FCSN Parents Committee
The Parents Committee was founded in July 2022. The key objectives are to support the FCSN mission – to help individuals with special needs and their families find love, hope, respect and support through integrated community involvement, and to connect FCSN families with parents who have similar interests through Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
Several SIGs have been formed and over 150 families have been served and have benefited from them. Some ideas have resulted in successful implementation.
We want to expand on this success and continue to help connect parents with similar interests in helping their special needs children. Nothing beats a group of parents who not only want to help their children but also put it into action by brainstorming ideas and helping each other to better support their children. We welcome more parents to form and lead SIGs and/or to participate in the existing SIGs.
Existing SIGs
If you are interested in joining one, here are some existing SIGs. Please contact the email listed for each SIG to join.
Scouting SIG: You can find descriptions below. If you are interested in joining us, please contact Kai Song (kai.song@gmail.com), Helen Chou (kaihuei.chou@gmail.com), or Robin Chiang (rcchiang@yahoo.com)
Weekend Outing SIG: You can find descriptions below. Contact kaihuei.chou@gmail.com if you are interested in joining.
Music Playgroup SIG: Description below. Please contact rmtsai@yahoo.com if you are interested.
Housing SIG v2: You can find more details below.
Creating Your Own SIG
If you are interested in creating and leading a SIG but are worried about being unable to commit enough time, don’t be! You could team up with other parents in the group to plan the activities. In some cases, it could be as easy as starting a chat group or mailing list.
Please email fcsn-parents-committee-ml@googlegroups.com. The Parents Committee will help you and provide support. Here are some topics of interest from FCSN families, based on past surveys:
Self Determination Program learning group
Age-based playgroups
Girls-only and smaller housing projects
Past SIGs (Currently Closed)
Starting Business and Creating Job Opportunities for our SN Adults SIG: Currently closed. But you can email fcsn-sig-business-food@googlegroups.com if you want to learn from the experiences.
High Needs Support Group SIG: Closed.
If you are not sure but simply want to share your topics of interest and are not ready to lead, please fill out the interest form: https://forms.gle/yivarYWtjYBNt1Cu5
Looking forward to hearing from enthusiastic and loving fellow parents! Together with the FCSN community, we can help each other and our children even better!
SIG Descriptions
Starting Business SIG Description
What we have taken into consideration and have researched:
Goals & Priorities:
1. Profit vs. non-profit
2. Is business profitability the top priority?
3. Child’s interests, skills, and their desired lifestyle
4. Your (parent’s) desired lifestyle
5. Learning from others
6. How to vet ideas
7. Cash balance neutral considerations
Scouting SIG Description
We are a special needs troop. SVMBC (Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council) allows us to set no age limit in Troop 488. All FCSN families are welcome to join us. Scouting involves outdoor activities, discipline, ceremonies, and social interactions. You can assess if it would be a good fit for your children.
Troop 488 has a website: https://www.troop488.org. On this website, we have an event calendar where you can view our troop events for 2025. For general inquiries, you can also write to Troop488ScoutMaster@gmail.com.
Weekend Outing SIG Description
The Weekend Outing SIG activities leverage the Troop 488 Scouting activities when feasible. We open it up to all FCSN members who enjoy outdoor activities. The outings will mostly involve hiking activities within the Bay Area. This is a good way for families to get to know more about our special needs troop, consider joining our troop, or simply get to know each other and support each other better.
Music Playgroup SIG Description
Pilot for Music Playgroup for Young Adults
Purpose: To provide an ongoing music class to learn and play musical instruments together, like xylophone and bells (with scale notes, A-B-C-D-E-F-G).
Target students: Mid-low functioning young adults who like music but can’t attend music camp.
Requirements:
– A xylophone/glockenspiel (can be a toy one)
– Bells (desk bells or handbells)
– A parent is required to stay and assist their child. This is not a drop-off class. Full support and cooperation of the parent is essential.
Lesson content: Learn scale notes, rhythm, nursery rhymes, and cartoon theme songs.
Location: East Bay FCSN
Trial period: Hopefully in the summer. No more than 5 students. As each child’s needs and abilities are different, I will need parents’ involvement in helping me individualize the lesson plan. Then the parents can guide their children’s practice.
Housing SIG Description
The former Housing SIG has successfully transitioned into the Dream II Project, in which several dozen families have signed up. It was closed. However, there is a WeChat group for parents who are still interested in housing but did not sign up for the Dream II Project. It has been transitioned into “Housing SIG v2.”
There is a temporary group chat moderator, but it needs a leader, or the leader can coordinate with a few core members to run the group together to reduce the workload. You could decide how to run the SIG. You could simply be a moderator to facilitate discussions, bring in others who have prior experience to share their knowledge and/or experiences of establishing housing LLCs. Members could also find other members who are interested in a housing LLC for girls only, or for just a small number of residents.
If you are interested in leading it, please email weiplum@gmail.com.
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