Student Section of MCFR

At the December MCFR conference, we started a new student opportunity. We will now be holding a student/new professional poster session at all of our conferences in the foreseeable future. We developed this opportunity as a way for students to gain experience presenting their work locally in a forum with minimal pressure. The MCFR members are a warm and welcoming group and their interest in students is genuine. They are the perfect group to engage in conversations that provide valuable feedback in a supportive way.

We had a wide variety of topics presented including: implications of race related socialization for Black youth, creating a solution map, youth-adult relationships in community-based programs, language choice of bilingual mothers, the psychology of adoption, communicative and structural openness in adoptive kinship networks, and sexual attitudes and behaviors. Each of these topics provided a unique perspective on working with families.

Please click to read more and find out how you can participate at the next conference.

Continue reading "Student Poster Session" »

Posted by Kristin Schneider at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Snelling Caribou coffee was such a hit in 2008 that we are going back. Who can argue with plenty of free parking, an easy location, and great coffee? Fridays seem to work for most, so join us in the conference room from 4:30 to 6:30pm on Friday, February 20th.

This time around, we are welcoming two MCFR board members that serve on the Association of Council for NCFR. Marcie Brooke is a Certified Family Life Educator and the Executive Director of The Working Family Resource Center, based out of St. Paul. Ada Alden is an adjunct professor for Family Education at the University of Minnesota and Family Studies at St. Cloud State University. She also does training and consulting with many family professionals and is the author of "Parenting on Purpose: Red Yellow Green Framework for Respectful Discipline." Marcie and Ada will be talking about their professional work as well as the benefits of membership with MCFR and NCFR.

I hope you can join the Student Section to learn about professional opportunities and network with students and student supports!

For more information, contact Heather Cline at cline048@umn.edu

Caribou Coffee
2111 Snelling Avenue
Rosevillle, MN 55113

Posted by Heather Cline at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It is time for our fall social event and this time we are mixing things up:

We are hosting our event on October 17th, 2008 at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation in St. Paul.

Kristin Dillon is a board member of MCFR, a committee member of the Student Section, and one of the speakers who will be sharing about her new professional role at Wilder Foundation. Kristin is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota.

Sara Lassig received her Ph.D. in May 2008 from the same department and will be speaking about her new professional role at the VA Medical Center.

Come to Wilder from 4:30 – 6:30pm and enjoy some refreshments, great conversation with students and professionals, and learn about two distinct careers within the family field.

There is no need to RSVP, but if you have any questions please contact Heather Cline at cline048@umn.edu

See you on October 17th!

Posted by Heather Cline at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Practice presenting your work in a supportive environment...

The Student Section invites you to participate in the first annual student poster session at this year’s fall conference.

CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES – FORMATION, FUNCTION AND THE FUTURE

Thursday - December 4, 2008
Continuing Education and Conference Center
University of Minnesota - St. Paul Campus

All conference proposals must be submitted by October 10, 2008.

Posters can cover research, practice, or pedagogy pertaining to families or those working with families. Posters should be no larger than 4x4 and will be posted on a flat display board provided by the conference site.

To submit a proposal, send an e-mail to Heather Cline at cline048@umn.edu with the following information:
• Name
• E-mail
• School
• Year in school
• Degree sought
• Title of poster presentation
• Attached copy of presentation abstract (500 words or less)

You will receive a response regarding your proposal by October 24, 2008.

For more information on the December 4 conference, visit www.mcfr.net.

Posted by Heather Cline at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ITS FINALLY HERE – THE STUDENT SECTION MENTORSHIP PROGRAM IS READY FOR YOU!

After much talk of offering a mentoring program, we are finally prepared and excited to begin this opportunity. Students and new professionals often learn about careers objectively, without getting a taste of what the job is actually like. Additionally, students lack in relationships with professionals that offer a safe place to ask those “dumb questions� or more specific questions about a career or professional role.

PROFESSIONALS:
Students and new professionals are the future of the family field that you have worked so hard to build. If you are at all interested in contributing to the future of your specific area of work, please follow the link below to a brief online survey. This survey will only take you five minutes, but will provide MCFR with a wealth of knowledge about how to support students as they transition into their future profession. In addition, your feedback will allow us to better track our professional community. We, at MCFR, hope this e-mail is the beginning of an exciting opportunity for personal growth as you may know that most mentors reflect that they benefited equally from the interaction as the mentee. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UgOn9_2fVYjeL47HJwBlrYhw_3d_3d

STUDENTS/NEW PROFESSIONALS:
Do you wish you could get an inside look at a particular career you have been thinking about? Do you ever want to just chat with a professional about the field and/or your future but do not feel comfortable speaking to your advisor in this way? Are you a professional changing or thinking of changing career paths, but wish you could learn more? If you relate to any of these questions or are simply intrigued by the idea of a mentorship relationship with a professional in the family field, please follow the link below to complete a brief online survey. This survey will help not only match you with an appropriate professional based on your needs and interests, but will also help us improve the mentorship program for everyone. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=V8tnz_2fmrkvH421rOwfCPVA_3d_3d

THE STUDENT SECTION OF MCFR NEEDS YOUR HELP TO BECOME A MORE SUPPORTIVE RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS AND NEW PROFESSIONALS IN THE FAMILY FIELD.

