Trainers’ Session November 7, 2010 Belleville, Illinois

What is your “take away” from this meeting? Go ahead and do the things I’ve been hearing about. Educate others on systemic change; share what the VF is doing world-wide Provide a catalyst for the VF to think creatively about what kinds of projects could be designed for local areas

Design a training that invites us to think about our present service models and how they might move more towards systemic change. I don’t feel like a lone wolf anymore; communication has given me a new heart. There is a lot of wisdom; theological basis for what we do; gather the wisdom and begin to train each other; share the gifts of the VF

Have already taken a step towards collaboration in my own area; expanding my contact group Learn from each other; share programs and evaluate potential for transformation Start personally Intend to work on three levels: get SVDP represented at UN

Plenary session at national SVdP meeting on systemic change Work to develop a common understanding of poverty and the root causes; regional commitment Move beyond just VF and work with other groups who are already engaged in systemic change

Challenge our own congregations Who is going to do it? Need to be creative and enthusiastic about passing on what we have learned to the next generation; need for systemic vocational program Where are those living in poverty involved in this process of systemic change How do you mobilize systemic change thinking?

Hope to go back and help my own congregation to think more systemically. Hope to effect change in thinking on the boards of directors on which we sit Need to start with ourselves; our own branches of the family

Gather the trainers from the VMY, LOC, and Sisters and train as a team with all those groups; model collaboration Need to understand the groups with whom we wish to collaborate Look at the stewardship campaigns in our parishes; invite people to recognize their own time, talent and treasures to transform their own lives

Leaders need to set up another time to meet with us for continual training Need for Sisters in local ministries to seek out other branches of the VF and to collaborate with others outside of the VF who are interested in systemic change Need to stay in contact with others from this meeting

Why was I asked to come here? How do we utilize the groups of our communities so that we can co-create a plan of action in our region? “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to get far, go together.” Need to identify among ourselves what potential is available for collaboration at the local level.

Need to work on intentionally incorporating systemic change

Need to create regional trainings; need to distill these three days into three hours Would have liked to have spent more time on projects; discussing strategies, etc. Necessary for people to receive facilitation training or to serve as a planner behind the scenes Electronic training; training in technology

Develop a systemic change blog Share resources as we discover them Would be great to be able to click on individual states and have branches of the family and contacts identified; list those who have already been trained

What on-going training do you need? Need for a network so we can learn from each other; how is each group engaging in training in their regional area? Need to continue to communicate with leaders, but also with each other.

What do you see as your next step? Gather my colleagues for a meal and have a conversation that might lead to a systemic change training at DePaul; prayer, reflection and planting of seeds on systemic change There already is a blog that those in this group can participate in; change.family.org on vinfam website

How do we transform our parishes so that they become agents of systemic change? How are we going to change the SVdP conferences to enable a change in mentality? Need to help them understand how to change the projects they are already doing into systemic change.

Need to get more comfortable with technology Look at who the community is to whom we are speaking and be sensitive to where they are. Need to look at what we are already doing and engage in the questions which might lead to transformation within existing ministries.

What happened here is like the Transfiguration. You have to go back down from the mountain. When you have a change you want to implement you are usually on Step 4. The people you want to engage in change are usually on Step 1. There is a need to go down to Step 1 to meet them and lead them to the next Step.

Need to do more work within myself; need for conversion to take place A retreat that might call on people from the different branches to come together around systemic change There is a need for a shared understanding of the causes of poverty

Need to do a better job of engaging young people in understanding systemic change; also need to do a better job of helping them to see their relationship to other branches of the family. VMY need more time with the leaders of the VF so we can better learn how to collaborate with them

Need for a different way of approaching collaboration with other VF members for those of us who live in rural areas Need to add to our family simply lay Vincentians. The way that we communicate with each other from the top down is always effective; need to allow people to choose to opt in

VF gatherings are essential to share our different works; need to have more at the regional level to share ideas I would like to have a way of helping other branches of the family come to an understanding of the connections we share