The DREAM Program, Inc. 41 Dearborn St. Roxbury, MA 02119 (617) 699-8408 www.dreamprogram.org
June 8th, 2012
The Putnam Gardens DREAM Update May 2012 With the mentors finished for the school year, the DREAM Office spent May wrapping things up from the school year, and meeting with mentors to lay a strong foundation for next year’s school year DREAM. We have also been preparing for summer programming, and conducting hiring interviews. DREAM Programming: The Spring Semester ended in April and school year DREAM wrapped up after a great year of programming. School year DREAM will start back up in September. Program Development: On April 1st the recruitment chairs met with me to design a recruitment plan and timeline which will aid in program growth in the coming year. The mentors met on April 2nd to debrief the year, and discuss ways to improve Putnam Gardens DREAM when they return to campus in August. As the DREAM Office’s way of thanking the mentors, their meeting was raided by a giant gorilla (Chad in costume) who made everyone much appreciated fresh smoothies. DREAM Office: Massachusetts Promise Fellow Hiring: We began interviewing applicants for the Program Empowerment Fellow position that will start in August. Summer Programming: Summer programming will begin the week of June 18th and run through August 15th. DREAM Summer Community Interns will run programming three days a week with activities taking place both in Putnam Gardens, and around the Greater Boston Area. We strive to engage all interested youth from the community ages 6 and up to provide them with fun and safe summer activities that aid in filling the gap between DREAM’s school year program years. Additional Summer Opportunities: In addition to programming run by the Summer Community Interns, DREAM partners with other organizations to offer additional programming opportunities to youth. This summer we will be inviting a couple of Putnam Gardens’ youth to participate in City to Saddle, a weeklong horseback riding day camp at Liberty Hill Farm in Lancaster, MA. Additionally mentees in the school year DREAM program ages 13 and older will be invited to attend a Time of Wonder Sailing trip, where youth will travel out of the Boston Harbor for a 3 night sailing trip on a 60ft sail boat. Keep DREAMing! Jessica Stein Program Empowerment Director