MTE Essentials Workbook

COURSE WORKBOOK

Essentials 1

Welcome to

More Than Enough Essentials!

This workbook has been created to help you process what you are learning in light of your own experiences and in the context of your own community. You will find an introduction exercise and one for each day of the week. Each of these will help you capture both where you are and where you’re going.

Let’s get started!

2

After listening to the Introduction of the More Than Enough Essentials Audio Companion Guide, rate your past experiences with collaboration on the official deodorant scale of collaborative experience (circle one):

Super Stinky A Little Funky Pretty Good Pleasantly Aromatic Dry and Fragrant

How do your past experiences with collaboration impact your current perspective on working with others to fill the biggest gaps in foster care in your community?

Regardless of any particular past experience you may have had, PLEASE don’t give up on deodorant (or collaboration)!

3

The Traits of a Great Collaborator As we walk through the case study in class, take note (in the blanks on the left) any key qualities of a great collaborator (or in this case a great CollaborTater) that you notice. As we go through the week and you hear additional course guest interviews, come back and add characteristics that you observe. Also, please feel free to doodle and make this CollaborTater your very own by adding some color and a little personality!

4

Finding Your Ensemble Cast After reading Chapter 10 of Until There’s More Than Enough (Finding Your Ensemble Cast), take a 10 minutes to brainstorm as many potential ensemble cast members as you can think of in your community: Name

Church/Organization

Role

Now go back through and put a star next to the first 4-6 names you think you might want to reach out to.

5

Do You Have All the Pieces?

6

As you consider how the nine pieces of the foster care puzzle can help you move towards more than enough well-supported foster, kinship, adoptive and biological families in your community, answer the following: Which of these (identify 2-3) do you feel might be a particular strength in your community?

Which of these (identify 2-3) do you feel are areas of particular weakness in your community?

Which of these (identify 2-3) do you feel you honestly don’t know enough about your community to accurately assess?

7

Your Own Private Villain Journal After reading Chapter 11 of Until There’s More Than Enough (Villains of Foster Care), take inventory of your own journey and who you might have seen or currently see as the villain in foster care. Record your thoughts for each of these categories: An honest self-assessment of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’d like to be

Villain #1

Biological Parents

Villain #2

The System Itself

Villain #3

Other Organizations

8

Toilet Paper: It Only Gets Better From Here Looking at your ensemble cast list from Tuesday (page 4), list each of those names in the appropriate rows below. Then list some ways in the far right column you might be able to take each of those relationships to the next level.

9

In my community

No Connection “I have not met this person.”

Acquaintance “I am acquainted with this person but do not work on anything with them.”

Collaborator “I work directly with this person on one or more projects.”

Ally “I depend on this person regularly for important input and advice.”

Friend “I can reliably count on this person and we have developed a high degree of trust.”

10

Ideas to strengthen relationships

Building Trust Together I am grateful we are working together to reach more than enough for children and families before, during, and beyond foster care. Doing that effectively will require a great deal of trust between us. In order to grow a relationship built on trust, I’m making these commitments to you: 1. When I’m confused about something you’ve said or done, I’ll choose to believe the best. If I feel left out of the loop on a conversation, a decision is made that seems to disregard my thoughts, or I get an email that seems a bit cold, I’ll believe the best. If I can’t shake the feeling and think there’s something more to it, I’ll stick to my second commitment.

2. When hard things happen between us, I’ll come directly to you. I will not go to others about my feelings or frustrations, knowing that talking to others undermines trust between us and with the others we collaborate with.

3. When you come directly to me, I will listen and take responsibility for mistakes I’ve made and commitments I have broken. I will seek to hear the truth in what you are sharing rather than jumping to deflect and defend myself.

4. When others speak negatively about you, I will share your strengths with them are encourage them to go directly to you. Even if someone is seeking advice or genuinely wrestling with what to do next, I will acknowledge their feelings while affirming you and quickly directing them to speak with you.

5. When I talk to others, I will be intentional about sharing credit for successes in the work that we are doing together to reach more than enough in our community. I believe our collaboration will inspire others to do the same.

Find this document, printable and customized for your state.

11

Now What?

Take a few minutes and flip back through these worksheets and any other notes you might have taken throughout the week. As you do, write 2-3 intention statements of your own as indicated below.

In light of [something I have learned this week], I want to [action step], with [someone in your community that you want to ‘pick up’ to help you do this!].

I plan to do this by [insert a time frame or deadline date].

Here’s a few examples: In light of my desire to build trust, I would like to have lunch with Lucy and Linus. I plan to do this by the end of next week.

In light of our community’s need to clearly articulate the problem we are trying to solve, I would like to arrange a conversation with Woody, Slinky Dog, and Forky. I plan to do this by the end of this month.

In light of my desire to be for the church rather than wanting from the church, I would like to discuss participating in the MTE Community Discovery Project with Big Bird, Grover, and yes, Oscar the Grouch. I plan to do this by October 21st.

12

Now, it’s your turn...

In light of

,

when I go home I want to

,

with .

In light of

,

when I go home I want to

,

with .

In light of

,

when I go home I want to

,

with .

13

For more resources to help your community work together to provide more than enough for children and families, visit MoreThanEnoughTogether.org.

©2024 Christian Alliance for Orphans