Module 4A: Frameworks of Engagement

To explore four conceptual frameworks that help to inform the outreach and engagement process

The learning activities in this section are designed to engage participants with the subject material using informative and interactive approaches. Instructors will need to determine which, if not all, of these activities to carry out depending on a) participants’ learning needs and interests, b) the focus of the training, and c) time available.

Instructors are encouraged to prepare for each activity by reviewing the handouts to be given to participants and by reading the recommended resource papers and materials that are listed. These papers and materials, along with other relevant resources, will provide useful background information to assist in fulfilling the purpose of this section. The amount of time suggested for each activity should be adjusted as needed.

Purpose: To explore the concept of hospitality as a useful framework for engagement

Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials: Handout: Hospitality – Creating Space for the Stranger

Preparation:

Henri Nouwen, Dutch author and teacher, provides a rich understanding of the concept of hospitality. Defined as "creating free and friendly space for the stranger," this approach is especially pertinent for outreach to people experiencing homelessness.

Read and reflect on the material in the handout and review the suggested discussion questions below.

Procedure:

1. Have one or several participants read the handout aloud to the group and/or summarize the notion of hospitality as described by Nouwen.

2. Invite questions and facilitate a discussion using the following questions as a guide:

• What other phrases describe the idea of providing hospitality in addition to those mentioned in the handout (e.g. creating space, providing a welcoming face)?

• How is the concept of "providing hospitality" similar to and distinctive from the idea of "providing service?"

• In what circumstances have you been "the stranger" who was offered the gift of hospitality by someone else? What was that experience like?

• In addition to the examples in the handout, what are some specific ways you might offer hospitality in your outreach work?

• How could your team or organization improve upon the ways it provides "free and friendly space for the stranger?"

Purpose: To be reminded of the power of "story" in outreach

Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials: Handout: "Story as a Framework for Engagement"

Preparation:

Read and reflect on the handout as well as the comments below. Note that each encounter we have in outreach is an encounter with a story. Each person we meet carries with them a unique personal story that has a powerful influence on them. These life narratives hold the keys to better understanding how we can be of assistance to others.

We are obliged to view other people’s choices and behaviors in the context of their personal story. This will lead to a truly compassionate response. For example, if we know someone’s story has included a history of childhood trauma and abuse, we will be able to better understand their difficulties with trust. When we refuse to see the bigger picture of someone’s life, we tend to be judgmental and offer inadequate care.

Terry Tafoya, PhD, Native American teacher and storyteller, suggests that our personal stories are woven like spider webs. They twist, turn, spiral and circle around instead of moving in straight lines. Sometimes our stories demonstrate our very best qualities and other times our vulnerabilities and weaknesses.

We rely on stories to be reminded of our universal struggles and aspirations. As Jean-Paul Sartre once said, "A man is always a teller of tales, he lives surrounded by his stories and the stories of others, he sees everything that happens to him through them; and he tries to live his own life as if he were telling a story."

It is difficult to move ahead in life without having a sense of grounding in one’s own story. By listening to others’ stories, we can be of help in restoring some order from chaos, bringing understanding to what is confounding, and helping others remember who they are. In return, we are often reminded of who we are.

Procedure:

1. Introduce the topic of story based on the comments above and your own reflections. Have someone read aloud the handout "Story as a Framework for Engagement" by Craig Rennebohm.

2. Break into small groups of two or three. Comment that it is relatively easy to relate the enjoyable moments of our lives, but the more distressing stories can be difficult to share. 

3. Ask participants to share with each other a brief description of an experience or period of time in their life that was particularly enjoyable. 

4. Next, ask them to think back on a time when "telling your story" may have been difficult, perhaps due to physical or emotional pain, illness, stress, confusion, or loss. Was there someone there who was able to "help you piece your story back together" in some way? If so, what was that experience like? Acknowledge that this level of sharing may feel risky for some. Suggest they share only as much as they feel comfortable, or to focus particularly on the helpful characteristics of the one who was present with them.

5. Take time to discuss some of the following questions to increase participants’ appreciation for the significance of story in our lives.

• What are some reasons why a person experiencing homelessness might have difficulty remembering his/her story, or at least certain parts of it?

• What are some reasons why a homeless person might be reluctant or fearful to tell their story?

• How do you define and determine the "truth" of someone’s story? To what extent is this truth related to factual accuracy?

