Strengthening the Black Village is a Cal-Pac Advance Special.
“Weaving together villages of care for the nourishment of the souls, bodies, and minds of our children.”
Strengthening the Black Village (SBV)’s 7th Cohort of Effective Black Parenting (published by the DC Children’s Trust Fund) sessions will take place 5-7 p.m. PDT on Tuesdays and Thursdays from August 6 through September 26, 2024, on Zoom. Attendance at all sessions is required to receive a certificate, and missing sessions will require approval and potentially make-up sessions.
Although we emphasize strengthening Black families, families most severely impacted by involvement with child welfare systems, we welcome and adapt our curriculum to all. Strengthening the Black Village (SBV) has hosted Jewish, Latinx, protestant, Catholic, Muslim, and everyone in between because it takes a village to raise a child.
We welcome anyone who wants to volunteer to learn how to conduct the courses to join our team. If interested, please fill out the registration form, which includes an agreement to participate, attend, model, and teach good skills and habits as we journey together.
Technical requirements: To participate in Zoom meetings, participants must have a reliable Internet connection, and a laptop, tablet, or smartphone device that can download and install the Zoom app. A web or phone camera and a microphone are highly recommended, although some users may call in via phone if a mic is not available.
About the Founder and Executive Director:
On June 15, 2024, Rev. Christy Ann Clark became a Deacon in Full Connection at the Cal-Pac Conference of The United Methodist Church. Her primary appointment is as Executive Director and Founder of the nonprofit Strengthening the Black Village (SBV). Her secondary appointment is with Saint Mark LA (UMC), working in worship planning, community organizing around housing and other social justice issues, and providing leadership in the development of the Epworth Food Farm Fellowship project. SBV is her way of bridging church and world, equipping disciples to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, which includes children in out-of-home care and their parents/caregivers.
About the organization:
Since 2021, Strengthening the Black Village (SBV) has offered parenting classes to certify those court-mandated to take parenting classes in family reunification cases. SBV has also taught the same courses to mentors, teachers, social workers, grandparents, and others in the village taking care of our children. The nonprofit uses African and biblical proverbs to help teach effective praise, chitchat, mild social disapproval, coping with racism, and more. SBV explores how different parenting modalities have dominated various eras of our history and shaped how we parent today. The organization learns to embrace what has worked well and how to release what no longer serves.
