The DREAM Program, Inc. 41 Dearborn St. Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 699-8408 www.dreamprogram.org
October 15th 2012
The Orchard Gardens DREAM Update September 2012 After a long summer, the mentors and mentees were excited for weekly DREAM programming to start back up and to see each other. DREAM Programming: 9/15 (6 mentees, 12 other youth, 11 mentors): The group stayed in the community an played games in the park. It was a great opportunity for the mentors to meet new youth that are interested in joining school year DREAM. 9/22 (4 mentees, 14 mentors): Mentee attendance was low this week which is not uncommon for the first week of on campus programming. The mentees that came had a great time back on campus playing board games and meeting new potential mentors. 9/29 (11mentees, 14 mentors): The group headed back to BU for an afternoon of field games on the Esplanade. Program Development: New Mentor Recruitment: The mentors held and informational meeting on Thursday the 20th for interested students. With a lot of mentors graduating this coming spring, the group is hoping to bring on a strong class of new mentors this fall. Potential mentors are required to attend Saturday programming twice before signing up for an interview. By attending programming they are able to get a better feel for DREAM before they commit. It also gives the current mentors the opportunity to observe the applicants to ensure they will make great mentors. Adventure Programming: High Adventure: The older youth in the program will be taking on a bigger challenge this year. High Adventure is a program DREAM has developed over the years to engage older youth and challenge them to take on and achieve a larger goal. This usually takes the form or a trip of a week or more to a destination that the youth are excited to explore. Past High Adventures have gone to Florida, Colorado, California, New York City, Maine, and even Alaska! Over the next month the mentors will be rolling out this program and introducing the idea to the parents and the youth. Community Collaboration: Peace Parade: On Friday the 21st Rachel Lieberman, Regional Director, participated in the Orchard Gardens Peace Parade. Orchard Gardens Safety Meeting: Rachel attended the Orchard Gardens safety meeting at 25 Ambrose St. on the 4th floor on September 20th.
DREAM Office: All Staff Retreat: All DREAM staff from our Vermont and Boston office got together for a staff retreat from Monday the 9th - Tuesday the 10th. It was a great way to start the school year with training sessions and group bonding. Youth and Parent Surveys: We are currently conducting youth and parent surveys for all participants of school-year DREAM. We hope to wrap up surveys by the end of the calendar year and be able to finish analyzing the data in the spring. Mass Mentor Partnership: o State Mentoring Matching Grant: DREAM is honored and excited to once again be receive funding from the State Mentoring Matching Grant. On Monday the 24th Rachel and I attended the State Mentoring Grant Kickoff Meeting in Worchester. o Cocktails for a Cause: On Thursday the 27th members of the DREAM office joined many others in supporting Mass Mentor Partnership and the Rodman Ride for Kids by attending a fundraiser at Scholars in downtown Boston. Keep DREAMing! Chad Butt Program Director