What is Walk With Me?
Walk With Me is our annual service provider networking event. Since 2011, we have brought together local frontline service providers to network and learn from each other, as well as offer an opportunity for professional development.
We started this event because we saw a gap in the community: there are many excellent programs and resources in our community, but often service providers in one area are unaware of the variety of resources available.
While networking events are common in other fields of work, they are rarely aimed at service providers. Walk With Me was created to change all this.
The ultimate goal of Walk With Me is to increase referrals between agencies by increasing frontline service providers’ knowledge of community programs, resources, and services.
Why did we call it Walk With Me?
The idea is that frontline service providers aim to walk with their clients as they navigate local services. That is, to try to understand, empathize with, and empower their clients.
This event helps equip service providers with the skills they need to successfully walk with their clients.
What activities have past Walk With Me events included?
Each year’s event includes a Service Provider Showcase, where each agency sets up a table to showcase their services and resources.
We usually recommend that each agency send two participants, so one can run the table and the other(s) can walk around and connect with other agencies.
A popular component of the showcase over the years has been Service Provider Bingo, where participants have to match each agency to an educational fact on their bingo card. A full bingo card means both a chance to win great prizes, and increased knowledge of the services provided in our area!
We also include a professional development portion, bringing in various guest speakers and facilitators. In the past, topics have included Islamophobia, human connection during crisis, allyship, unconscious bias, blended service delivery models, trauma-informed care, eliminating barriers to service access and more.
Be sure to check out our resources from our online Walk With Me event in 2021.
