There’s no manual on how to raise children, but Sharon Long, parent educator at Centers for Youth and Families, is the closest living, breathing entity you will find to one. She has been educating families for almost 30 years on everything from modern skills such as how to parent in the age of social media to the ageless struggle of how to effectively discipline young children.
“We don’t want parents to ever feel hopeless or that help and support is unavailable,” says Long. “At Centers we believe prevention is the key to strong families.”
Centers for Youth and Families has been operating for more than 125 years and each year it serves thousands of Arkansas families through education, outreach, wellness and intervention and treatment programs. It believes that successful families lead to a successful community.
Long has seen first-hand the importance of a strong family system. As a graduate student working towards her master’s in psychology at Mississippi State University, she worked with the families of male juvenile offenders and the families of developmentally challenged adults. There was a common theme between the families: those that were more involved and sought to understand their relative’s needs created stronger, healthier relationships, which produced better outcomes for everyone involved.
“That’s where I saw the big picture of family systems being the infrastructure of the community,” Long says. “The stronger the parents, the stronger the family, the stronger the community.”
Read more about Long’s work to help parents and how funding from the EVOLVE event (Feb. 15) helps struggling and deserving families try to improve their parenting skills and their children’s opportunities in life here: http://goo.gl/pf45Tw.
To purchase tickets or for sponsorship information for this year’s Rio Carnivale-themed EVOLVE, contact Centers’ Foundation Office at (501) 666-9436 or email Marketing@CFYF.org.