Please comment on this blog with your thoughts, questions, and requests. I will update the blog on the mentorship progam as it gets rolling. Also feel free to contact me at cline048@umn.edu with any specific questions about the mentorhsip or the Student Section of MCFR.

Heather Cline

Posted by Heather Cline at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

On April 4th, MCFR is hosting its spring conference at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The Teaching Classroom on the second floor of the conference hall has been reserved for a student lunch. Please attend what is sure to be an inspiring conference and enjoy an informal lunch with fellow students from various colleges and universities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Visit www.mcfr.net for more conference details.

Posted by Heather Cline at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As you can see we had a full house at our latest Student Section event held on Friday, February 22 at Caribou Coffee in Roseville. We filled the evening by sharing our activities and interests related to working with and for families and heard professionals in the field (Betty Cooke, Minnelle Tralle, Rose Allen, Peg Lindlof, and Susan Walker) tell us about how their career path has led them to their current position.

Thank you to all attendees for a great event and I hope you and many more will join us for our next event in the fall!

Heather

Posted by Heather Cline at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hey everyone,

From 5-7pm this Friday the Student Section is hosting an event at Caribou coffee across from the Har Mar mall in Roseville. This time, we are throwing some new things in the mix. We will enjoy conversation with fellow students and professionals in the field; presentations by the former, current, and future presidents of MCFR; and last but not least, the Student Section committee will make a few announcements about our future plans and tell you about resources we have come across that might be of interest to you.

If that's not enough incentive for coming to the event, there's more! Rose Allen, our future MCFR president, also makes beautiful jewelry. Rose is pleased to offer some of her pieces as door prizes so, stay till the end and you might just get some new earings to wear out that night.

That's not all. Any student that attends the event will be receive a discount coupon for the spring MCFR conference on April 4th. Check out www.mcfr.net for more information - you won't want to miss this one!

I hope the reasons above are enough to convince you that the Student Section event this Friday is worth your time. Networking is one of the most important assets for students as we work our way into the family field, and this event will provide a low-pressure environment and close contact with some of Minnesota's key players.

Contact me at cline048@umn.edu if you have any questions.

See you on Friday!
Heather

Posted by Heather Cline at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pa Nhia Yang, Annie Toeung, Marcie Brooks, Heather Dubbeldee, and Betty Cooke discuss their research interests and ideas.

Sara Lassig, Kristin Schneider, Pa Nhia Yang, Annie Toeung, and Heather Dubbeldee take a break from good food and conversation to pose for a picture.

The MCFR Student Section is hosting another social event. The two pictures above were taken at our first event last April for you to see the great food, great connections, and great conversation that take place.

The upcoming social event is scheduled for October 19th from 4-6pm. Last year we met on a Wednesday evening on the St. Paul campus. This time around we are having it on a Friday early evening on the U of M's East campus (Peik Hall, Rm 40). Your feedback regarding date, time, place and anything else you can think of regarding the social event is much appreciated. We want the Student Section Social Events to be a place where students in fields related to family want to come to network with other students and professionals in an informal setting; allowing more depth in conversation than conferences typically allow.

One bonus that we have added to the event from last time are the discount cards for becoming an official member of MCFR and for the registration fee to attend the next MCFR conference, which is November 30th. Students already get a reduced rate, but attending this event will save you even more money, plus, you will meet people in October that you will know at the MCFR conference in November

We will be dispersing the Social Event e-mails and flyers in the next couple of weeks. Contact Kristin Schneider or myself (Heather Dubbeldee) with any questions or comments - our contact information is posted on this blog site.

We look forward to connecting with you on October 19th!

Posted by Heather Cline at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I can't tell you how many times a week I am asked this question. Yet, after about a million polite answers and a handful of honest ones, I am still unable to really answer the question. I attended a workshop last month for students and new professionals in relationship research and it really pressed me to carefully consider what I actually want to do when I'm done. I am curious how many of us really know. I have always been of the mindset that what will happen will happen and if I seize opportunities as they arise, it will take me somewhere -- hopefully somewhere that I want to be. Beyond that though, I really never put much thought into it. I realized after talking to others in the stage I am in or beyond that this mindset just may not fly. It seems as if in order to succeed, I should have been more deliberate about each decision I have made. So where I am now is soul searching and trying to figure out exactly who I want to be professionally. Have any of you struggled with this? Do you feel as if you have a clear idea of what you want to do when you're done with school? What is it that you have decided?

