Who Benefits When a Leader Attends an LLLI Conference?
Mary Hurt
LLLI PR Associate
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 37 No. 2, April-May 2001, p. 48
Who benefits when an LLL
Leader attends the LLLI Conference? Everyone does - the Leader, her
family, her Group, her Community, and ultimately the world. Whether
you are nurturing your children or supporting the mothers in your Group,
you spend a lot of time helping others. Because of this, Leaders, like
others in the helping professions, are in danger of experiencing stress
or burnout. An LLLI Conference is one way a Leader can get the support
and encouragement that she so willingly gives others every day of her
life. An LLLI Conference brings together parents and professionals from
around the globe. It defines our differences in cultures and languages,
but even more sharply focuses on what we share in common. Our babies
all thrive on human milk and our children, no matter where they go to
school or what language they speak, thrive on loving guidance. People's
needs are the same whether they dress in Western business attire or
in a sari. Realizing the global importance of the work you do as a person,
as a parent, and as a Leader is one way the Conference will support
and encourage you.
Speakers at the LLLI Conference
provide the latest information on a variety of subjects; they inspire,
they inform, and they entertain. In the personal development arena,
Leaders will be inspired by the Founders' session where all seven will
talk about "Seven Voices-One Dream." In the session, "Unique
Lives: The Varied and Fascinating Lives of Retired Leaders," you
will discover the way some fascinating women have expanded skills developed
as Leaders into many other areas. Leaders attending the LLLI Conference
will enjoy a "one size and age doesn't fit all" Kaleidoscope
of Fashion at the Alumnae Tea, and they will laugh and sing at the Banquet:
A Kaleidoscope of Mothering. They will find out the latest on "How
to Synchronize Your Life and Livelihood" and they will be able
to explore options in various complementary and integrative health sessions.
When a Leader attends an
LLLI Conference, her family benefits because she is privy to the latest
information on parenting and is motivated by seeing parents from all
over the globe meeting the needs of their babies and children. Leaders
and other parents will learn "How Love Forms, Guides, and Alters
a Child's Mind" and how to create practical strategies for dealing
with "Bullies, Victims, and Bystanders." They will become
more informed about how their marriage affects their children and about
intimacy and sexuality during pregnancy and breastfeeding. They will
learn about the Kaleidoscope that is their family as they use "The
Family Color Wheel: The True Color System of Understanding Different
Personalities" and they will accomplish "Mission Possible"
as they create a family mission statement.
Groups benefit from an LLL
Leader attending the LLLI Conference in many ways. By being part of
the larger experience of the world of LLL, you will come back to your
Group renewed and ready to take on new challenges. That LLL member you
wanted to approach about becoming a Leader Applicant; that new meeting
idea you wanted to try out; and that press release you wanted to send
to the local newspaper will all seem easier with your renewed inspiration
and enthusiasm. While any session that benefits the Leader benefits
the Group, the sessions about breastfeeding benefit the Group in a special
way. Whether learning about "Using Women's Way of Knowing to Improve
Breastfeeding Teaching and Counseling," "Perspectives on HIV,
AIDS, and Breastfeeding," or "Breastfeeding in Cyberspace:
Using Technology to Help Mothers Breastfeed," a Leader will return
to her Group with the latest information. In addition to attending sessions,
Leaders and members often bring back handouts, books, and tapes to share
with their Group. Some Groups hold Evaluation Meetings or Chapter Meetings
to discuss experiences at the LLLI Conference. Sometimes Leaders attend
a session of particular interest to their Group's members and many encourage
Leader Applicants and other Group members to attend the Conference themselves.
What helps the Leader and
the Group also benefits the community. Each mother who is supported
and encouraged to breastfeed her baby acts as a catalyst to other members
of the community. Every community helps a nation, and ultimately the
world. It is estimated that in the United States if 75 percent of mothers
breastfed their babies at birth, and 50 percent were still breastfeeding
at six months, there would be a 1.5 billion dollar (US) health care
savings. We already know that the emotional and physical benefits of
breastfeeding to the world are priceless. Can you imagine a world where
babies had less respiratory disease, fewer infections and other life-threatening
diseases? A world where children's intelligence was higher and obesity
was lower? A world where fewer children developed juvenile diabetes
and certain forms of cancer? You help create this world through your
work as an LLL Leader. The Conference will help you, your family, your
Group, your community, and through a ripple effect help mothers and
babies the world over.
Be prepared to have your
breath taken away at the sheer beauty and magnificence of the Hilton
Chicago. Be prepared to be delighted by the variety and quality of the
sessions. Be prepared to spend four inspiring days enveloped in support
and encouragement. Be prepared to attend the LLLI Conference, July 7-10,
2001 at the Hilton Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Please Note: Deborah
Rowe, popular radio host and award-winning speaker will present the
topic "A Kaleidoscope of Mothering" at the gala banquet to
be held at La Leche League International's Conference. She is taking
the place of Kathleen Parker who is unable to attend.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:57 UTC 2007.
