Friends of the Children - National Hosts Program Convening in Chicago

Last month Friends of the Children – National hosted a program convening in Chicago, bringing together nearly seventy program leaders and other staff from across our national network. Representatives from chapters gathered to learn and share, strengthening how we serve youth and families. The program convening themed around Collaboration and Connection, Supervision and Leadership, Network Program Alignment and Collective Outcomes, and Celebration and Strengths.

“Bringing the program team together in person was inspiring,” says Carmi Brown, Chief Program Officer of Friends of the Children – National. “There was a collective energy and passion we could all feel around our shared desire to make a greater impact on the lives of the youth we serve.”

The convening focused on creating better impact through our programming and included sessions on new data gathering through Salesforce, best practices in supervision, core assets of the organization, and Innovation Stations that afforded chapters the opportunity to share new knowledge on different topics related to the Friends of the Children mentoring model. Much of the meeting took place at a community conference space for nonprofits managed by Discover Credit Card, with other sessions taking place at the Friends of the Children – Chicago club house, and a downtown space provided by Proviso.

Friends of the Children is grateful for this time together to align our strategies and ensure that every chapter is equipped with the tools and knowledge to continue making a lasting impact in the lives of the children and families we serve.