To Whom I May Concern® Facilitator Training
Have you ever wanted to engage people living with dementia in a program that amplifies their voices, all while benefiting from new friends, shared support, and meaningful and purposeful engagement? Learn how with TWIMC Facilitator Training.
Supported by a certified TWIMC facilitator, To Whom I May Concern® (TWIMC) is a storytelling and performance program for people in the early stages of dementia. People living with dementia are invited to join a Sharing Group, which meets weekly to share their stories of diagnosis, coping strategies, personal challenges, family and community life, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The group’s stories become the foundation of a co-created script. Group members can choose to share their script publicly; most groups perform one scripted reading by group members before a supportive and eager audience!
“People living with dementia tend to take on a new identity from the stories other people tell about them that are based in myth and stigma.By telling their own stories, people living with dementia reclaim their identity.”
Laura Bowley, To Whom I May Concern Senior Facilitator
What Is a Sharing Group?
You may form a new group by inviting people in the early stage of dementia from your senior’s center, faith community, or from referrals from local doctors, neurologists, or memory clinics.
A group may already exist as an Early Stage Support Group of people living with dementia, who want to move past doing activities to talking about their experiences.
A Sharing Group may elect to continue as an active support group even after their To Whom I May Concern® performance!
Facilitator Training enables you to:
- Develop the skills to work with groups of people living with early stage dementia and with the knowledge and tools to create an engaging TWIMC script
- Facilitate a unique program that empowers people living with dementia to educate their communities about dementia and make a difference
- Connect with others who have a passion for listening to the person diagnosed
- Learn through stimulating online classes that combine instruction, reading, group work, self-reflection, and hands-on practice
- Receive Certification as TWIMC Facilitator upon completion of requirements
Benefits of Certification:
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Ability to bring TWIMC to your local community with training and support from a community of experienced trainers
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Authorization to use trademark To Whom I May Concern® on the script and promotional materials
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Authorized use of the TWIMC template for your group’s script
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Receive regular TWIMC program updates
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Stay connected with the wider TWIMC facilitator community
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Qualify to participate in the Train-the-Trainer Program and train new facilitators in your community
Requirements for Certification
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Successful completion of TWIMC Facilitator Training Program
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Facilitation of a TWIMC Sharing Group from group formation through to performance
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Participation in an annual gathering of facilitators to share their experience of creating TWIMC
“No one gives people living with dementia the time to tell their stories. But when stories are told in a live performance, the audience has no choice but to listen.”– Maureen Matthews, PhD, Founder of To Whom I May Concern®
Spring 2024 Facilitator Training
- Day 1: TBA, 11 am – 2 pm ET
- Day 2: TBA, 11 am – 2 pm ET
- Day 3: TBA, 11 am – 2 pm ET
If you have a group that would like to take the training together, please contact us to arrange private training.
Registration Fees
$750 USD per person, includes 9 hours of interactive training to become a Certified To Whom I May Concern facilitator, all materials, and mentoring as you work with your first Sharing Group
10% off individual registration fees for 2 or more people from the same organization.
For More Information and to Register
To register, click here.
For more information, please email us.
Instructors
Maureen Matthews, PhD, RN,
Founder, To Whom I May Concern®
Laura Bowley, To Whom I May Concern® Senior Facilitator