|
|
|
HOW PEOPLE FIRST WORKS
Individuals : A person decides to visit a People First meeting, to see what it is like. They like the way that they see others with disabilities following parliamentary procedure, and running their own meeting. They may decide to join that chapter of People First, or they may start a new chapter closer to home.Advisors: Advisors are people who are not eligible to be members of People First, but who enjoy going to meetings, and working with people as they carry out the plans they have made. Local Chapter: Local chapters meet once a month. The members learn, practice, and put self-advocacy into action by working together toward goals they set at their monthly meetings. State Meetings: Colorado has a statewide self-advocacy organization which is made up of Officers and 1 state representative elected by each local chapter. It is called Speaking for Ourselves and it meets 4 times a year. Speaking for Ourselves helps arrange training for people who want to start new chapters, keeps local chapters informed about what is going on in other chapters and hosts a statewide conference once every second year. National Meetings: The United States has a national organization of People First representatives who are elected by regional vote. It is called: Self- Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE). SABE sponsors a national meeting on alternating years. International Meetings: People First has chapters worldwide. There are active chapters in Europe, Africa, Great Britain, Japan, China, Korea, Canada, and other places. We meet at a worldwide conference every fourth year. April 22-25, 1998 was the most recent meeting date. The next conference is due in 2002. Your Group People can be as active as they like, in People First. Some chapters have an email address and they receive mail from People First members worldwide on a daily basis. Other chapters prefer to focus on their own community and the people around them. |
|
|
|