Partnerships in Motion in Community Groups

Partnerships in Motion is ideal for use in community groups. After all, it’s about partnership! Community groups happen in clubs, faith communities, businesses, families, professional groups, schools, you name it! Wherever people gather, Partnerships in Motion is useful.

Below are two recommended and most used formats. Following that, we have offered some creative ideas for academic settings and other unique settings. We trust you to create your own ideas and to use Partnerships in Motion in a structure that best fits the people in your group. If your ideas work well, we hope you’ll share them with us, so that we can pass them along to others.

Formats:
One Time Meeting | Five-Week Group

Settings:
Academic | Elder | Business | Church/Faith Community

One Time Meeting
(estimated total time: 2.5 - 3 hours)

A one-session group in which participants view the film and discuss the designated workbook questions in their entirety.

Watch the film in 4 designated sections according to the menu at the beginning of the film. Between each section, facilitate a group discussion about the questions in the corresponding chapters of the workbook. The suggested group discussion questions are marked with a G.

A Five-Week Group
(estimated total time: 6 hours. Time per session: up to 2 hours in week 1, and 1 hour in weeks 2 - 5)

Participants watch the film in its entirety in week one. In the four remaining weeks, participants watch the film in one section per week and participate in group discussion with corresponding workbook questions, marked with a G.

Week 1

Introductions: Introduce yourself and Partnerships in Motion. Allow each member to share their name and what interests them about the group.
Watch the film in its entirety.
Suggest that they may begin to answer workbook questions on their own if they choose.

Week 2
Section 1 - pages 1-13

Sharing new experiences: Ask participants to share any ways in which they implemented the ideas from the previous week or anything meaningful that occurred.
Introduction
The Renaissance Model^TM
Be Inspired

Week 3
Section 2 - pages 14-23

Sharing New Experiences: Ask participants to share any ways in which they implemented the ideas from the previous week or anything meaningful that occurred
Create Personal Wholeness and
Keep Moving

Week 4
Section 3 - pages 24-32

Sharing New Experiences: Ask participants to share any ways in which they implemented the ideas from the previous week or anything meaningful that occurred
Be Agile and
Develop Wisdom

Week 5
Section 4 - pages 33-38

Sharing New Experiences: Ask participants to share any ways in which they implemented the ideas from the previous week or anything meaningful that occurred
Practice Partnership
The Renaissance Model as a whole

Academic Settings
Gerontology Studies Practicum: Utilize the five week format as it is described and allow students to alternate facilitating the group discussions as a means of practice. During this initial five week period, ask students to identify and schedule a small group in their family or community with whom they will facilitate Partnerships in Motion as a five week group. During the second five weeks, while students are facilitating in their communities, use a portion of class time for students to report and share their experiences and learning.

High School Community Service: As a community service project, allow high school students to partner with an Adult or Elder in their life to facilitate the curriculum in a community, business or church setting. The teen and Elder should experience the curriculum together first, then facilitate it in the small group setting according to the parameters described. Alternatively, teens can each bring an Elder to the group setting for their first experience of the curriculum, then go out to their respective communities to facilitate. This second option allows for two different group experiences for the teen and elder: one in which they are participants, and one in which they are facilitators.

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Elder Settings
In medical or residential settings for Elders, offer the 5 week format with professionals and Elders participating together in the same group. Include caregivers and others in relationship with the Elder as well. Give particular attention and interest to ideas from the group about facilitating authentic partnerships among those participating.

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Business Settings
Format 2 is potentially ideal for a brown-bag lunch series, offered by the Human Resources Department as a benefit to employees. While the first week would require a 90 minute session, the remaining sessions would last an hour. Many, many employees hold caregiving responsibilities, and many are themselves Elders. Offering Partnerships in Motion demonstrates a respect and awareness of these issues, and a willingness to facilitate creative solutions.

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Churches and other Faith Community Settings
Partnerships in Motion is person-centered and offers an ecumenically spiritual approach to Aging. Either format is useful. Format 2 is particularly useful since it allows for application in everyday life and subsequent sharing over time.

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Our intention is that Partnerships in Motion is ready to go and easy to facilitate for the “lay person.” Please share your ideas with us by contacting us.