News for the Heart: Laurie Huston: John Cotton discuss Family Matters
Today at noon EDT, Laurie Huston from News for the Heart is talking with John Cotton on his project Family Matters. John and I discuss some of the biggest problems facing families today; Effective Communication, Family Values, Families in Transition, Mental Health and more. The majority of our discussion is on communication and how this is the largest issues facing families today! Join us for this fascinating discussion! We’re Getting to the Heart of what Matters!
What is it?
Family Matters is a community initiative to empower and equip families to talk about what matters to them. The intent is to “start a conversation” leading up to Family Day in February and encourage families to engage in meaningful conversations on topics that are important to them.
Empowering families means inspiring them to reclaim their power to talk openly about their values and challenges as part of creating closeness, connection, and community.
Equipping families means providing them with knowledge and practical tools to feel confident and courageous in engaging in those conversations.
Why is it important?
Many families want to talk about what’s important, including what they really value and what they’re dealing with. Without help, encouragement, and the support of community, however, most of them feel overwhelmed and unsure about how to initiate and sustain vital conversations. This project is an opportunity to help establish a tradition of meaningful dialogue within and between families as part of the annual Family Day weekend.
What does it look like?
John envisions an online awareness campaign (i.e. “Let’s talk about…”) to which families can go for inspiration, discussion, and resources, followed by one or more interactive local events (i.e. “Let’s help you talk about…”) in Toronto the week before Family Day at which project partners (helping experts and organizations) deliver knowledge and tools and get families talking about various topics. Families could give input online as to what they’d like to see, and I’m already in conversation with several possible partners to engage families on topics such as:
Effective Communication (e.g. How to listen effectively, or run a successful family meeting).
Living Family Values (e.g. “What really matters?”, Family Q&A, virtues, and character education).
Families in Transition (dealing with separation, divorce, blended- and step-family dynamics).
Risky Behaviors (internet, sex, alcohol, drugs)
Mental Health (ADHD, depression, anxiety, suicide)
How can I help?
You can make it happen! For the vision of this project to become a reality, your passion and contributions are needed. I’m calling for Champions to become leaders in the project and collaborate with other powerful people on the team. This is an amazing opportunity to connect with other community leaders and also fulfill on your own mission as it relates to serving families.
For more information on John visit: www.genuinecoaching.ca