This weekend, we are gathering with affiliate partners from across Canada and the United States. Needless to say, it’s been exciting to share space with so many co-leaders in the family movement.
Since PLAN began in 1989, the model developed by our founders has inspired more than 40 family-led organizations around the world. While these organizations all operate independently, we continue to be united by shared values.
As we finish the first day of our gathering, here’s a few of the themes which have emerged:
- How can we nourish the energy we have around network development, community building and planning to live good lives?
- How can we engage new generations – particularly siblings- to participate in the lives of their loved ones with disabilities?
- How can we further inspire our community to understand the value of unique contributions we all make as citizens?
We often talk about the family movement, and how important it is to the future of our communities. Gatherings like this weekend remind us that our movement is strong.
But gatherings like these also remind us our work is not finished. If we want our loved ones with disabilities to live good lives as part of the community, we need to keep building networks that empower contribution, safety and security, keep advocating for systems change, and keep working to give families peace of mind about the future.
There’s much more learning and sharing to come, and we’re looking forward to day two of this gathering.
Kudos to Plan Institute for bringing this group together!