The Training Process

The Making a Commitment to Adoption Curriculum advances the concept of empowerment and the belief that knowledge is power. This perspective requires that the training process itself be based on the principles of empowerment.

The training design is therefore based on the following process:

• The training builds on the integrity and experience of the participants.
• The training is experiential and cumulative.
• The process will focus on opportunities for engagement, integration, and closure that accompany knowledge and skill building.
• The training will recognize the realities and constraints of the system with which the participants are involved.
• The training will be focused on enhancing participants' ability to make decisions about adopting. To do this the training process will emphasize self assessment; stress participant control of the outcome of the training for his or her decision making; create support groups or networks during the training; provide participants with access to literature and other resources; honestly disclose potential problems or challenges; and attempt to create meaningful, lively relationships in the session.
• The training will serve as a beginning point for further learning, not as the completion of the learning process.