dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
The Putnam Gardens DREAM Update February 2014 The Putnam Gardens Program had a great February. They added six new mentors to the program and began introducing them to youth on the waitlist. The mentors also started planning fundraisers to raise funds for a culminating experience in May. DREAM Programming: 2/7 (8 mentees, 9 mentors, 4 prospective mentors): The mentors held their first group programming on campus and invited prospective mentors. Everyone enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon of making chocolate covered pretzels and playing Family Feud. A few teen matches did one-on-one activities. 2/14 (6 mentees, 6 mentors, 1 prospective mentor): The group did one-on-one programming. Mentors unable to attend the week before were invited to join match activities. One-on-one activities included ice skating, attending a gymnastics meet, and playing cards. 2/21 (7 mentees, 9 mentors, 1 new mentor, 4 waitlist youth): On Friday the mentors held a group programming in the Putnam Community Room and invited youth from the waitlist to meet unmatched and new mentors. The group made shrinky dinks and built robots out of gumdrops and tooth picks. A few teen matches did one-on-one activities, including cooking at the co-op and working together on homework. 2/28 (7 mentees, 12 mentors, 3 waitlist youth): The new and unmatched mentors joined mentors of younger youth in building a Rube Goldberg machine and playing foosball with current and prospective youth. Teen matches did one-on-one programming that included visiting the MIT Museum and the Natural History Museum, shopping in Harvard Square, and attending the orchestra. Program Development: Calendar: During one of their first meetings in February, the mentors drafted a DREAM calendar for the semester. They selected which Fridays would be group programming and which would be one-on-one programming. They penciled in dates for fundraisers and additional group trips. They also picked the weekend for their spring culminating experience (May 3rd and 4th). Recruitment: The program welcomed five new mentors to the program in February. They have been attending Fridays to meet unmatched youth and attended their first mentor meeting on February 25th. They will undergo background checks throughout March and April. Matching: All newly recruited mentors and two unmatched returning mentors will be matched with youth by Harvard’s spring break. The program will be matching two youth whose mentors graduate in May. They also hope to bring on at least five new mentees from the waitlist.
dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
DREAMstock: Mentors attended DREAMstock, DREAM’s annual mentor training, on February 22nd. More than 50 mentors from Northeastern, Tufts, Harvard, and Boston University were all present for a day full of workshops, networking, and fun. Workshops included cultural competency, age-specific mentoring, purposeful programming, and diverse recruitment. All mentors were encouraged to continue networking with each other outside of DREAMstock and take the knowledge they learned back to their respective programs. Additionally, co-chairs arrived two hours early to participate in a session dedicated to exchanging ideas across programs and addressing the issue of mentor retention.
DREAM Office: Teen Program: This month I continued developing ideas for the teen program. I held a workshop during our mentor training, DREAMstock for all teen mentors to discuss mentoring and supporting teens. I am working to recruit one to two mentors per program to help organize a teen wide activity on March 28th. I hope to pilot some of the curriculum with the Putnam teens, and will be meeting with the Harvard mentors about the program in mid-March. South Boston Local Program: University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston has been selected as the partner school for our new community in South Boston: Old Colony. Mentor recruitment has begun and will continue into March. Teen Employment Guide: The 2014 Cambridge teen employment guide will be distributed to eligible youth in early March. The DREAM Office is hosting optional office hours for those interested in receiving more assistance with resumes or applying to jobs within the city. Keep DREAMing! Katie Purcell Program Empowerment Director Mass Promise Fellow/Americorps Katie@dreamprogram.org