Facilitator Tools
Facilitator Guide
Everything you need to know to get your MamaCollective Discussion Group up and running from structure, format, tips and tricks, to communication templates. Download HERE.
Journal Page
Print and provide this journal page to each Discussion participant with something to write with and something to write on (like a children't book as a lap desk). Included are the Group Guidelines: 1. What We Say Here, Must Remain Here 2. Share the Air 3. Sit in the Silence. These are the guidelines on which MamaCollective Discussions are founded. Download HERE.
Info Cards
Need an easy way to share what MamaCollective is all about? Print and cut these cards at home to give to mamas or other local connectors such as your local librarian! Download HERE.
Instructions:
Print, double-sided, preferably in color on card-stock, and cut along the dotted lines.
Topic Guides
Freedom in Childhood
Childhood may or may not look different for your children than it did for you growing up. Let’s discuss the topic of freedom and your opinions on what childhood is like for this young generation now. Download topic guide HERE.
Social Media and Teens
Tweens and teens have been growing up inundated with social media. We know it has impacted this age group significantly, in various ways. Let’s discuss how it has impacted you and your family personally and what, deep down, you ponder about in terms of how social media is influencing your tween/tween’s life. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Fear and Anxiety in Motherhood
If motherhood was clay, fear and anxiety would slowly but deeply knead into it, creating crevices hard to fill. Let’s come together to discuss where fear and anxiety creep into your life and how this impacts our motherhood journey. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Mothering a Child with Special Needs
Mothering a child with special needs presents its own unique challenges. Come together with other moms experiencing similar pressures, in different ways. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Mothering without a Mother
Mothering without a mother (whether she’s deceased or you’re estranged) adds an immense weight and challenge to being a parent. This topic is for those who are “mothering without a mother.” Come together with those who are also experiencing motherhood without the close support of a mother, all in individual ways. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Time & Purpose
There are times in our lives where time seems to slow down, and there are times in our lives when time speeds up. Let’s discuss where we are out and what our relationship is with time, purpose and our own mortality. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
What we Carry
The mental load moms carry is astronomical. Let’s take time to discuss the weight we carry in a myriad of ways. So often we miss the opportunity to truly “see” what others carry and to not feel so alone with what we are carrying ourselves. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Home & Belonging
In her book on Belonging, Radha Agrawal, wrote writes: ““Belonging is the opposite of loneliness. It's a feeling of home, of ‘I can exhale here and be fully myself with no judgment or insecurity.’” When we say the words “home & belonging” - what comes up for you? What have you been grappling with in terms of feeling a sense of belonging and in creating a feeling of home for you and your family? Where do you feel the deepest sense of belonging and where do you wish for more? Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Women’s Work
There is an idea that mothers need to be compensated for the work they do in the home. To quote the article, “The work I’ve done as a mother I’ve done for free.” What are your thoughts on this topic - personally, professionally and even- dare we say, politically? Download the Discussion Guide HERE and the suggested reading HERE.
Feminism & Motherhood
Let’s discuss how motherhood has impacted your ideas on feminism, gender roles and equality of the sexes in the home as a working mother or a Stay-at-Home-Mom. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Shame & Guilt
Shame and guilt creep into our lives more often than not. Let’s sit down to discuss how it impacts us individually and feel the weight start to let off - we aren’t alone. You may want tissues for this one! Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Matrescence
Like the term “adolescence,” matrescence is a time in a woman’s life that encompasses pre-conception, conception, pregnancy and post-partum. Come together to talk about your own story of matrescence. This topic is fantastic for first time moms or moms with young children. Download the Discussion Guide HERE and the suggested reading HERE.
Social Media & Motherhood
Whether you use it for work purposes or simply being a human in our current world, social media has influenced our lives. Motherhood, in particular, has been portrayed in a variety of ways on social media. Let’s explore this. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Spirituality & Religion - At the End - And How it Drives Us
Not very often do we get a chance to sit around a circle and hear about all the diverse spiritual beliefs we have or are exploring. Here’s our chance. Download the Discussion guide HERE.
Spirituality & Religion - Our Story
Religion has been a hot topic since the beginning of time. As our generation builds their own families and traditions either stay or shift, where do you find yourself? Are you following the spiritual/religious path you were raised with or creating your own? Or simply, exploring and thinking? Download the Discussion guide HERE.
Complexities of Childcare & Caregivers
Childcare is not just a logistical issue, but an emotional one. Caregivers not only look after our children, they also provide the safety net for us, for our family. Knowing our children are in good hands, and receiving top care, allows our family life, our work life, our dreams, our self care...everything else to fall into place. Download the Discussion guide HERE.
Friendships After Baby
Friendships shift throughout our lives. There is a certain pressure on female friendships that men don't have. Think back on the BFF heart necklaces in grade school or the nursery rhyme: "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold." There is a wide range of expectations and messages we receive culturally on friendships, even the more recent one “No New Friends.” Download the Discussion Guide HERE.
Taking Care of our Partner/Spouse
With the amount of care and energy we pour into taking care of our children, and keeping ourselves sane, what do we have left for our partnership/marriage? Do you put it first...or last...or somewhere in between? Let's discuss where we are at in terms of taking care of our partners/spouses and our marriage. Download the Discussion Guide HERE.