Designing engagement systems for mission-driven orgs. Principal Consultant | Family & Community Engagement
Joined January 2014
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Many schools have great family engagement ideas. The challenge is creating the systems, structures, and shared ownership needed to sustain them.
Meaningful engagement becomes sustainable when it moves beyond events and becomes part of the culture.
#EducationalLeadership
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Jun 11
I joined the AADULLC Learning Partners team at Bellwood School District 88's Retreat to explore what it takes to move family engagement beyond involvement & toward authentic partnership.
Strong engagement starts with intentional design, family voice, & sustainable systems.
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On National Gun Violence Awareness Day, I facilitated this event, where reflection & creativity became wearable messages of remembrance, advocacy, hope, & awareness.
Thank you to Hand-In-Hand HVIP, 757 Moms Demand Action, & everyone who created, & shared space together.
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Sometimes family engagement looks less like big events & more like creating opportunities for connection.
What would happen if we treated expression & appreciation as essential parts of family engagement?
#FamilyEngagement #FamilyConnection
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Creative activities do more than fill time. They create opportunities for reflection.
During a recent creative activity, educators turned their reflections into visible reminders of what replenishes them, what deserves more space, and what they want to prioritize moving forward.
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Last week, I facilitated What’s Left in Your Cup?, a reflective creative wellness experience designed to help educators pause and take an honest look at what this school year required of them.
Grateful for the opportunity to reflect & create with Calumet educators!
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May 22
When expectations, ownership, communication, and priorities are unclear, teams spend unnecessary energy trying to figure out what matters most.
Clear systems reduce friction, strengthen trust, and help teams move with greater alignment and consistency.
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May 19
Looking forward to facilitating this creative activity at this year’s #WearOrange event with Riverside Hand-in-Hand HVIP and Moms Demand Action.
On June 5th, we’ll create wearable art honoring lives impacted by gun violence. Registration required: form.jotform.com/26131550805…
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May 19
You learn a lot about people when they have to figure something out together.
The best engagement experiences create space for communication, collaboration, compromise, & shared problem-solving in real time. The activity stops being the outcome. The interaction becomes the value
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If you can’t clearly name what your work is changing, you’re measuring activity, not impact.
If you asked your team this question today, what would they say?
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Engagement isn’t built in events. It’s built in everyday interactions.
If people don’t feel welcomed, heard, and considered, the strategy isn’t working.
What are people actually experiencing in your space?
#FamilyEngagement #Leadership #CommunityEngagement
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Momentum for Peace Week showed what happens when experiences are designed with clarity and aligned to what young people actually need.
Thank you City of Newport News, Newport News Youth Thrive, and the National League of Cities for the opportunity to contribute.
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Apr 29
Last night I facilitated a peace-centered family paint experience for Momentum for Peace Week in Newport News.
Participants slowed down, relaxed, and reconnected through creativity. That was intentional.
What are people leaving your events with beyond the moment?
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Apr 27
The Listening Canvas created space to reflect on what it means to listen with intention & respond with care.
Thank you to Riverside Hand in Hand & the Newport News Police Department for the opportunity to facilitate this event in recognition of National Crime Victims Rights Week
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Apr 27
Young people are expected to make decisions in real time, often without a process for how to move through what they’re feeling.
I designed the Mindfulness Kits for #MomentumForPeaceWeek to give them a way to pause, reflect, and respond with intention.
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Apr 22
Teams don’t struggle with engagement because they lack events. They struggle because events are being used to measure success instead of reflect a system. If the foundation isn’t clear, more activity won’t fix it.
What is your strategy built on?
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Apr 20
Most teams say they use KPIs for family engagement.
They’re measuring activity, not performance.
Attendance, sign-ins, events show what happened.
They don’t show what changed.
Full rooms don’t equal trust.
Busy calendars don’t equal impact.
What are you actually measuring?
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No schedule. No rushing.
Just good conversation, good food, and my latest painting featured at the Speak About Love exhibit.
A meaningful way to start spring break.
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Last night at Discovery STEM Academy, Greater Peninsula Cares hosted Canvas & Connections. We designed the experience to create space for families to connect over dinner and through art.
This is what intentional family engagement looks like in practice.
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Mar 31
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Hayden’s Leadership & Human Services class at CNU last night.
We talked about identity, boundaries, and how leadership starts before the title.
Sharing a few reflections from that experience on LinkedIn.
linkedin.com/posts/cjepps_i-…
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