|
1. Download the My Village Booklet. You can print it and fill it out by hand, or convert it to a fillable form to complete on a computer.
2. Be sure to get consent from every person whose name and contact information you plan to include. You can use this invitation or just reach out to them directly.
3. Use judgement when inviting people. Everyone in your village will have the contact information of everyone else in your village, so don't include anyone you think might use others' contact information inappropriately.
4. Duplicate any pages that you need more space for (for instance, if you want to include ten family members, create additional copies of the "My Family" page) using a printer, photocopier or software.
5. Omit any pages that don't apply to you (for instance, if you don't have plants, pets or dependent children, leave those pages out).
6. Fill out your My Village Booklet as completely as possible.
7. When the it is finished, give a copy (print or digital) to every person who is included in it.
8. Your Village is complete!
9. Update your My Village booklet every year on your birthday, to make sure the list of people and their contact information remains accurate.
Who Should Be In Your Village?
A word of caution: if you're in an abusive relationship, or if you have abusive people in your life that you have chosen to tolerate for one reason or another, it's probably not a good idea to invite these people to be in your village. Use your judgement and only invite people who are safe and whom you know you can rely on.
Here are some hints about who to invite:
- Who lives in your home with you? A spouse or partner? Roommate(s)? Invite them.
- Do you have a significant other that you don't live with?
- Do you know your neighbors? If possible, invite at least 2 neighbors to join your village.
- Do you work outside the home? It's a good idea to have your boss or one or two co-workers on the list
- Are you parents alive? Include them.
- Do you have siblings? Cousins, aunts, uncles? You should have at least two or three blood relatives in your village. Ideally it's good to have at least one relative for each side of your family.
- Now your friends. Start with friends who live near you that you see on a regular basis.
- Now think about your oldest and dearest friends in the whole world, and be sure to invite all of them.
- Do you have any professionals who help you on a regular basis that you would feel comfortable asking for help? (Eg, home care aide, nurse, social worker, counselor, house cleaner, landscaper)?
- If you're in school, do you have a teacher you especially trust? (Keep in mind, teachers have special rules about how they can interact with students.)
- If you go to church regularly, you may wish to include your pastor.
- Anyone else that you see on a regular basis that you'd be comfortable asking for help? (A local business owner, a bus driver, the mail delivery person, a server at a restaurant you frequent?)
|