What is a Support Network?
What is the difference between Mentor, Facilitator, Moderator?
What does it take to begin a MISS Support Network or Outreach Effort?
What do I do first?
More Information

What is a Support Network?

A Support Network is more than a support 'group.' The Network is a group of committed parents who work together toward a shared vision. This results in monthly support groups meetings, media interaction, ongoing programs, establishing positive relationships with local hospitals, funeral homes, and EMS departments, and doing so as part of a team. Some of our Networks start out as one person working as a HOPE Mentor, one on one with families as needs arise. After helping several families in their local areas, networking naturally happens and can create a gateway to starting a full support group.

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What is the difference between a Mentor, Facilitator, Moderator?

HOPE Mentors
HOPE = Helping Other Parents Endure. Many of our volunteers start doing outreach as a Mentor, connecting with other bereaved families one on one via phone, email, or meeting in person. Some mentors begin to meet so many families in their local area that they eventually create formal support groups. Others find that their local community is best served by mentorship outreach, serving families, hospitals, funeral home one on one. We also train and offer GRANDPARENT Mentorships in a similiar program where we pair bereaved grandparents one on one.

Group Facilitators
Support Group Facilitators are doing outreach from the starting point of regular group meetings. They are still initially meeting families one on one and touching base with local hospitals, funeral homes, and others. After initial contacts, they are inviting families to group meetings and events. In the context of groups, many of our facilitators meet others they want to work with as co-facilitators or as local mentors in partnership with the group. Your network can take on whatever make up best suits your community on the ground.

Forum Moderators
Our moderators are trained to facilitate communications on our various Forum discussion boards. Forums are available 24/7, so we get thousands of members communicating on the various boards about everything from bereaved parenthood to creatively grieving; from secondary infertility to subsequent pregnancy. Our moderators work together as a team to keep all communications flowing smoothly.

Administrative Volunteers
These are volunteers who may or may not already be involved with a local MISS group or event. They are not yet ready to begin offering grief-peer support to others, but they want to contribute to their local MISS outreach efforts. We help you pair up with already active volunteers and figure out how best to administratively support their group, mentorship, or events already in process.

Event Volunteers
MISS chapters offer all kinds of events throughout the year. We are beginning to do regional Kindness Walk for things like Infant & Child Death Awareness, for Children's Memorial Day, or for Mothers Day. Some of our chapters offer candlelight services for Children's Memorial Day, Day of the Dead, as part of conferences. Many of our Event Coordinators need a team of volunteers to help make the events successful. We help you pair up with event volunteers already taking action to do MISS events in your area.

Interns
MISS works with both Administrative and Clinical Interns. We'll have more information about this program coming soon.

We'll be announcing more on these various volunteer opportunities via our eNewsletters, so please subscribe if you want to get the latest news.

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What does it take to begin a MISS Support Network or Outreach Effort?

We ask for an application including 3 references, signed confidentiality form, and an initial interview session with our Volunteers Coordinator plus a follow up interview with the Program Coordinator with whom you'll end up volunteering. Please note: we have some new processes coming into place in 2011, so there maybe other pieces to application process coming.

If your application is accepted and the interviews seem to be a match between what you have to offer and volunteer needs we have open at the moment, then you move onto the training process with the coordinator of the program in which you will participate. This involves exploring training materials online and doing tele-training session with your coordinator. After you have launched your MISS outreach, you will then have access to lots of tools for staying in touch with other volunteers around the world and for checking in with your coordinator regularly.

Being a part of the MISS Network requires commitment, tenacity, and an understanding of our MISSion statement, history, and vision.

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What do I do first?

If you are newly bereaved, less than one year, we recommend you wait until embarking into a commitment of this magnitude alone. One option is to find another parent willing to assist you who is further along in their grief. Perhaps a trained counselor would be willing to volunteer their time. If your child died more than 18+ months ago, and you feel that you are ready to commit to a Support Network:

• email Cath Duncan, Volunteers Coordinator with a letter of intent. We will need to know where you are located, and your child's story.
• Once you have submitted a letter of intent, you will be asked to fill out an application, provide 3 references, a full CV, sign/notarize confidentiality form, and then you will be invited to a tele-assessment.
• Once application has been accepted, then you will be matched with a program coordinator to begin your training.

Once you are matched with the program for which you will volunteer, you will receive full training to learn about things like doing local outreach, fundraising and events, hosting meetings or offering mentorship, or how to support an already existing MISS Chapter in your area. In fact, our volunteers have an entire, private, intranet website dedicated to them. Once you've filfilled the first steps and begin training, you'll get access to the volunteers website.

Contact Cath Duncan, Volunteers Coordinator

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