Posted by Kristin Schneider at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I recently attended a week long workshop put on by Jean Illsley Clarke (a highly regarded author of various parenting books and consultant for the field of parent education) This workshop was an intense week of practicing my facillitation skills with the material in the book titled, "How Much is Enough?" by Jean Illsley Clarke, Connie Dawson, and David Bredehoft (Prof. at Concordia St. Paul). The phenomenon of "Overindulgence" in families is growing, and this book helps parents as well as professionals identify overindulgence (too much, over-nurture, soft structure), and guides you through the process of moving back onto the "middle of the nurture/structure highway" to a more balanced and supportive parent-child relationship. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a family or works with them because our society is constantly sending us messages encouraging overindulgence; making it a struggle to not overindulge ourselves, let alone those in our care. The best part of this book is that it is backed by research (conducted by David Bredehoft). They have gotten feedback about the experience and consequences of overindulgence from people that were overindulged as children as well as those that currently overindulge their children (currently on study 6 & 7). Here is a link to their website: www.overindulgence.info. I would love to continue the conversation of overindulgence with anyone interested. I will leave you with the Test of Four to identify overindulgence: 1. Does it keep the person from learning developmentally appropriate tasks; 2. Does it use a disproportionate share of personal or family resources; 3. Who's needs are being fulfilled (parents or child); 4. Was harm done to anyone or anything? This handy tool can be used with parents and children, to identify your own overindulgence, or with any other relationship.

- Thanks to Jean Illsley Clarke, Connie Dawson, and David Bredehoft (and the many other players) for the hard work and determination in getting this information out into the world, and for providing me with an unforgettable learning experience at the workshop.

Posted by Heather Cline at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Kristin Schneider
Program: PhD in Family Social Science
E-mail: kschneid@umn.edu
Phone: 651-497-4880

Heather Cline
Program: MA in C&I - Family Education
E-mail: cline048@umn.edu
Phone: 612-695-1899

Posted by Heather Cline at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Student Section is providing an opportunity to socialize with students and student supporters concerned with the family. We will gather together on Wednesday evening April 25th from 6-8pm in 278 McNeal Hall on the St. Paul Campus.

Feel free to bring your family to enjoy some snacks, activities for children, and opportunities to learn about MCFR's student Section. If you are not yet a member of MCFR, do not worry, you can learn more about the professional organization and, if you choose, become a member.

This event provides a fun, no pressure, environment in which to share your interests and learn about the interests of others. Kristin and I have been working hard to provide a place for students and student supporters to collaborate, and we hope that you will join us in this endeavor.

Hope to see you on the 25th!

Heather

Posted by Heather Cline at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am currently in the MA/PhD program in Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. I just received my Masters last summer and I am working towards my doctorate right now. I am involved in a couple of different research projects including the Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project, a longitudinal study of adopted people who are now in their 20's. I also work on an intervention project in supportive housing sites called Early Risers: Healthy Families. These projects have very different focuses, but I continue to learn so much from both and I believe they really complement each other well. I have broad interests, which can be good or bad. I am particularly interested in: family policy, homelessness, low-income housing, domestic violence, sexual assault, substance abuse and non-traditional families.

I am very excited about the student section! I have been a part of MCFR for a couple of years now and I love it. It is the most supportive, caring, inspiring professional organization I can imagine. There are endless tools for leadership and growth. I felt like it was a little hidden secret that could really benefit students and I wanted to create a comfortable conduit for students to get involved and get to know each other. Because I feel that students throughout Minnesota could benefit from this organization, creating a section of the existing state-wide organization seemed to be a perfect fit. I look forward to meeting new students and student supporters and listening to suggestions to make this organization fit the needs of those interested.

Posted by Kristin Schneider at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am currently working on my M.A. in Education, Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in Family Education, and plan to earn my PhD from the same program. My specific area of interest is strengthening the parent-child relationship through encouraging growth in parent's social-cognitive development. Another developing interest of mine surrounds moving parent education from topical to a more holistic focus on the parent-child relationship through development of the parent educator.

For me, being a part of the Student Section will provide opportunities to connect with students and professionals that share similar interests in the family field. I look forward to the opportunities this organization will provide beyond the classroom (i.e., mentorship and networking with students and professionals, presenting at conferences, leadership opportunities, etc.).

Posted by Heather Cline at 4:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)