What is an encouragement feast?

Kim DeMarchi, MEd, CPE Parent Educator, shares advice for parents on why an encouragement feast during a family meeting is so great and how it helps a family become closer
Family Meetings | Definition And Benefits Of An Encouragement Feast
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What is an encouragement feast?

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An encouragement feast can be held anywhere, anytime. Anybody can ask for one. You can have it at the beginning of a family meeting or the end of a family meeting. An encouragement feast is just that, it's one big love fest. It's a time where we give each other our love, admiration, and compliments. The way that it works is this: One person is "it" for the moment. Every person in that family, looks that person in the eye and says, "Kim, what I love about you is you help me when I don't understand something." The next person says something, and the next person says something. After everyone has spoken about the person that's it, that person has an opportunity to say, "Do you know what I love about myself?" Everybody gets a chance to have an encouragement feast. If someone is feeling really discouraged? They can call an encouragement feast. I may say, as a mother, "I've had a really rough week. Things have not gone as planned. I feel discouraged and unappreciated." I might say to my family, "Guys, I need an encouragement feast." There they go. They bring it on and I feel amazing. It's a beautiful time for families.

Kim DeMarchi, MEd, CPE Parent Educator, shares advice for parents on why an encouragement feast during a family meeting is so great and how it helps a family become closer

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Kim DeMarchi, MEd, CPE

Parent Educator

is an Oregon resident, in the United States, with 18 year old boy/girl twins in the Tigard Tualatin School District, and has been an educator for almost three decades. She began her career as an elementary school teacher for 12 years, then worked as an elementary school administrator for 6 years, and then decided to dedicate herself to teaching parenting classes and workshops exclusively. Kim is trained and certified through a program called Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, as well by the International Network for Children and Families, in a program called Redirecting Children‘s Behavior. She also has taken recent trainings in the areas of Youth Mental Health First Aid, Adult Mental Health First Aid, ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences), ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), Trauma Informed Care, Smart Voices/Smart Choices: Parents Talking with Kids about Mental Wellness and Substance Use, and Making the Connection: Stress, Teen Brains & Building Resilience. Kim is active in supporting her local parenting community by providing workshops, classes, coaching families and writing monthly articles for two local newspapers Tualatin Times and Tigard Times. Kim is a monthly guest on KATU's Afternoon Live and an occasional guest on KATU's AM Northwest television show doing parenting segments. Kim also reaches thousands internationally through her close to one hundred 30 minute parenting podcasts found on her website. Additionally, Kim recently made her fifth trip to Asia during the last few years to teach and share her passion in raising cooperative, respectful, resilient and responsible children. Kim’s goal for you is to help reduce conflict, foster mutual respect, and create deeper communication and connections with your loved ones.

You can reach Kim and her resources at her website:

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