CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Georgia Winter Institute 2017!
January 22nd - 25th, 2017
Columbus, Georgia
View photos from GWI 2016 at http://bit.ly/1TDVOT3
Presented by the Center for Leadership in Disability
Sponsored by the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities, The Arc Georgia and Inclusion Press.
Georgia Winter Institute (GWI) brings together people from all walks of life to learn more about building communities that include and engage all citizens. GWI strives to build more inclusive communities through, futures planning and listening. In attendance are people with disabilities, their families, and supporters; representatives of state agencies, services providers, advocacy groups, faith communities, business leaders, and civic organizations. Participants learn best practices in leadership, how to work with key stakeholders to build and sustain inclusive communities, and ways to support lives well lived for people who have too often been marginalized.
What Was Explored at GWI 2016?
GWI focuses on topics that are integral in achieving communities that are fully inclusive to all of its citizens.
These strands are:
Building Diverse Communities- The benefits of building diverse communities make towns greater by creating stronger neighborhoods and more active and involved populations of people with disabilities. These relationships empower and create opportunities for members of communities who are often marginalized and forgotten.
Transition Throughout the Lifespan- This conference strand promotes best practices in working with individuals with disabilities and their families through life's transitional phases. The successful transition of individuals with disabilities through all major phases of life should be a priority for everyone who works with people with disabilities and their families. The purpose of this strand is to better assist individuals with disabilities to build the skills and supports they need to successfully reach their life's goals.
Roving Listening - Learn to listen and discover the gifts, passions, and dreams of citizens in your community and then find ways to utilize them in order to build more inclusive communities and economies. Rooted in the principles of Asset-Based Community Development which brings neighbors and institutions together to discover the power of being a good neighbor.
Futures Planning - Person-centered planning is a process that empowers people with and without disabilities to know that the possibilities of their goals can become realities of their future. The process uses people’s gifts and talents to put them in charge of defining the direction for their lives. This focus ultimately leads to greater inclusion as valued members of their communities.
Enhancing Socially Valued Roles - Social role valorization is the use of culturally valued means to establish, enhance, maintain, and support valued social roles for marginalized members of society. This process creates communities where the abilities of all residents are celebrated and utilized.
