Spring 2015 Advancing Family Science Section update

Author
Robin Yaure, section chair

It is with great pleasure, and trepidation, that I take over the chair position for the Advancing Family Science (AFS) Section. I feel I have big shoes to fill by following Bahira Sherif Trask! She accomplished many tasks for the Section without apparent effort, although I am sure this was really just an illusion that she managed by understanding the needs of the Section and her role as chair. Having attended the meetings at NCFR for Section chairs, I realize there is a lot to be done to keep the Section and the conference running smoothly. Fortunately, there is a lot of support from the NCFR staff, the AFS Section officers, and the other Section chairs.

Why do I tell you this? To let you know that I will be reaching out to get input and assistance with the myriad tasks that we as a Section need to accomplish.

The following are some of the tasks for this coming year:

  • Develop a blog to help disseminate information about the Section, including member spotlights, resource sharing, professional opportunities, and so on. At our Section meeting in November, it was suggested that a blog would be more dynamic than a newsletter.
  • Identify ways that we can share resources for teaching, both at the conference and beyond.
  • Come up with innovative ideas for our Section meeting at the conference. Now that the business part of the Section is being done online outside of conference time, we need to figure out ways to use our Section meeting to draw in current and new members. Ideas include having roundtable discussions with seasoned members of the Section so they can share their wisdom.
  • Identify symposia topics, conference sponsorship, and themes related to the next NCFR conference theme: "Conflict, Violence and War: Family Risks and Resilience."
  • Examine how technology is relevant to pedagogy, research, and social issues (e.g., interpersonal violence).

Please note that these ideas are not mine alone; neither are they the only ones out there, but they are ones that came out during our discussion about the Section's goals at the 2014 conference. I will be sending out e-mails asking for input and volunteers to take the lead with these issues. This partial list of what was discussed at the meeting shows the innovative thinking that is a hallmark of our Section and our members. Let's not let these ideas lie fallow; instead, let's continue with the momentum we got going last November.

I thank everyone in advance for helping to make the AFS Section a thriving and innovative group!