• Below are some quotes from various writers about the notion of story. How might these thoughts and observations be relevant to your outreach work with homeless people?

• "All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them" – Isak Dinesen

• "A man is always a teller of tales, he lives surrounded by his stories and the stories of others, he sees everything that happens to him through them; and he tries to live his own life as if he were telling a story" – Jean-Paul Sartre

• "As long as we have stories to tell to each other there is hope" – Henri J. M. Nouwen

• To what degree do you feel comfortable sharing parts of your own story with someone to whom you are reaching out? Under what circumstances?

Purpose: To gain a deeper understanding of the word "care" based on it’s root meaning and how it relates to outreach

Time: 15-20 minutes

Materials: Handout: What Does It Mean To Care?

Preparation:

Read and reflect on the handout. The author, Henri Nouwen, provides a provocative and compelling statement about what it means to care. Think about how you might respond to the questions in step 3 of the procedure below.

Procedure:

1. Write the word care at the top of a flipchart sheet. Ask participants what words or phrases come to mind when they think about offering care to someone. List these on the sheet.

2. To expand upon this concept, have someone read aloud the handout on the meaning of care written by Henri Nouwen or give a summary of the main points.

3. Facilitate a group discussion about what it means to care, using the questions below to guide the conversation.

• Why does Nouwen say that care has become an ambiguous word in common usage?

• What is the meaning of the word care based on its roots in the Gothic word "kara"? Does this surprise you in any way? How does it change your own perspective on the meaning of care?

• The author suggests that the root meaning of care challenges the common view of caring for others as an "attitude of the strong toward the weak, the powerful toward the powerless, of the haves toward the have-nots." How so?

• What is meant by the phrase "cure without care?" What are some examples in outreach that might illustrate an approach of cure without care?

4. Close the activity by having participants write down ideas and discuss some specific ways in which they might "lament, grieve, experience sorrow with" the homeless individuals they meet.

Purpose: To acknowledge the prevalence of trauma and abuse, past and present, in the lives of many people who experience homelessness

Time: 25-30 minutes

Materials:

Handout: Entering the Shadows

Resource Paper: Trauma and Abuse … Entering the Shadows

Preparation:

The following three resources are recommended for background reading on the topic of trauma and homelessness.

• Identifying and Responding to Violence among Poor and Homeless Women from the Better Homes Fund in collaboration with the HCH Clinicians’ Network

• Trauma and Homelessness, April 1999 issue of Healing Hands, newsletter of the HCH Clinicians’ Network

• "Trauma and Victimization" by Susan Fleischman in Delivering Health Care to Homeless Persons, edited by David Wood, 1992

Review the handout and the resource paper. The poems included there are powerful statements about the impact of trauma and abuse on the lives of the homeless and formerly homeless women who wrote them. The intent of this activity is to acknowledge that the experience of trauma and abuse is not uncommon for a significant number of women, men, youth and children we meet in outreach. Of course, this has been the experience for some care providers as well.

Outreach workers need to be attuned to the often-subtle cues that abuse may be part of someone’s experience and hear individual’s stories as they are freely offered. This is described here as a willingness to "enter into the shadows." Outreach workers are not expected to provide therapy for persons with a history of trauma and abuse, but can and should at least respond in a therapeutic manner, name the abuse for what it is, and help to find the needed resources for those who may want treatment. As always, workers must at very least seek to do no further harm.

Procedure:

1. Consider inviting a knowledgeable guest speaker to present on the topic of trauma and abuse. It would be helpful if the presenter also had an understanding of the dynamics of the experience of homelessness. If a guest is invited, alter the time frame for this activity to suit the needs of the presenter and the group.

2. If an outside presenter is not brought in, begin by reading (or inviting

volunteers to read) the various poems on the handout. These pieces are compelling statements and provide important insights about the impact of trauma and abuse.

3. Follow the reading of the poems with a presentation and discussion on the topic of trauma and homelessness using your own expertise and drawing from the handout, resource paper, articles, and the various online resources noted above.

4. Inform the group that a whole literature exists on trauma and abuse. Encourage them to read more about this topic and hold discussions with co-workers, perhaps as a work-related "book discussion group." Trauma and Recovery, written by Judith Lewis Herman, is a seminal book on this topic. Additional resources can be found at the websites noted above.

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This project was funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the Health Care for the Homeless Branch, Division of Programs for Special Populations of the Bureau of Primary Health Care/HRSA January 2002.