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 Click above for more information about how you can support Knotts Family Agency and enjoy an enchanted evening of music and wine under the stars. |
Knotts Family Agency
Our Approach
OUR THEORIES OF CHANGE MODELS in active use:
Narrative Process Model: Narrative Process Model is a powerful prescriptive five-part framework that is used as a guide to building and fostering relationship between one human and another (person or object) in search of defined outcomes a continuously changing society. The goal of Narrative Process Model is make conscious the relational process so as to enhance persons' readiness and commitment to the desired outcome. The linking with the ‘other’ initiates a ‘story’ (thus, a Narrative). In our case it is the story between the Parent and the child, which flows in a ‘process’ of five sequential steps (five parts).
Narrative Process Model is grounded in the belief that as humans we are products of history, governed by a narrative brain (that developed over time as a definitive story – from reptilian to limbic, to neo-cortex). The Narrative process is therefore an intentional action to foster brain-defined interaction in all human relations. In our case – parent and child – we serve to facilitate and to sustain a relationship that gives the child a voice with equity and justice.
The aim is to help parents establish themselves as agents on behalf of a relationship with the child that permits the child to have and develop a voice that can fulfill her/his purpose of service and responsible citizenship. Narrative Process Model facilitates, aiming to help parents seamlessly integrate into their family life a basic set of constructs that are designed to promote continuous positive relationship building while at the same time enhancing the possibilities of boosting human welfare.
Cognitive Apprenticeship Model – We will rely on our ‘change model’ of cognitive apprenticeship in attending to ‘habits of mind’ that undermine the opportunity to benefit from instructions that promote long term employability. Cognitive apprenticeship, like any apprenticeship, involves not didactic teaching, but observation, coaching, and successive approximation. Observation aids learners in developing a conceptual model of the target task or process prior to attempting to execute it. Coaching involves hints, scaffolding, feedback, modeling, reminders, and new tasks aimed at bringing performance close to expert performance.
Our training is like a cultural exercise in which trainees are all participants in the target skills, resulting in continual access to models of expertise-in-use. Our instructors model expert strategies in context using modeling, coaching, and scaffolding as well as reasoning, knowledge, or problem-solving processes. This is the basis for our teaching and instructional work –our argument for placing all instruction within "authentic" contexts that mirror real-life problem-solving situations (Collins, 1991). It is an instructional approach in which we construct models for the learner much like an apprentice learns from a carpenter.
Family Strengthening Model: Intended as an approach to ‘helping families help themselves’. It is a client-centered, family-focused, community-based, culturally and linguistically competent, approach that begins with a philosophy of respecting and honoring family assets in the design and effort to assist families in developing self-sufficiency.
Stress-Vulnerability Model: This is the basis for our Prevention approach. Our role is to prevent mental illness not to find it after the fact. Our task is to limit stress from turning into serious vulnerability, to make resources accessible to our families to reduce stress and strengthen the capacity of the family to reduce the impact of stress in their lives.
SAN BERNARDINO GREEN ALLIANCE
Established in 2008, The San Bernardino green alliance (SBGA) is a public/private collaboration of businesses, government, community, faith-based organizations, environmental justice organizations, educational institutions and community leaders dedicated to improving the health of the residents in the City San Bernardino and surrounding communities.
The Mission of the San Bernardino green Alliance (SBGA) is to build a world-class community environment that positively and continuously promotes the health and wellbeing of all residents.
Situated in inland Southern California, one of the fastest growing regions in the nation, the SBGA seeks to change the course of historically underserved and distressed communities in San Bernardino and surrounding communities by leveraging community assets and capturing community resources for the benefit and well being of its residents.
COMMUNITY and CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
At the heart of social change is civic and community engagement. KFA understands that if you truly want to make a difference, invest in and cultivate civic and community engagement. There will never be enough money or programs to address all the social needs, much less eradicate the root causes. Social change simply can’t be bought or “programmed.” Research tells us that social change happens when a groundswell of people champion an issue or when, through agenda-setting or a mobilizing event, people are moved to act. Nonprofits and foundations are critical to addressing needs, but broad-scale mobilization is the only way social movements happen.
Therefore, KFA seek to ensure that every program and grant making strategy includes civic and community engagement. Inspiring civic and community engagement is a part of each program seeking to build capacity in the community. Communities with the greatest and most diverse citizen participation are often resilient and strong. Engaging citizens to address common issues is essential for educated decision-making. This area provides resources for encouraging civil discourse and involvement. Our civic engagement program encourages and promotes community members to work for social changes that improve the lives of vulnerable children and families.
A second mission of the KFA Community and Civic Engagement Program is to make Knotts Family Agency distinctive in its commitment to civic and community engagement through the development of the “Resident Scholar” program. The objective of the “resident scholar” model is to combine academic instruction with implementation of concepts learned in workshops into the local community. The “local community” is broadly defined to include business, educational, and social service agencies as well as the local “laboratories’ faculty use to further their research agendas. We envision that these types of experiential and service learning opportunities will become a feature for our local colleges and universities
Contact: Sandy Oquin, Administration and Finance
Email: SOquin@kfpinstitute.org
Phone: 909-880-0600
Address: 1505 W. Highland Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92411