family week year two
Sara on Jul 30th 2007
Last year when I arrived in Provincetown (after our 11 hour car ride) I was a fresh, new Family Pride employee who had only been with the organization for 6 weeks. Let’s just say, Family Week is like trial by fire–it is a constant stream of celebration and excitement mixed with hauling firewood, chasing kids, and attending workshops (just to touch on the tip of the iceberg). Above all, what I looked forward while preparing for this year’s Family Week was the thought of meeting individual families and having the time and space to connect directly with the people we work with and for everyday.
Needless to say, what excited me most about this year was not seeing the sights of Commericial Street (although, that did bring back the memories) or running into the house we stayed in last year delighted to find I knew where the mugs were, but seeing our families one year later – because in kid time one year means quite a bit.
Saturday, registration and the first day here, we went to the beach for a BYOP (bring your own picnic) gathering. There were umbrellas pitched, kids rolling down the sandy hills, and plenty of sandwich fixings floating around. I walked around to say hi (in our bright orange t-shirts we are hard to miss) and see what kind of kid games I could play along the way (you know, “please pretend you’re a monster and chase me” or “run in and out of the water really super fast”). After circling the beach, Dustin and I were sitting in the sand watching the families play and one child I recognized from last year walked by me with his parent. I didn’t remember his name right away (it was Michael, don’t worry, I asked), but we chatted about Family Week, how much fun it is to be in a safe space, and what they were looking forward to this year (let’s face it–there is a lot to choose from).
Now everytime I see that family there is a huge smile and a wave even if we are on opposite sides of the street. I’ve decided that this is what Family Week is all about (the spirit of Family Week if you will); building community, connections,and a place where, once a year, we can all come back together yet again.
Filed in general |
I wish we were more visible…there is no parade this year, no banner on Commercial St welcoming us and letting people know we are here…there is no Family Pride storefront on Commercial Street where we can go for information. I feel like we are being pushed to the side of town, out on the pier, out of sight. I understand this may be a convenient location for all of the activities. But, let’s let people know we are here!