Activities

The Joining Hands Program is designed around the running of several Core Activities consistently over time, with the goal of building relationships though regular, engaging social interactions, which in turn will build trust among community residents over time.

The Core Activities are summarized in the charts below. Three years is considered the minimum in order to start to see an impact; the program can be run continuously past three years. Before launching an Activity, be sure to review the Getting Started section.

The Joining Hands Program is designed to be rolled out in stages over two years. Details of the Core Activities in each year are listed below. To receive a link to a more detailed How-To PDFs, complete the form below this first chart. You can print this for further reference.

Core Activities
Year One	Year Two	Year Three
Building Relationships	Strengthening Relationships	Going Deeper
June - August
BBQ	BBQ	BBQ
	Summer Kids Camp	Summer Kids Camp
		Additional Activites
October - May
Weekly Drop-In	Weekly Drop-In	Weekly Drop-In
	Community Dinners	Community Dinners
		Add Additional Activities

Optional Additional Activities
In June-August		In October - May
Face Painting		Food Bank
Live Music		Winter Clothing Distribution
Youth Bike Clinic		Christmas Dinner
Community Dinners		Youth Sports Afternoon
Backpack Program

Complete the form to receive the “How-to PDF”

When you submit the form you will receive a link to the detailed “How -To PDF” which includes all of activities below. You can print this for further reference.

Year One

Building Relationships

Start the process of building relationships, and trust, with the community residents
Launch two weekly activities that will be the foundation of the relationship building effort
- Weekly BBQ event in the summer
- Weekly Drop-In Hour from October to May

Weekly BBQ's
Timing - end of June to end of August
Description Weekly BBQ run once a week, same night each week, held from end of June to end of August (eight weeks), held in a common area at the community
Purpose To start process of building trust with residents of the community by building relationships with them through direct interaction in a non-threatening environment, over a meal
Approach Focus is on the BBQ and enjoying a meal together have volunteers get to know residents who come out for the BBQ, to overcome the residence’s suspicions and mis-trust, and hesitancy do not lead with a religious message; lead with a humanistic, caring, giving message over time, have volunteers facilitate/help residents get to know each other
To download the “How-To Guide” PDF, complete the form above.

Year Two

Strengthening Relationships

Build on the foundation realized in Year One by extending the interaction to address two critical needs
- providing a quality experience for kids in the summer (Summer Camp)
- providing time for families to interact with other families over a special meal (Community Dinners)

Summer Kid's Camp
Timing - end of June to end of August
Description Provide eight weeks of organized programming / supervised activities for kids of the community over the course of the summer Note: Depending on what is available in the local community, the Joining Hands program may run a Summer Camp program for the eight weeks, or run a Summer Camp program for part of the eight weeks and look to ensure the kids get access to locally run summer programs for the remaining time.
Purpose Extending the effort of building relationships and trust by providing a highly valued program, Summer Camp, that many residents cannot afford, though would highly appreciate
Approach The focus is on providing a Summer Camp for the children of the community The camp is run by a group the residents have come to know and trust, which provides the residents comfort in allowing their children to participate, and relieves the parents of supervising their children during the day in the summer. Ideally, conduct the summer camp program on site at the community, for at least the first year, then perhaps at a local park or church facility
To download the “How-To Guide” PDF, complete the form above.

Monthly Community Dinners
Timing - October to May
Description Monthly dinners, held from October to May, for residents of the community, held at a local facility (i.e., church basement) near the community Note: Monthly dinner should integrate with a Christmas Dinner if already started (see Optional Activities) and can be sponsored by the community group or be potluck.
Purpose Continuing the on-going interaction with residents of the community throughout the rest of year, building and strengthening the relationship, and trust
Approach The focus is on staying connected with residents on an on-going basis Volunteers interact with residents in an informal setting, sharing life, and listening to their concerns
To download the “How-To Guide” PDF, complete the form above.

Going Forward

Going Deeper

Continue the activities from Year One and Two, adding in as many optional Additional Activities as makes sense for your situation, to extend the interaction by continuing the journey together.

Optional Additional Activities

Starting in Year One, you can augment the Core Activities with additional activities to further build and strengthen relationships

Year 1 or 2 (Addition to Core Activities)
To Weekly BBQ / Summer Months		To Fall/Winter (Oct - May)
Youth Bike Clinic		Food Bank
Face Painting		Winter Clothing Distribution
Live Music		Toy Store
Community Partners		Christmas Dinner
Backpack Program		Youth Sports Program
To download the “How-To Guide” PDF, complete the form above.

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES