3-hour sessions and promotes parent and child self-esteem, self-discipline, and social competency skills. Facilitators are required to participate in an intensive Five-Day Facilitator Training Workshop (English Language or Spanish Language).

As of 2010, more than 6,000 facilitators have been trained to implement the program in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia. As a result of collaborative efforts in the United States and United Kingdom, parent materials are now available in 20 languages. Program effectiveness has been documented in project reports and published articles.

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Information is presented within a "cultural framework" to promote parent and child self-esteem, self-discipline and social competence. The program utilizes a number of different teaching strategies, including a facilitative-discussion model to raise parent level of consciousness by encouraging parent discussion. Information is presented in five component topic areas: Cultural-Spiritual, Enhancing Relationships, Positive Discipline, Ten Rites of Passage, and Community Involvement.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

Hundreds of classes have been successfully implemented with parents from many different ethnic-cultural backgrounds, in various settings, in a variety of formats, targeting different populations, including: court-mandated parents, church-based groups, general school populations, refugee families, teen parents, parents in drug recovery, foster parents, parents in prison, parents with children 0-5 years, and father groups.

PROGRAM PARTNERS

The program's success is due to the 200 agencies and organizations that have supported the program over the last 17 years. Many groups that supported the program in the past have experienced funding cuts, have changed priorities, have lost trained staff, etc.

We have identified 27 groups (Active Partners) that have been able to provide parent classes over the last three years, and have impacted at least 100 parents.

It is a testament to the program's effectiveness that 63% of our Active Partners have supported the program at least 10 years.