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Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from
around our community.
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January National Mentoring Month
Mentor Spotlight: Jenny Weaver
(Boston Breastfeeding Coalition)
In honor of
National Mentoring Month, we're spotlighting our beloved Breastfeeding Coalition mentor, Jenny Weaver, who received the Excellence in Mentoring Award in recognition of her dedication to not only supporting moms and babies in the community, but also guiding and lifting up our Breastfeeding Scholars. Thank you, Jenny, for your committed mentorship!
Check out
this interview with Jenny about her journey and work with Vital Village!
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Boston Medical Center Health City
recently featured an interview
with
Héctor Sánchez-Flores
,
the executive director of the
National Compadres Network
and a leading voice in the space of historical trauma and culturally-rooted healing. Reflecting back on one of many highlights of 2019, it was a great honor for Vital Village to have Héctor as our lunch keynote speaker at the
National Community Leadership Summit
. Read full blog by Lauren Padilla at BMC Health City
here
.
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Interested in expanding and aligning efforts to promote social-emotional and mental wellness in children and families?
Join us as we build upon past May Mental Health Awareness efforts and explore how social-emotional and mental health awareness efforts can be further incorporated across the Vital Village Network.
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Co-Host a Network Connection Meeting with Us in 2020!
Network Connection Meetings are co-hosted, co-lead, and co-designed with network partners to maximize the diverse expertise and wisdom within the network when creating spaces of shared learning and collaboration.
If you are interested in being a co-host in 2020, email our Network Coordinator, Yusuf Ali at
yusuf.ali@bmc.org
.
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Network Events
Connect with Vital Village Network at these upcoming events. Click
event to RSVP or learn more
.
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NOTE
: Securing Equity in MA State Education Funding with Senator Chang-Diaz (January 13) has been postponed. Stay tuned for updates!
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January 30, 5:30-8pm @ Boston Medical Center FGH Building (820 Harrison Ave)
Join Vital Village Network as we plan for 2020 and the decade going forward. How do we want to start off this decade to set ourselves up for success? Calling all Community Members and Community Champions to take part in planning and leading Vital Village Visioning 2020.
Dinner and childcare provided. Parking validated at 710 Albany St Garage.
Click here to RSVP!
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Deadline extended for Unsung Hero Nominations!
An unsung hero is an individual who extends themselves beyond expectation in their community or organization as a leader in maximizing child health and well-being. We will assemble a committee to review each nomination and celebrate the chosen recipient with the network during our Visioning Night on January 30 (see above!).
Nominate someone here!
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January 21, 6pm-8pm @ Location TBD
Join the
Social Justice Mediation Program
(SJMP) community for our first Bi-Monthly Action Lab! These gatherings will be a space for all community members to expand your knowledge and skills related to social justice mediation, conflict resolution, communication and beyond.
RSVP
to attend today!
We also invite you to email
vvnmediators@gmail.com
if you’re interested in collaborating with SJMP for a future Action Lab.
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January 23, 12-2pm @ 85 E Concord St, Boston
January 28, 6pm-8pm @ Frugal Bookstore (57 Warren St)
Guided by peer counselors and IBCLC's we will be discussing arrange of topics related to lactation management, engaging in case-study based learning, and learning about professional development for lactation counselors.
Click here to RSVP!
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February 26-28, 9am-3pm @ Great Hall at Codman Sq Health Center (6 Norfolk St)
Are you interested in learning the skills to support families in your community? Applications are now open for the
2020 Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE)
Training to become a breastfeeding peer counselor! During the training, you will learn the essentials for providing peer counseling in lactation management and facilitating breastfeeding support groups.
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Community Events
Join Vital Village Network partners and other community organizations at these upcoming events. Click event to RSVP or learn more.
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Every 2nd Saturday, 8:30-11am @ Kroc Center (650 Dudley St)
BREAKFAST IV BROTHERS is a safe space for brothers to converge & promote their collective experiences. A platform for mentoring, sharing, and growing with one another. Our goal is to create a consistent platform that promotes cross-generational dialogue. Held every 2nd Saturday of the month.
4:30-6:30pm @ BTU Hall (180 Mount Vernon St, Dorchester)
11am-3pm @ Lilla G Frederick Pilot Middle School (270 Columbia Rd)
Join us for a day of rejuvenation after the busy holiday season. Everything is FREE! There will be: manicures, yoga, meditation, facials, local & city resources, food, and salsa!
For more information, contact
GHSSelfCareDay@gmail.com
.
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9am-2pm @ Freedom House (5 Crawford St, Dorchester)
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10am-3pm @ Massachusetts State House (24 Beacon St)
Youth Mentoring Day is a unique opportunity to convene legislators, youth-serving programs, and young people at the State House to highlight and celebrate the importance of mentoring relationships. Join the
Mass Mentoring Partnership
to learn how investing in youth can help students succeed while strengthening our communities.
