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The Village Mentoring Organization
The Orchard Gardens DREAM Update January 2013 The Boston University mentors returned from their Winter Break near the end of January. The mentors and youth were excited for the Spring Semester of DREAM to start-up. DREAM Programming: 1/11: (13 mentees, 17 mentors): Thanks to the donation of tickets from the BU community relations office, the group was able to attend a men’s basketball game against UMBC. The group had a blast at the game. Community Collaboration: Teen Resource Meetings: Chad met with Bottom Line and Summer Search on January 7th to build partnerships and gather more information on resources for DREAM youth as they enter high school. Orchard Gardens Public Safety Meeting: I attended the Orchard Gardens safety meeting at 25 Ambrose St. on the 2nd floor on January 17th. Circle of Promise: On January 24th Chad met with Jason Desrosier the Circle of Promise Community Engagement Liaison, to share resources and explore areas for future collaboration. DSNI Open House: Rachel Attended the DSNI open house on January 25th. Dudley/Roxbury Corridor Safety Task Force: Chad attended the Dudley/Roxbury Corridor Safety Task Force meeting on January 28th. DREAM Office: Youth and Parent Surveys: I continued to follow-up with youth and families about the youth and parent surveys. Youth Mentoring Day at the State House: DREAM office staff attended the Youth Mentoring Day at the State House. This day was a great day to network with fellow supporters of mentoring programs and initiatives in Massachusetts. I was honored to receive this year’s Mass Mentoring’s Program Staff Ignite Award. Mentees from various mentoring programs attended to highlight the benefits of mentoring program and together, assembled a puzzle-piece graphic display of mentoring’s impact. Regional Director, Rachel Lieberman and I spent the
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afternoon lobbying representatives in an effort to gain more support for increasing this year’s mentoring line item in the state budget. Northeastern Martin Luther King Day of Service: Chad and I attended the Northeastern Martin Luther King Day of Service. It was a fun day filled with workshops, volunteering, and closed with a great open-mic performance presented by local youth. Inauguration and MLK Day joint celebration at Hibernian Hall: Rachel attended the Inauguration and MLK Day event at Hibernian Hall and had a great time sharing an amazing day with the community. National Mentoring Summit: Mike Loner, the Executive Director of DREAM presented DREAM’s ”Village Mentoring” program model at the 2013 National Mentoring Summit.
Keep DREAMing! Chad Butt Program Director