41 Dearborn St. Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 699-8408 www.dreamprogram.org
March 13th, 2012
The Orchard Gardens DREAM Update February 2012 This month has been a lot of fun as programming is once again in full swing. DREAMers took advantage of a brief cold spell to enjoy some winter activities and are now excited for spring! DREAM Programming: 2/4(11 mentors, 11 mentees): The group spent the day around BU campus with the teens meeting with mentors to discuss their reasons for joining DREAM, and where they would like to see the program go in the future to keep them engaged. 2/11(12 mentors, 6 mentees): Ice Skating at Kelly Rink in Jamaica Plain, the mentees helped teach some of the mentors who had never been ice skating before how to skate! 2/18(11 mentors, 12 mentees): Everyone enjoyed the monthly trip to BU’s gym-FitRec and had the opportunity to run, swim or try out the weights. 2/25(11 mentors, 9 mentees): This week focused on small group programming to encourage relationship building especially between newer matches. Groups spent time passing out fliers to advertise the last week of the program’s ongoing Uno’s fundraiser, and then returned to BU for a trip to the dining hall. Program Development: Youth Development Workshop: At the February 16th mentor meeting I ran a short workshop focused on youth development and age appropriate programming to help the mentors plan more engaging activities for their matches. Programming Opportunities: Ski Trip: On February 5th 22 DREAMers from Orchard Gardens and Madison Park Village and 10 mentors from Northeastern and BU had the amazing opportunity to go skiing at Killington Mountain in Vermont. Each mentee fundraised $20 to participate, which covered a lift ticket, ski or snowboard rental, and an introductory lesson. Our instructors were stellar, and even stayed with the beginners after the lessons ended as we hit the slopes. The trip was co-planned by a Madison Park teen, and we are excited to see more teens step up and plan exciting program opportunities in the future! A special thanks to Killington Mountain for providing DREAM with a great package deal and Mass Housing for providing transportation. Community Collaboration: Be Safe Training: Sandy Mervack, DREAM’s Development Director and Chad attended the first of a two part training put on by Be Safe and sponsored by the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship on February 10th. The training focused on helping participants check in with their personal beliefs and compare those to their organization’s policies and procedures, to ensure that they are creating a safe and supportive environment within their programs. Sandy and Chad also learned about resources available to both youth and youth workers which can be used to support and enhance our program. Orchard Gardens Safety meeting: Chad attended the Orchard Gardens Safety Meeting at the Orchard Gardens Boys and Girls Club on February 16th.
Dudley/Roxbury Corridor Safety Task Force: Chad attended the Dudley/Roxbury Corridor Safety Task Force meeting on February 27th at the B-2 police station.
DREAM Office: Regional Director: We are excited to announce that we are currently seeking a Regional Director for the Boston DREAM office. The job description can be found at www.dreamprogram.org. If you know of anyone who would be interested and qualified please pass this along. Summer Community Interns: Hiring for our Summer Community Interns has started and the job description can be found on our website as well.
Keep DREAMing! Jessica Stein Program Empowerment Director Massachusetts Promise Fellow/AmeriCorps