For single parents balancing school, work and family, attending a half-day professional development event can mean missing a class or a shift, arranging child care, or missing something important to their children. This year, SPSFNWA brought Empower Summit to recipients in a new way: a quarterly digital series they can explore on their own schedules.
The series features videos recorded by professionals who share guidance to help recipients grow in their personal and professional lives. In the first quarter, topics included time management, setting boundaries and an SPSFNWA alumni panel, along with many more conversations designed for the realities of single parent life.
The change gives recipients more room to learn in ways that work for them. They can listen when they have time, revisit a message when they need it and put ideas into practice at their own pace. As one recipient shared:
“I love that these are accessible so that we can come back to them as we need them or need to hear it again. I also love that I can turn them on and listen while I’m doing chores. I was able to fold a couple of loads of laundry and do a little learning at the same time this afternoon.”
The first quarter’s videos offered practical tools and a welcome reminder that recipients are not facing these challenges alone. One participant reflected on the importance of boundaries: “When you have that confidence you can express what you’re feeling without being ashamed or worried about what others will say.”
Another connected with the alumni panel’s honesty about parenting: “I love that I am not the only one that has mom guilt.” And a recipient balancing single parenting, full-time work and graduate classes shared that hearing from others helped them recognize both the challenges they share and the support available to them.
Those responses capture what we hope Empower Summit will continue to offer each quarter: useful ideas, encouragement and connection that fit into recipients’ lives as they are.
Thank you to every volunteer who took the time to record and send in a video for our first digital Empower Summit. Your expertise and willingness to share your experiences made this series possible. We look forward to bringing recipients more opportunities to learn and grow throughout the year.
