Helping everyone feel part of our community
A diverse community needs lots of ways to get involved
Although it may seem at times like there's a core of families who are very active, there are in fact many of us who aren't so visible. Families bringing children out of school to home educate may be doing so as a last resort when school hasn't worked out and it may feel very daunting to make those first steps into the home education community.
Contributing online
Recognising that some can feel excluded, it's important to recognise all the ways of connecting and communicating - from in-person meet ups (see calendar) to email lists and the huge variety of Facebook and Whatsapp groups - there's something for everyone but even these can feel very exposing for some people and we can all contribute by making others feel welcome there and sharing ideas and suggestions others may find useful. There's also our gallery where we can share images and short case studies which people can access easily to get a feel for what home education looks like for different families.
In the community
A suggestion from a nine-year-old in the community following analysis of our recent survey data arose that we can also support each other by reaching out to families we know are struggling, offering to go to them on whatever terms works for them e.g. an informal meet up, visit at home, offering a phone call, whatsapp chat etc.
If you'd like to put out a call welcoming or offering connecting in this way, you can send a message to the CHEF email group or send an email to [email protected] in confidence if you'd prefer to do that less publicly.
There are also public book swaps in lots of neighbourhoods where we can share and find books, including one in the cafe at the Meadows Community Centre where several home education group activities take place.
Although it may seem at times like there's a core of families who are very active, there are in fact many of us who aren't so visible. Families bringing children out of school to home educate may be doing so as a last resort when school hasn't worked out and it may feel very daunting to make those first steps into the home education community.
Contributing online
Recognising that some can feel excluded, it's important to recognise all the ways of connecting and communicating - from in-person meet ups (see calendar) to email lists and the huge variety of Facebook and Whatsapp groups - there's something for everyone but even these can feel very exposing for some people and we can all contribute by making others feel welcome there and sharing ideas and suggestions others may find useful. There's also our gallery where we can share images and short case studies which people can access easily to get a feel for what home education looks like for different families.
In the community
A suggestion from a nine-year-old in the community following analysis of our recent survey data arose that we can also support each other by reaching out to families we know are struggling, offering to go to them on whatever terms works for them e.g. an informal meet up, visit at home, offering a phone call, whatsapp chat etc.
If you'd like to put out a call welcoming or offering connecting in this way, you can send a message to the CHEF email group or send an email to [email protected] in confidence if you'd prefer to do that less publicly.
There are also public book swaps in lots of neighbourhoods where we can share and find books, including one in the cafe at the Meadows Community Centre where several home education group activities take place.
Volunteers
We always need volunteers to help things run smoothly and all members are welcome to ask other members to volunteer to help with things they are organising on any of the forums available. Volunteer roles might include:
- help coordinate and run the positive dialogue meetings
- share the load organising a regular or one off events
- create, edit and proof-read website content
- help look after the CHEF email list and admin Whatsapp groups
- help keep the calendar up to date (anyone on the email list can do so automatically)
- reach out to families finding their feet with home education
- add images and short case studies to the gallery to inspire others
