Hope for the Journey Conference Commonly Asked Questions
In late spring, Show Hope announced plans for its new Hope for the Journey Conference (formerly known as the Empowered to Connect Conference). The conference and simulcast is planned for Friday, April 9, 2021, with a rebroadcast period of April 16–May 31, 2021. The following are commonly asked questions, regarding Show Hope’s new Hope for the Journey Conference and Simulcast.
What aspects of the Empowered to Connect Conference will remain part of the Hope for the Journey Conference?
As in years past, Show Hope’s Hope for the Journey will be a live and on-demand simulcast event (April 9) with a rebroadcast period (April 16–May 31) that includes the Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) model for caring well for children impacted by adoption and foster care. The Hope for the Journey Conference will remain low-cost plus high-impact as Show Hope works to resource churches, agencies, and other organizations as they support and equip the families, caregivers, and the communities they serve.
What will differ between the Hope for the Journey Conference and the Empowered to Connect Conference?
While the Empowered to Connect Conference has historically been a two-day event, the Hope for the Journey Conference will move to one day, making the event more accessible to families and everyday caregivers. With a renewed focus on parents and caregivers, the conference will intentionally highlight everyday, practical help where hosts can choose how to best utilize modular sessions. The event could also be consumed in one day or shared over multiple training sessions or weeks.
Along with the structural changes, the Hope for the Journey Conference will include a brand-new learning module—TBRI and the Gospel—and will also highlight adult adoptee voices and experiences, offering parents and caregivers greater insight to the often complex needs of children impacted by adoption or foster care.
Post conference, Show Hope plans to provide practical application guides with thoughts, questions, and reflections as well as action steps and activities. These guides will reinforce concepts and teachings shared during the conference along with practical ideas for incorporating conference insights into the day-to-day. Also new this year will be a follow-up mini podcast series where Show Hope will continue the conversation on topics introduced at the conference with a variety of guests. The aim is to further educate and encourage families impacted by adoption and foster care as they seek to provide hope and healing to the children entrusted to them.
Is the Hope for the Journey Conference faith-based?
Show Hope is a faith-based organization and evidence of that faith will naturally be part of the Hope for the Journey Conference (as it was with the Empowered to Connect Conference). In an effort to further engage the Church in elevating trauma-competency, Show Hope will introduce a new supplemental module and additional resources to explore the gospel as foundational to TBRI.
It is Show Hope’s desire that the conference serves as a resource for the churches and organizations that host, allowing them to further open their doors and build relationships with families impacted by adoption and foster care in their communities.
Moving to a modular format gives hosts the flexibility to make decisions about which portions of the conference are most helpful in their context.
Will continuing education be available?
Hosts will have access to certificates of completion for adoptive and foster families to submit to their respective agencies.
Unlike previous years, professional continuing education will not be offered through Show Hope, but hosts will be able to submit information for approval with local or state accreditation organizations.
What if we are unable to meet in-person next spring?
Show Hope believes the Hope for the Journey Conference is best shared in the context of community. However, we recognize the impact of COVID-19 has presented limitations to the current ability to host large, in-person gatherings. Show Hope will continue to monitor COVID-19 and subsequent restrictions as the conference date nears. As we did with the 2020 Empowered to Connect Conference REWIND, we are making contingency plans to maximize viewing if gathering restrictions are in place next spring.
How do I register or learn more?
To learn more or to register today, visit showhope.org/hope-for-the-journey.
