The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
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The cases in the Create Your Own Case Toolkit were developed by the Community Engagement Team (CET) outreach workers in the Department of Human Service Programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can use the cases to draw inspiration for your own case writing or as a basis for discussions with others to improve your family engagement skills and knowledge. |
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| CASE 2: Reaching John: When Disengagement Is Not What It May Seem Christopher Hope
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THE BACK STORY:
John is an African American male in his 40s who lives in a medium-sized urban community. He has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren, who range in age from 1–6 years old. He was invited by me, a community outreach worker, to multiple community workshops about reading to children. Although John always said he would attend, at the last minute, he would cancel or simply not show up. His reasons for cancelling were very vague.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
Why might John agree to participate and then cancel? What strategies could the outreach worker use to build a relationship with John?
THE FULL STORY:
Among the people in my workshop, John stands out the most to me. He didn’t attend our first workshop and canceled at the last minute. I wondered if there might be another reason why he was hesitant to participate in the workshop after already agreeing to it. Once I was able to speak to him comfortably, one-on-one, I discovered the real reason. He was delaying his involvement in the workshop because he was sensitive to issues involving literacy. As a child, he had suffered reading development delays and faced the stigma that comes with such issues. With great effort, he finally overcame his problem, but right after agreeing to attend the workshop, he realized that he was uncomfortable with revisiting literacy education. There was a painful, emotional barrier he needed to overcome. I only discovered this information after speaking with him because I had developed a relationship with him and his family through the church. I assured him that he was in a safe zone and that he could trust me. I believe that if I hadn’t developed a relationship with him that was based on trust, he would have never agreed to participate in the workshop.
"For years, I struggled with connecting bad memories of the learning obstacles I had as a child, with reading literacy, and this held me back in life in many ways. As a grandfather, I want to pass on a love for reading to my grandchildren, and I think the workshops are helping me to achieve this."
—John (name changed to protect confidentiality)
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