26 Mar Leader Connections: Paquita Mason Bringing the Positive Energy
This month we got to sit down and talk with Paquita Mason, the Strengthening Family Bonds Program Coordinator for Family Connections in New Jersey. Paquita brings a big heart, extensive knowledge, and an abundance of positive energy to her work. With many years of experience helping families, she has taken the next step by completing her Active Parenting Training of Trainers and then training additional parent educators to assist even more families.
ACTIVE PARENTING (AP):
Welcome
Paquita Mason, Program Coordinator at Family Connections
PAQUITA MASON (PM):
0:10
OK, my name is Paquita Mason.
0:12
I am the Program Coordinator for the Strengthening Family Bonds at Family Connections in East Orange, NJ. Family Connections is a nonprofit social service agency, one of the largest in New Jersey, and we manage lives.
0:29
We change lives with families who are dealing with mental illness, trauma, domestic violence, substance abuse and many other things.
0:40
My program, the Strengthening Family Bonds program, I work with families and the goal is to increase communication, increase bonding, to decrease at risk behavior in youth.
0:57
I have been at this position for seven years.
AP:
How did You get started with ACTIVE PARENTING?
PM:
1:10
So actually it was my state funder who suggested that we look into another evidence-based curriculum.
1:18
My program has been using another evidence-based curriculum for many, many years.
1:24
And he asked me what did I think about adding to it.
1:29
And I said OK, why not?
1:31
You know, I like change and I think change is good.
1:33
So I researched actually I think active parenting was the 1st and the only one that I researched and I immediately shared it with my supervisor who thought it was awesome.
1:47
And we checked our budget and I said how many can I get trained and she said this many and I said let’s go.
1:54
So I have trained including myself four other staff members in the 4th edition, Active Parenting of Teens, and the Teens in Action and Families in Action combo.
2:12
I am also trained for the First Five Years curriculum.
2:16
So I’m excited to say that my organization is the only one in the state of New Jersey who can run Active Parenting, the curriculum from zero to 18 that will cover the entire family.
AP:
What is one of your favorite Active Parenting programs?
PM:
2:39
We just finished our First Five Years group.
2:43
It’s a shorter 1.
2:44
So we’re able to run that a little bit more frequently than the others.
2:49
And it’s good because that is the first five years, it’s so critical and you know, the development of the child, the ages, the stages, the milestones.
2:59
So we enjoy doing that and it’s good, you know, we do it for pregnant women also because it’s the first five years.
AP:
What other Active Parenting classes do you teach?
PM:
3:12
We have ran First Five Years, the 4th edition, the Active Parenting 4th edition, Teens in Action, Active Parenting of Teens, and also Families in Action.
3:28
And we have run the Active Parenting 4th edition in English and Spanish.
AP:
What do you like about leading ACTIVE PARENTING classes?
PM:
3:40
We enjoy it a little bit more because of the videos.
3:44
So it also allows us to take a step back back and play the videos and they are a little bit more engaging than just someone standing up there reading from a manual.
3:58
And so that’s why we enjoy active parenting a little bit more.
AP:
How do parents respond to active parenting classes?
PM:
4:09
So it depends on the facilitator and how exciting the, the facilitator is, how engaging the facilitator is because you know, they will match your energy.
4:23
So if you’re up there tired and lagging, that’s, that’s your group.
4:29
But my facilitators were all, you know, and you know “Ahhh” and we always start each group with an energy check.
4:40
So we know how the group will be.
4:42
So from a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your energy check?
4:45
And you know, the parents are so honest.
4:46
I just got out of work, so I’m at a four.
4:49
I’ve been sick. I’m at a one.
4:51
I just got paid. I’m at a 10.
4:53
So, you know, it depends on, on the parents.
4:56
So you know.
AP:
Do you teach Virtual in addition to in-person classes?
PM:
5:02
Yes, we do Virtual and in-person.
5:04
Of course they love it because they don’t have to leave home.
5:08
But you know what?
5:09
We so we provide an incentive each week.
5:13
Well, each session they get a $10.00 gift card.
5:16
So I don’t know if that helps with my attendance or not, but whether it’s virtual or in person, I, I, I do get a good number.
5:23
I take the attendance and at the end and I ask them, I can either meet you, you know, midway or at the end.
5:29
I can just give you all the gift cards together because at the last, the one they get a graduation gift card.
AP:
Why did you decide to train Parent Educators?
PM:
5:39
I just thought it would be something good to have in house and something that, you know, I could benefit financially from if ever hired.
5:51
Like they did pay me as a trainer because it was something that I had to, you know, I couldn’t do my full-time job because I was training so and it was just, you know, something good to just have on your resume.
6:02
Another skill.
6:04
Each one teach one right?
AP:
What did you think of the Active Parenting Training of Trainers (TOT)?
PM:
6:11
I thought it was good.
6:12
I was excited that I was excited that it was offered and I was excited that I was able to attend.
6:19
And I have since trained people.
AP:
How many Parent Educators have you Trained Since TOT?
PM:
6:29
I trained 42 in Teens in Action and I trained 9 in Active Parenting of Teens.
6:38
Family Connections had a new grant, so they had a new program called the NJ 4S of Essex where they provide different tiers of services in school for students.
6:53
So they asked to be trained in the Teens in Action and Active Parenting of Teens.
6:58
And so Teens in Action, they have not run groups yet but I have they have run 2 successful groups on Active Parenting of Teens.
AP:
What do you think about training Parent Educators?
PM:
7:19
So I only trained the two times and it was for family connections so it was fun.
7:25
He did ask me to train additional staff for the Active Parenting of Teens because he only did 9 and I just suggested to him that we focus on getting the 42 that were trained already in Teens in Action certified instead of adding on another training.
7:49
So, you know, I don’t just look at it as, oh, I’m going to make some money as a trainer.
7:53
No, you know, I want to train, but then I want them to be able to facilitate. They have until June 30th.
8:00
I’m going to remind him today to, you know, to train so.
AP:
Where do you hope this will lead?
PM:
8:11
We won’t be so scared to watch the news because it’ll just be great stories about the weather and tulips and roses instead of what’s on the news.
AP:
What’s next?
PM:
8:25
Well, I always look at the Active Parenting website to see if there’s any other Trainings that I want to do that I think would benefit my, my population that I serve.
8:38
So I am considering the Coparenting 1.
8:46
I know, you know, I did look at the one, the Christian one, but we try to leave religion out of our curriculums.
8:58
If a parent brings it up, we allow them to, but we don’t we don’t bring we don’t initiate that conversation.
9:06
So I am looking at the Coparenting curriculum to train. Or Stepfamilies because that at you know, that will deal with that additional person.
AP:
In Conclusion
PM:
9:24
You know it it, it starts from the person who’s the trainer, the person who’s the facilitator.
9:30
If they look at it as it’s not a paycheck, but it’s helping my neighbor, helping my friend, even if even if the parents are not your friend.
9:41
But if you take that look at it, then you’re really making a difference.
9:45
And I think, you know, like that song says, if I can help somebody, then my living shall not be in vain.
9:51
And that’s just the goal.
Thank you Paquita Mason, for everything you bring to our Active parenting family & the families you help!
Active Parenting Publishers has been providing research-based education programs with an emphasis on nonviolent discipline, mutual respect, and open communication for over 40 years.
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