| Purpose: |
To improve the quality of marriages and
to reduce the divorce rate in Guilford County |
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| Rationale: |
- The major cause of divorce is poor communication and conflict resolution skills. Prior to marriage, couples tend to minimize problems believing that after marriage things will take care of themselves. The reality is that after the honeymoon period, problems become more pronounced.
- Communities in the United States and Canada who are providing pre-marital education have seen a decrease in their divorce rates.
- Educational programs help couples develop positive communication skills and effective conflict resolution strategies.
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| Accomplishments: |
- Twelve “Mentor Training Workshops” have been attended by
217 people.
- Twenty-six marriage preparation and enrichment series have been held for 430 people. These series include Couple Communication, Empowering Couples, and Marriage Breakthrough.
- Evaluations completed by marriage preparation and enrichment participants indicate that 95% report being able to more quickly resolve conflicts and 97% feel their communication when resolving issues has improved.
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Strengthening Marriages Month held during February each year
since 2002.
- 100 churches/synagogues have signed the Community Marriage Covenant pledging to support strong marriages both before and after the wedding.
- Trained 65 people to use the PREPARE and ENRICH inventories with engaged and married couples.
- More than 1230 youth participated in a ”Building Relationships” program focused on healthy relationship skill development.
- Since 1998,
we’ve trained 315 professionals and lay leaders in a variety of
marriage programs.
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Outcomes: |
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Evaluations completed by marriage preparation and
enrichment participants indicate that 95% report being able to
more quickly resolve conflicts and 97% feel their communication
when resolving issues has improved.
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| History: |
- September 1996
– The Family Life Council called together a group of
approximately 20 ministers and religious leaders to discuss what
could be done using both religious and community resources to
assist couples in preparing for stronger marriages. Two
subcommittees were formed: one developing a Community Marriage
Policy, and one focused on developing a Marriage Preparation
program.
- October 1996 –
The two subcommittees met. The Community Marriage Policy
sub-committee developed a draft of the Community Marriage Policy
for the Greensboro community. The Marriage Preparation
subcommittee began work on developing a program that could be
used for couples prior to marriage.
- January 1997
–The Community Marriage Policy was introduced and discussed.
- January 1997 –
The first “Strengthening Relationships” workshop was held for
engaged couples.
- April 1997 – A
meeting was held to discuss ways of revising the policy to
incorporate feedback from religious leaders.
- May 1997 – The
first “Mentoring Workshop” was held for individuals interested
in beginning a mentoring program at their place of worship.
- August 1997 –
The Community Marriage Covenant was mailed to 4,000 individuals,
agencies, and churches/synagogues in the Family Life Council
newsletter.
- October 1997 –
The Community Marriage Covenant was mailed to all
churches/synagogues in Greensboro by the Lutheran Brotherhood.
- September 1998
– A Couple Communication training workshop was held with
presenters Drs. Sherod and Phyllis Miller for 31 religious and
lay leaders and therapists.
- December 1998
– The Community Marriage Covenant and Couple Communication
information was mailed to all congregations in Greensboro with
help from the Lutheran Brotherhood.
- February 1999
– The Family Life Council offered its first Couple Communication
workshop series. Couple Communication has continued to be
offered on a quarterly basis.
- January 2000 –
A breakfast was held for community members to promote the
Community Marriage Covenant. The committee then concentrated on
publicity, editorials, and press releases.
- February 2002
– The Family Life Council coordinated the first ever Guilford
County Marriage Month.
- September 2003
– A meeting of the Steering Committee for a Healthy Marriage
Initiative for Guilford County setting goals and identifying
priorities.
- October 2003 -
Strategic Plan completed and submitted to ACF
- January 2004 -
Marriage Celebration Event, “Love for Life” , honored 35
couples.
- January 29,
2004 - Launch date for Marriage Resource Center Website
www.gcmarriage.org.
- February 2004
– Awarded a grant from the state of North Carolina to create the
Guilford County Marriage Resource Center.
- August 2004 –
Awarded Compassion Capital Targeted Capacity Building Grant from
the US Department of Health and Human Services to expand
marriage support activities to Alamance and Davidson Counties.
- September 10
and 11, 2004 – African American Healthy Marriage Summit with 250
in attendance.
- September 16,
17, and 18, 2004 – PREP (Preparation and Relationship
Enhancement Program) Training for 40 professionals, religious
leaders, and lay leaders.
- December 2004
– The first issue of the monthly Guilford County Marriage
Resource Center E-Magazine was mailed.
- May 2005 –
Celebration of Marriage – Pastor luncheon for congregations
signed on to the Community Marriage Covenant to discuss the
needs of this community.
- September 2005
– Five staff and five volunteers of the Family Life Council
traveled to Washington DC to become certified to lead Franklin
Covey’s 8 Habits of a Successful Marriage.
- April 2006 –
The 2nd African American Healthy Marriage Summit attended by
224.
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For more information, contact Rebecca Starnes at rstarnes@flcgso.com
or call 333-6890 ext. 227.
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