dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Willowbrook DREAM Quarterly Report September – November 2013 Greetings from DREAM! DREAM youth and mentors returned to school and to weekly DREAM activities! Mentors from Bennington College and youth from Willowbrook had a fantastic quarter filled with DREAMy activities. Here is a summary of all the Willowbrook DREAM happenings from the last quarter.
Highlights from the quarter include: • • •
Returning mentors worked hard to recruit new mentors. This quarter, they welcomed nine new mentors to DREAM! The group held a celebration of mentor-mentee pairs, during which they ate pear pie and new mentors received their official yellow DREAM t-shirts! DREAM is excited to announce that mentor Emily Leader will be this year’s Field Work Term intern! In January and February, Emily will be leading activities for Willowbrook youth while the mentors are away from campus for Field Work Term.
Fridays: • • • • • • • •
The group celebrated the start of the school year with getting-to-know-you games and crafts in the community center. Mentors and mentees split into groups one Friday for painting, knitting, and outdoor games. Edible play dough made from peanut butter, honey, and sugar was a hit one Friday, as were group games. Mentors and mentees participated in storytelling activities and played games in the Willowbrook community center. The group did a scavenger hunt on a walking trail. Mentees had one-on-one time with their mentors followed by a celebration of mentor-mentee pairs. Mentors and mentees spent one Friday writing letters to alumni of the program asking them to contribute to the Alumni Appeal. Mentees had one-on-one time with their mentors for three Fridays in November.
Special Events for Children and Mentors: •
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A group of Elm Street mentors and teens hiked a portion of the Long Trail as part of UVM’s Catamountain Classic. This event raises funds for a scholarship for a DREAM teen to attend an Outward Bound Program each year. One Willowbrook teen joined older teens from across Vermont for the second annual Teen Futures Retreat, where they wrote intros for their college essays, had a frank discussion about the pressure of drug use, and discussed their goals for life after high school. Thanks to all of the residents of The Swamp for hosting DREAM, and to Tristram Coffin, U.S. District Attorney, for facilitating conversation around The Opiate Effect. Lastly, DREAM thanks Paul Espina and Katie Purcell for all of their help!
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
Capacity Building and Fundraising: • • •
Willowbrook had a very successful recruitment this fall. In total, they welcomed nine new mentors to DREAM, which was enough to bring on three new mentees off the waitlist! DREAM was honored to receive a $20,000 capacity-building grant from Ben & Jerry’s. We look forward to continuing this meaningful partnership! On November 18, DREAM launched our Annual Appeal. Keep a look out for your letter and please consider donating. So far the Annual Appeal has raised $1,540 from 16 donors.
Mentor Training and Workshops: •
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Willowbrook mentors received training on DREAM’s Mentor Boundaries, Transportation Guidelines, and Child Abuse & Reporting Procedures and reviewed basic mentoring principles to ensure they are safe and effective mentors. During one of their weekly meetings, mentors participated in a training on behavior management. Mentors across Vermont attended DREAMstock, a fun 24-hour event graciously co-hosted by Bolton Valley Resort and Comcast. Vermont mentors participated in sessions about age-specific programming, building relationships with families, and meeting facilitation. DREAM thanks Paul Espina for his help, as well as National Bank of Middlebury, Five Guys, City Market, and Shelburne Orchard for their financial and in-kind support.
Camp: •
Camp Work Days and Days of Caring occurred in late September and early October. More than 50 volunteers assisted staff in painting the new Camp Store, building wooden bridges, and building cubbies for the lean-tos.
Alumni Involvement: •
DREAM launched its Alumni Appeal on October 29. Willowbrook mentors and mentees participated in a letter writing campaign, asking alumni to contribute to the appeal. So far, the Alumni Appeal has raised over $12,000 from 100 donors.
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In September, staff and AmeriCorps members participated in a two-day staff retreat in Guilford, VT. Discussion topics included giving and receiving feedback, DREAM’s budget, and goal setting for the year. DREAM Executive Director, Michael Loner, and Boston Regional Director, were honored to present at the New England Regional Mentoring Conference in Hartford, CT. Their presentation was titled "Working with Youth in Affordable Housing: Challenges and Opportunities." The DREAM Program is very proud to have been the 2013 recipient of the Miles Jensen Award, which is sponsored by Housing Vermont and recognizes the outstanding contributions of volunteers who work with residents of affordable housing communities in Vermont. Housing Vermont chose to recognize DREAM due to the thousands of hours DREAM mentors spend with youth from affordable housing sites all over Vermont and beyond, stretching the children's ambitions and uncovering opportunities. The DREAM Program recently completed the requirements for graduation from the BBVT Performance Institute. DREAM was selected to participate in the Performance Institute
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through a rigorous and competitive selection process, and we used our work with the Performance Institute to better define the outcomes we want for youth who participate in DREAM’s Teen Programming. DREAM was excited to welcome Jason Desrosier in September as the new Boston Programs Director! Jason comes to DREAM with an inspiring background as a community-based learning coordinator, an AmeriCorps member, and a youth advocate. DREAM is sad to say goodbye to Mike Ewan, former Program Director, Advanced Support and AmeriCorps member supervisor. Mike recently transitioned into a new position as a special educator, where he will continue his work supporting youth. Finally, DREAM is so excited to announce that Brian Fuller has joined the staff as the first Programs Director in Philadelphia! Currently he is recruiting mentors, raising funds, and working with Mike Foote, Director of Strategy and Growth, to build capacity for Philadelphia’s very first DREAM pairing: Temple University and the Cecil B. Moore Village Apartments.
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/local-program-reports.
DREAM big, Ali Siegel Program Empowerment Director VYT AmeriCorps VISTA Alison@dreamprogram.org 802.681.3982