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Building Connections
Building Connections & Relationships
Humans are hardwired for connection! We all yearn to belong, to connect and to be loved. Derrick Dufresne said, "I don't know how to guarantee success but I do know how to guarantee opportunity". How can you increase the opportunities for people you serve to develop and maintain their relationships and social roles? Dive into our eLearnings on building connections and relationships to find out more!
eLearnings
Nurturing Relationships
Natalie Giesbrecht dives into the topic of building connection, and the power of introductions. This video further explores ways in which we can support people to define, develop and nurture organic relationships and what it looks like to provide active, person-led support in this area.
This video is captioned and contains simultaneous translation to ASL. Full transcripts are available here:
Word version - Nurturing Relationships (Transcript).docx (24 KB)
PDF version - Nurturing Relationships (Transcript).pdf (105 KB)
Bridging Social Roles
In this eLearning, Leanne Fenez explores the concept of social roles: what are they and why are they so important?
Social roles or more importantly, valued social roles, are the key to the good things in life for everyone! When we contribute in active and meaningful ways where we live, work and play we have more opportunities to meet people, develop new skills and project a positive image to others. Leanne provides practical guidance on the ways in which we can support people to bridge social roles.
This video is captioned and contains simultaneous translation to ASL. Full transcripts are available here:
Word version: Bridging Social Roles (Transcript).docx (25 KB)
PDF version: Bridging Social Roles (Transcript).pdf (123 KB)
Putting it in Practice:
Complete this simple exercise with your team/family to dig into the connections people have to their community! Get personal and open up your wallets to see how its contents say a lot about your relationships and social roles!
Access the Wallet Exercise here: Wallet Exercise.pdf (835 KB)
Spend some time mapping the relationships that people you support have (or want to have). This picture helps you identify what more is possible and what assistance people might need to develop, deepen and maintain relationships!
Access the Relationship Mapping Exercise here: Relationship Mapping.pdf (1.08 MB)
Wait, there's more! Additional Resources:
Leading Practice Guidelines -check out various sections such as: Contribution & Growth, Inclusion, Connection
Cara Milne (https://mpoweredplanning.com)
David Pitonyak - (http://dimagine.com/)
Al Condeluci – (http://www.alcondeluci.com/)
Angela Novak Amado – Connecting people with disabilities with community members