The
Family Unity Institute
The Family Unity Institute is a non-profit social and economic
development agency sponsored jointly by the Spiritual Assembly
of the Baha'is of South DeKalb County, Georgia and Mottahedeh
Development Services. The Institute was dedicated on April 21,
1995.
What is the Family Unity Institute?
The Family Unity Institute is located
near Atlanta, Georgia on a four-acre property, which it shares
with the Bahá'í Unity Center of South DeKalb,
Georgia.
The Institute includes offices, classrooms, an auditorium,
a gymnasium and a three bedroom home.
The purpose of the Family Unity Institute
is to promote the positive qualities, character and skills of
successful family and community life as an antidote to social
ills. Today we are witnessing societies suffering form the disintegrating
effects of a breakdown in the moral fabric of society and its
foundations, whether in the family or the community. We believe
that this fabric can only be restored by efforts that recognize
and apply universal spiritual principles, principles found at
the heart of all major religious systems.
The FUI provides positive programs
based on spiritual principles that educate parents, support positive
peer relationships for youth, and promote skill building toward
career success. Programs are community based and include academic
skill building, drama, the arts, computers and recreational components.
Programs involve youth in recreational
basketball and dance, in an effort to develop teamwork skills
as applied in the business setting, as well as applied problem
solving which is useful in all social situations.
Community Involvement
To initiate the project, MDS consulted
with community members active in a large variety of social and
economic development projects. A task force was developed for
the purpose of determining the needs of the community. Local
residents and members of regional and national institutions helped
design and inspire strategies for the development of programs.
The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of DeKalb County
South serves as an advisory council for the planning of projects.
Their primary concern is the safety and education of their children.
Programs at the Family Unity Institute
Grants Received
Educating the Mind and the Heart took
place over a five month period from January to May 1996.
 The
program served 34 children from three public Schools, Rainbow
Elementary, Panola Way and Chapel Hill Middle School. Collaborating
institutions provided consultative services and human resources.
Georgia Human Relations Commission provided assistance with
enhancing the reading component of the program. Spelman College
Department of Continuing Education provided invaluable consultation
regarding the design and the development of human resources.
The YWCA was supportive in offering their services for a parenting
component called "Project Redirection." Although
this component is not yet incorporated into the program, we
plan to use this resource in the future. The DeKalb Board of
Education, as well as counselors, provided guidance and were
extremely helpful in identifying prospective "at risk" students.
We were also pleased with the level of support that the parents
offered as demonstrated by the large turn out of family members
at the May spring parent night.
Camp LORE (Love of Reading
Early) was a structured summer enrichment program for 43 "at
risk" youth from public schools in South DeKalb County.
Existing funds from the Metro Atlanta Community Foundation were
supplemented by a small grant from the Georgia Children and Youth
Coordinating Council.
The summer project consisted of 30 hours of reading. This program was enhanced
by a daily four hour long recreational/arts component, designed to instill
self-discipline and to create a love for learning. Weekly parent nights, a
desk-top published creative writing book, a final family program with an original
play by students, and an improvement in reading scores were some of the major
outcomes of the camp. A total of 1,833 hours were logged by staff members and
there were 52 volunteers of diverse races and ages, who offered their time
in varying amounts and capacities.
FUI has met its objectives in the
following ways:
One objective was to improve core reading skills among
the children. The children who had regular attendance and were
tested at the beginning and the end of the camp period improved
their word recognition skills (according to Brigance Informal
Inventory) by 67%.
The second objective was to
encourage opportunities for the enjoyment of reading and to encourage
independent reading habits. Besides tutoring in reading, the
program was supplemented with weekly classes in creative writing,
music, crafts, movement, science, cultural diversity, conflict
resolution training, the sitar, African games and storytelling,
outdoor skills, educational computer games, health education,
and hygiene education. The week before the Olympics, 45 Native
American Indians performed traditional dances.
The third objective was to
involve family members. Parents were consulted during six weekly "parent/family
nights." The attendance of both children and parents created
the opportunity to involve family members in the program. The
parents expressed the need for children to learn reading comprehension,
phonics, discipline, respect, and skills for getting along with
others. Topics also included parenting skills, virtues training,
conflict resolution training, and parental support of independent
reading among children. During the parent/child family night,
both parents and children identified dance and basketball as
recreational activities that could potentially enhance the program.
The STAR Program was the next
phase of programming at the Family Unity Institute. Since the summer
program, MDS was consulting with community members on how to enhance
the quality of programming for children and their families. We had
several concerns: One was our level of participation. Program sessions
began with a high level of participation. However, by the end of
the session, the attendance rate dropped in half. Another concern
was the need to have a more experienced staff to effectively work
with "at risk" children. One of these individuals was Thomas
Robinson, attorney for the Georgia Supreme Court. Thomas is director
of an initiative known as Student Athlete Success, Inc. He also became
director of the STAR Program. Thomas's assistance has strengthened
the quality of our programming and level of organization. The program
continues to exemplify the mission of MDS, which is to promote the
positive qualities, character and skills of successful families through
interdisciplinary programs such as: mentoring, tutoring, music, the
arts, and recreation. The program is enjoying success. There are
approximately 35 students participating, and already parents testify
to improvement in the attitudes and grades of their children. Attendance
is at an all time high. Also, the two day a week tutorials are being
supplemented by a Saturday program. The volunteer tutors/mentors
are from Georgia State University, Spelman
College, Emory University, Morehouse
College, and Clark-Atlanta
University.
 |
