The DREAM Program, Katy-Win, Quarter 3, 2012-2013

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

Katy-Win DREAM Quarterly Report March 2013-May 2013 Greetings from DREAM! This was an exciting quarter in Johnson, VT – it marked the first semester of DREAM at Katy-Win! The whole semester was a success and included lots of exciting highlights, including an end of semester pizza and pool party,

Highlights from the quarter include:   

This year, DREAMers celebrated a successful semester of DREAMing big with pool and pizza party at the end of the school year.

Twenty-five DREAM teens attended the Teen Identity Retreat hosted by the Vermont DREAM staff. Teens explored Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, discussed healthy relationships, and practiced hula hooping.

Katy-Win DREAM youth are looking forward to attending Camp DREAM and four field trips to take place this summer.

Weekly Programming with Children:    

The Katy-Win DREAM youth truly impressed their mentors with their bravery and spiderlike climbing skills during two Fridays spent at the rock wall on campus!

Another Friday was spent playing Frolf (Frisbee golf) on the course at the college followed by a selection of energetic outdoor games.

Several Fridays this quarter were spent swimming and playing in the pool on campus.

The DREAMers loved playing with the various pool toys, especially flippers and noodles!

One of the most popular activities on the Johnson State College campus was playing ping pong and pool in the game room on campus. One DREAM mentee has already surpassed all the mentors in his pool skills!

Special Events for Children and Mentors: 



Twenty-five teens attended DREAM’s annual Teen Identity Retreat in Burlington. This year’s retreat featured sessions on healthy relationships, a reflection on DREAM’s Theory of Change for older mentees, and a hula hooping tutorial lead by DREAM alumna, Nicole Stevenson.

The final DREAM Friday of the school year was spent splashing around in the pool and celebrating with a pizza party!

Capacity Building and Fundraising:



Katy-Win mentors have been working on mentor recruitment this quarter. The group is looking forward to seeing some new mentors starting up in the fall once school starts again!

Camp:

Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org



This quarter, Camp DREAM was once again happy to host volunteers from IBM through the United Way’s Days of Caring program. Volunteers worked on clearing trails, installing new trail signs, building an awning for the porch connected to our DREAM bus that has been converted into a kitchen, and sprucing up Camp’s drainage systems.

Alumni Involvement: 

 

This year DREAM’s Alumni Organization welcomed 73 new members from 11 local programs across Vermont and Massachusetts. Welcoming events were hosted for each Local Program to congratulate both mentees and mentors as they graduate from high school and college.

This year’s Teen Identity Retreat was a success due in part to all of the support from DREAM’s alumni volunteers: Paul Espina, Nicole Stevenson, Claudine Nkurinziza, and Susie Silva.

A group of DREAM alumni are running in a RAGNAR relay race in West Virginia to support DREAM’s expansion efforts in Washington D.C.

Office: 

  





For this year’s DREAM ‘sprinter’ (Spring-Winter) retreat, Vermont staff headed down to the Boston Office. Discussion topics included incorporating Results Based Accountability, DREAM expansion, and redesigning DREAM’s annual mentor training event, DREAMstock.

This quarter, Camp DREAM welcomed back Birchwood mentor, Matt Karkut as the Adventure Program Coordinator.

In May, DREAM hosted its first ever combined staff, alumni council, and board retreat at Camp DREAM. Discussion topics included incorporating Results Based Accountability, staff and board structure, and coordinating calendars for the upcoming year.

The Vermont DREAM office recently participated in Unbridled Innovation Day, taking the full day off from regularly scheduled work tasks in order to research, interview, learn and explore the next frontier of DREAM growth. Among the questions we sought to answer were: how can DREAM reduce its carbon footprint without reducing its impact? Are car dealerships willing to help out a local nonprofit with its transportation costs? How do youth from affordable housing neighborhoods compare to other peer groups in terms of high school graduation rates? And, how does obesity affect the children and families in DREAM, both short- and long-term?

Vermont staff had a very successful Adventure Teaching Day. Adventure Teaching Days are an opportunity to continue to grow, learn, and bond as an organization. The discussion topics included how to support mentee who are being bullied or bullying others and codifying orientation materials for future offices. Staff then headed down to the Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center for an afternoon of sailing.

This quarter, DREAM launched its new database through Salesforce. This new platform will allow staff to more effectively monitor outcomes for DREAM youth as well as mentoring relationships and attendance at office-led events.

 

Summer hiring for DREAM is wrapping up for the season with nearly all positions filled.

In June, DREAM will welcome 16 summer interns who will organize in-community programs and 6 camp staff who will run summer camp programming.

This quarter, DREAM said goodbye to Boston Program Director Chad Butt. Chad has been a staple of the DREAM office for over 8 years and we wish him all the best in his new role as Executive Director of Mobius, a state-wide mentoring organization in Vermont.

Thank you for your ongoing support of DREAM. If you would like additional or more detailed information, please contact me by email or by phone. You can always look back at past reports or other programs’ reports by going to: http://dreamprogram.org/mentor-program/vermont/localprogram-reports.

DREAM big, Sarah Caliendo Program Director scaliendo@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979