Study & Practice

Family Council

VISION
The mission of the Family Council is threefold: to support parent's attendance at Dharma events by providing quality childcare, to support the Dharma education of the Sangha children, and to support the Sangha parents in furthering their own Dharma practice and studies in the context of raising a family.

POSITIONS
MSB Admin Representative: Deana Reid
Family Council Administrator: Laura Beann
Secretary: Julie Vaught
Finance: Janine Kotre
Curriculum: Kristin Suppan & John Clancy
Childcare Coordinator: Abba Jepsen
Food/Cook Coordinator: Katherine Teahen
Facilities: David Suppan

Please contact Laura Beann if you are interested in a position on Family Council.

ACTIVITIES
With the incredible blessings of our lineage and Kongtrul Rinpoche, we have an opportunity to work together to carry out the overall vision of MSB as it specifically applies to raising children in the Dharma. The more we can polish the structure of this mandala and take precise care of its contents, the more we will give rise to a genuine offering.

The Family Council mandala is fueled by service to the MSB families with great consideration to their needs and aspirations. In order to serve in this way, it will be important for us to keep an open mind, respect the intelligence of others, broaden our knowledge, and have a readiness to adjust the structure of child care to meet our current needs as a community. Empowered through active service, the Family Council can work interdependently within sangha to benefit the children, parents and greater community. As we collaborate together, let's look forward to our works-in-progress, rejoice in our accomplishments and dedicate the merit to all sentient beings.

MSB Mentorship Program
With the support of Family Council, we are starting a mentorship program for the children of MSB. The intention is to create community support for sangha children, support families of the children and foster fun relationships for mentors. We would like all sangha kids ten to sixteen years of age to have a mentor. If your child is age 10 or over, please email Abba Jepsen abba@fone.net with a prioritized list of 3 sangha people in order of preference from your child (with parental approval). She will then contact sangha members and make matches.

Mentors will be asked to:
~Be a model for the child
~Initiate spending time together; 1 x month minimum if reside near each other
~Discuss/share/teach dharma as appropriate
~Possible informal meditation instruction
~Be someone adolescent can talk to (aside from parents) regarding life issues
~Communicate as feels natural email, phone, facebook/myspace interaction
~Spend some time (share lunch?) during programs as feels natural and beneficial
~Make a one year commitment to the mentorship relationship

Childcare
One of the ongoing priorities of the Family Council is to create and maintain a high quality childcare situation during Dharma programs. Considerations include accommodating shifting enrollment, the wide range of ages involved, the children's endurance during long Dharma programs and space constraints.

Blue Rose Program for Dharma Education
The Blue Rose Program will address dharma education in a developmentally appropriate way for the children in the Sangha.

Parent Support
As a first step toward supporting and deepening the communication around Family Council, we are creating an inclusive working body that fosters transparency in agenda and decision making, and fluid communication between the Family Council, Sangha Families, and MSB Administration.

Working Body
The way the Council will function as a working body within the mandala of families and the greater mandala of MSB is consistent with a commitment toward representation for all families, transparency, and communication in the following ways:

Representation
We would like to have a specific contact person for each particular area of the mandala (eg. dharma education, childcare, finances). There will also be someone on the council that can provide representation based on a particular shared experience (eg. being a parent of a toddler, being a newer parent to the sangha.)

Transparency
The contents of Family Council meetings will be recorded and sent after meetings, giving parents an ongoing connection with the council's projects.

Communication
The lines of communication established will create a direct link between the Family Council and the MSB Administration so that the vision established can instruct the work of the council and how families are served.



Member Home Community Announcements Bulletin Board Phüntsok Chöling Calendar Prayer Requests Service Donations Online Study & Practice	Family Council VISION The mission of the Family Council is threefold: to support parent's attendance at Dharma events by providing quality childcare, to support the Dharma education of the Sangha children, and to support the Sangha parents in furthering their own Dharma practice and studies in the context of raising a family. POSITIONS MSB Admin Representative: Deana Reid Family Council Administrator: Laura Beann Secretary: Julie Vaught Finance: Janine Kotre Curriculum: Kristin Suppan & John Clancy Childcare Coordinator: Abba Jepsen Food/Cook Coordinator: Katherine Teahen Facilities: David Suppan Please contact Laura Beann if you are interested in a position on Family Council. ACTIVITIES With the incredible blessings of our lineage and Kongtrul Rinpoche, we have an opportunity to work together to carry out the overall vision of MSB as it specifically applies to raising children in the Dharma. The more we can polish the structure of this mandala and take precise care of its contents, the more we will give rise to a genuine offering. The Family Council mandala is fueled by service to the MSB families with great consideration to their needs and aspirations. In order to serve in this way, it will be important for us to keep an open mind, respect the intelligence of others, broaden our knowledge, and have a readiness to adjust the structure of child care to meet our current needs as a community. Empowered through active service, the Family Council can work interdependently within sangha to benefit the children, parents and greater community. As we collaborate together, let's look forward to our works-in-progress, rejoice in our accomplishments and dedicate the merit to all sentient beings. MSB Mentorship Program With the support of Family Council, we are starting a mentorship program for the children of MSB. The intention is to create community support for sangha children, support families of the children and foster fun relationships for mentors. We would like all sangha kids ten to sixteen years of age to have a mentor. If your child is age 10 or over, please email Abba Jepsen abba@fone.net with a prioritized list of 3 sangha people in order of preference from your child (with parental approval). She will then contact sangha members and make matches. Mentors will be asked to: ~Be a model for the child ~Initiate spending time together; 1 x month minimum if reside near each other ~Discuss/share/teach dharma as appropriate ~Possible informal meditation instruction ~Be someone adolescent can talk to (aside from parents) regarding life issues ~Communicate as feels natural email, phone, facebook/myspace interaction ~Spend some time (share lunch?) during programs as feels natural and beneficial ~Make a one year commitment to the mentorship relationship Childcare One of the ongoing priorities of the Family Council is to create and maintain a high quality childcare situation during Dharma programs. Considerations include accommodating shifting enrollment, the wide range of ages involved, the children's endurance during long Dharma programs and space constraints. Blue Rose Program for Dharma Education The Blue Rose Program will address dharma education in a developmentally appropriate way for the children in the Sangha. Parent Support As a first step toward supporting and deepening the communication around Family Council, we are creating an inclusive working body that fosters transparency in agenda and decision making, and fluid communication between the Family Council, Sangha Families, and MSB Administration. Working Body The way the Council will function as a working body within the mandala of families and the greater mandala of MSB is consistent with a commitment toward representation for all families, transparency, and communication in the following ways: Representation We would like to have a specific contact person for each particular area of the mandala (eg. dharma education, childcare, finances). There will also be someone on the council that can provide representation based on a particular shared experience (eg. being a parent of a toddler, being a newer parent to the sangha.) Transparency The contents of Family Council meetings will be recorded and sent after meetings, giving parents an ongoing connection with the council's projects. Communication The lines of communication established will create a direct link between the Family Council and the MSB Administration so that the vision established can instruct the work of the council and how families are served.