New West Families Values Course

Celebration

“We are proud of the achievements of our families, the team, and the community and we take the time to celebrate each other. We bring joy and fun into everything we do.”

Definition

Celebration is more than just a party or an event.

Celebration can be as simple as saying, “Yay! We did it!” when all the toys and activities are cleaned up. We see small children do this all the time – they know how to celebrate something as simple as building a block tower or successfully jumping over or into a puddle, or putting on their coat by themselves.

Celebration is a very effective tool as a parent to celebrate growth when we witness our children learning new skills.

It can be recognizing someone when they show up after a long period of struggle. It is an act of noticing, witnessing, remembering and remarking upon, or talking about, the things we want to encourage and support.

You can celebrate yourself through acts of kindness or self care, or something as simple as a nice treat after a job well done, or a challenge worked through.

The same goes for the families we work with – we celebrate:

  • their wins
  • their growth
  • their just showing up on a rainy day
  • with our words
  • our actions
  • our gifts
  • our presence.

Celebrations can also happen when we start or finish a day or program, enter a new space or move out of an old one, or work through a tough problem together.

Watch this video and enjoy seeing all the different definitions of celebration: 

Victory kids video

Self Evaluation

Take a moment to think about the ways that you celebrate.

Do you like to have big parties with friends? Do you prefer to have a cake for your birthday or go do an activity? Will you celebrate finishing this course in any way?

What does Celebration look like at Family Place?

We celebrate so many things at Family Place.

  • Appreciation
  • Gathering
  • Remembering
  • Noticing and recognition of growth
  • Pausing to reflect on how things have changed
  • Holidays and birthdays
  • Shared joy and achievements
  • Cultural events and seasons of the year
  • Projects finished or starting new programs, being in new spaces

Activity

Choose one or both