| 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.
Regional Meetings: Many times people from several nearby chapters
will work together at a project- projects like a week of camping, or a rally.
These projects are decided upon by the members of the chapters, and vary
from year to year, and from area to area.
State Meetings: Missouri has a statewide steering committee, which
is made up of 2 members elected by each local chapter. The steering committee
meets 4 times a year. The steering committee helps arrange training for
people who want to start new 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.
The Mission Statement
Your Mission statement can be a big help
in performing your roles as chapter members.
What is a Mission Statement?
The mission statement sums up the reason for the organization to exist.
Where do we get one?
The members of the organization write a mission statement together.
_(1)_(2)_(3)_(4)_(5)_(6)_
next page - >
| 
