On Thursday, November 25th we hosted a meeting at the University of the Incarnate Word for representatives from each collaborating partnership in Precious Minds, New Connections (PMNC). The meeting was designed as the first in a series of meetings that are meant to engage individuals in conversation and dialogue. We believe that in order to truly affect the life of every child in our area in a positive way, we have to begin to harness and leverage our intelligence and experience. With over a year of experience, it is time to share ideas, ask questions, brainstorm solutions and create a collective energy.

Participants: For the November 25th meeting, individuals with hands-on and working knowledge of the PMNC program were invited. From each partnership, we invited two parent educators, one administrator, and one person responsible for data entry. We wanted individuals who truly had working knowledge of the PMNC program to attend so that participation would be lively! Over 100 people (including Kronkosky Charitable Foundation staff and 9 Executive MBA students from UTSA) attended.

Agenda: The morning began with brief presentations by staff members in order to give an overview and update on several projects. The remainder of the day was spent in small and large group discussions that were facilitated by 9 Executive MBA students from UTSA.

Summary: This meeting was well timed in the course of PMNC's evolution. The participants on November 25th could easily remember their initial enthusiasm (or as one individual called it, their innocence), but they had enough on-the-job and real-time problem solving to know what kind of assistance they needed in order to do their jobs better and make PMNC more successful. Several important themes were discussed within the context of nearly every question posed for discussion. Based upon the valuable information shared with us on November 25th, we have developed substantial directions for where Precious Minds, New Connections will go in 2004.

Meeting Notes »