The People Empowering People Program is a personal and family development program with a strong community focus. Created and coordinated by Cheryl Czuba, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System Educator, the PEP program builds upon individual life experiences and strengths to encourage growth in communication and problem solving skills, parent/family relationships and community involvement. The program has graduated over one thousand people in over fifteen years.

• How does PEP work? The program is conducted by a UConn CES trained facilitator from a family resource center, community agency or faith community. The facilitator provides ten two-hour training sessions on the following topics:
  
  

  - values
  - verbal and non-verbal communication skills
  - active listening
  - problem solving
  - understanding the helping role
  - understanding ourselves and others as parents
  - understanding our children
  - our community and its leaders
  - action planning
  - community opportunity
  

  Following the formal training sessions, participants attend weekly educational/support sessions and work on two or more individual or group projects that benefit the community. In the past PEP participants have conducted a variety of community projects including organizing town wide events, conducting family literacy projects, developing a resource booklet for parents, developing a children’s library at a housing project, and collecting funds for children’s playscape. Generally participants commit four to eight months to the program.
  


• Who trains the PEP facilitators? The UConn Cooperative Extension System provides two days of facilitator training, and provides a 200 page PEP manual. Youth PEP for high school students and the Spanish translation of PEP are also available. Training is generally held at the Middlesex County Extension Center, 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam and costs $125.00. Graduates from the Connecticut Parents as Teachers Program (CPAT) and the Connecticut Commission on Children’s Parent Leadership Training Institute are admitted free with written approval. Volunteers wishing to facilitate the program in a correctional center are admitted free upon approval of the Extension Educator.
  


• Where is PEP? The PEP program is adaptable to a variety of settings and can be found at family resource centers, community based agencies, faith communities and correctional centers throughout Connecticut and in other states. Contact us if you are looking to participate, and we can help you find a group.
  


• Who benefits? PEP participants, PEP facilitators and communities benefit.
  Participants:   PEP helps participants focus on their own personal strengths. They enhance their communication skills, problem solving abilities, parenting and relationship skills, and they achieve a greater understanding of, and become more involved with their communities.
  Facilitators:    PEP helps facilitators learn more about their community and gain skills in working with groups.
  Communities: PEP helps build leaders who take an active role in their community.