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Match Made in Georgia BY
KATHY WAGES Community partnerships are like marriage partnerships. When they work, families and children thrive. When they don't work, families and children deteriorate. Family Connection is all about cultivating partnerships that improve the well-being of children and families in communities throughout Georgia. Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Agents provide research-based educational programs that positively impact children and families in the state. What great partnership potential. The foundation to any effective partnership is communication, and ongoing contact lets each organization know what the other is doing. Family Connection, which completes an intensive community needs assessment every three years, can tap into the wealth of resources Extension FACS Agents bring from the University of Georgia to the county, including vital, current statistics that are beneficial to a community plan. With limited funding in communities, working together and sharing resources make good economic sense. Because Extension FACS Agents provide critical-need programming in counties, families and communities benefit, especially when professionals work together to determine high-priority needs, to plan, and to present and evaluate results. Time spent together is a vital component to a successful partnership. Most Extension FACS Agents are at the Family Connection collaborative table, so vital information is shared all through the planning and delivery process. Because both organizations share common goals, we work effectively to improve the lives of children and families in communities throughout Georgia. Having a strong partner means being able to share the heavy load of work that needs to be accomplished on behalf of Georgia's families and children. When the Family Connection coordinator and the Extension FACS Agent understand each other's strengths and builds on them, communities benefit. Partnerships, like marriage, require constant work, but they are well worth the effort. Here are two stories that demonstrate just what strong partners working together can accomplish in Georgia.. Read "I'm Not Buying It: Reality Check Steers Clayton County Youth toward Financial Maturity" Read "No Parent Left Behind: Even Start Literacy Program Helps Families Improve Their Own Lives"
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