The Just Me Project

1. The Just Me Project Parent Training

2. Introduction • The Just Me Project provides children with the tools for resilience, self-management and emotional literacy. • The Just Me Project serves children and those who love them who experience trauma, chronic illness, and deprivation.

3. Working Together • The parent/school team partners in order to: • Communicate consistently • Encourage competence • Exemplify cooperation • Participate with coherent goals • Explore social and emotional learning

4. Your Example • Children learn how to treat others by how their parents treat them • Children learn how to manage their emotions by watching how their parents value emotions • Children learn to focus attention and accomplish tasks by growing in a calm environment

5. Critical Skills • Self-awareness • Social Awareness • Self-Management • Responsible Decisions • Relationship skills • Vocabulary of Emotions • Respect for feelings • Empathy

6. Communicate Consistently • Focus on strengths • Use specific words for feelings • Ask the child about feelings • Respect the child’s choices • Ask helpful questions • Encourage sharing and helping • Manage your own feelings

7. Exercises in Communication • Play word games: the first player names a feeling word, the next player finds a word that begins with the last letter of the word chosen by the first player: anger to rage to excitement • Mime (portray without words) • Make masks, or use puppets, to talk about hard things • Reminder: all behavior is communication, so ask what is my child trying to say?

8. Encourage Competence • Ask what the child learns each day • Help your child get involved • Listen with full attention • Explore the feeling words • Help the child to do things for themselves • Express your own feelings appropriately

9. Exercises in competence • Have the child help with everyday tasks—cooking, setting the table, folding laundry • Assign the child their own ‘special’ tasks and thank them for their contribution to the family • Cook simple things together • Garden together, or give the child their own garden in a pot to care about and observe • Reminder: praise and encourage the work

10. Exemplify Cooperation • Attend school functions • Participate in the community • Engage your child in positive activities • Coach your child in conflict resolution and responsibility • Do not react, choose to explore

11. Exercises in Cooperation • Volunteer with your child to do something in your community, i.e. Beach clean-up • Take your child with you to church or other social functions and share your pleasure • Help your child to participate in games and sports for enjoyment, with good sportsmanship • When disputes occur, help your child to find a resolution without violence or hurtful words • Reminder: your child watches you

12. Participate • Be clear about your goals as a parent • Understand the goals of the school • Demonstrate respect • Develop empathy • Appreciate your own strengths • Share your gifts

13. Exercises in Participation • Do something you truly care about and engage your child in helping you do it • Go with your child to school events • Volunteer to do something for someone else and ask your child to help you do it • Go to the public library and sit with your child in story time, or take out books or videos that you will enjoy • Reminder: your actions as you live are what teach your child who you truly are

14. Explore • See learning as an adventure • Discover your child’s talents • Encourage discovery and creativity • Be critical of the media and find non-electronic play • Show your child how you learn • Support each other and ask for help as parents

15. Reminders • What you say is not as important as what you do, or how you say something—is your tone of voice kind? • Somewhere a child is watching you all the time, and will know the world through what they see • Take time to discover your child, and take time to discover who you are • Expect to find JOY!