Click here for more information and to RSVP!
2-4pm @ Frugal Bookstore (57 Warren St)
Stop by
Frugal Bookstore for this monthly intergenerational book club discussing classic and contemporary African American children literature! Parents, grandparents, and children are warmly welcomed and encouraged to attend. After all, it's a family affair! This month's book is
March by John Lewis. Check out the
Frugal Bookstore calendar for more book club meetings in the community!
7pm @ Coolidge Corner Theatre (290 Harvard St, Brookline)
This documentary explores the most overlooked, underestimated, and powerful force for change in America today: early childhood education. Through poignant stories and surprising humor, the film lays out the overwhelming evidence for the importance of the first five years, and reveals how our failure to act on that evidence has resulted in an everyday crisis for American families, and a slow-motion catastrophe for the country.
View the trailer here!
9:30am-12pm @ UMass Boston Campus Center (100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston)
The fireside chat with UMass Boston Faculty and Community Leaders will be an opportunity to deepen the dialogue about community based partnerships, the role of the university in the greater community and how we can engage in lifting up our democracy with integral partners.
Click here to learn more and RSVP!
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Opportunities
Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our
community.
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JOBS & INTERNSHIPS:
January 14, 4-5pm @ Mattapan Public Library (1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan)
Apply by January 21
January 23, 5-8pm @ Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center (123 Antwerp St, Allston)
Temporary positions are available to assist with the 2020 Census count. Census results are used to determine your representation in Congress, and they help inform how billions of dollars are distributed for hospitals, schools, roads, and more. Help ensure that everyone in your community is counted in the 2020 Census.
Check out the
job fair flyer
and
click here to learn more about roles and apply!
Apply by January 30
Fusco & Four
is a full-service Marketing, Public Relations and Social Media Agency. They are offering stipended internships for individuals to develop special events, public relations, and marketing skills and gain experience with an agency specializing in the arts. Selected applicants for the Winter to Spring Internship will work directly on the
7th Annual Boston Design Week
, a 12-day festival with more than 80 design events.
Click here for more information and apply by January 30!
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VOLUNTEERING:
January 18-20 @ Fields Corner Main Street (1444 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester)
January 20, Volunteering: 1:30-3:30pm @ Cradles to Crayons (155 N Beacon St)
Mingle: 3:30pm-5:30pm @ The Lincoln Bar and Grill (8 Lincoln St, Brighton)
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January National Mentoring Month Service Opportunities
Silver Lining Mentoring
connects members of the community with young people involved in foster care to create a lasting bond. We're looking for folks who can spare 8 hours a month to share their experience and company with a young person who needs it.
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TRAININGS, WORKSHOPS, AND MORE:
Apply by January 31
The
Open Door Grant is available to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that primarily serves communities in Greater Boston and is not directly aligned with the strategies, goals, and approaches pursued through the Foundation's
5 impact areas. Check out the
FAQ page and attend the
January 13 webinar for more information.
January 16,
8:30am-2pm @ Hayes Conference Room 2nd Floor, 1010 Massachusetts Ave
For more information, please contact Sonia Carter at (617)-419-3412 or
SOCarter@bphc.org
Future Chefs prepares teens for successful life and work after high school. Future Chefs offers three programs that are completed sequentially. Each program includes comprehensive professional and life skills training, coaching from industry experts, and support to pursue professional culinary careers.
Rolling applications for
high school sophomores
-
click here to apply!
January 21, 9a-11am @ Josephine A. Fiorentino Community Center (123 Antwerp St Ext, Allston)
Join the
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative
in a training the Family Preparedness Plan, a document designed to help reduce the stress of the unexpected for caregivers and their children. Attendees will receive a copy of the plan and learn how to utilize it to support families.
NOTE: This convening is specifically for professionals who work directly with immigrant residents.
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Resource Connector
Learn more about resources relevant to children and families in our community from our community.
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Final Thursday of every month, 6PM @ Roxbury Presbyterian Church (328 Warren St, Roxbury)
Are you experiencing trauma or loss? Come share your voice, share your story. Dinner at 6PM, Stories and Sharing at 6:45PM.
See flyer for more details.
For more information, contact Colleen Sharka, LMHC at
colleensharka@rpcsic.org
or call Roxbury Presbyterian Church at 617-445-2116.
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Boston Public School Registration Season is here!
The City of Boston has committed to providing Universal Pre-K (UPK) for children who are 4 years old. UPK seats align with the grade K1 curriculum and calendar in BPS schools. While these seats are limited in number, there are still open UPK seats available throughout the City of Boston for this current school year.
Click here to learn more from Boston School Finder
and text "SCHOOL" to 33-777 for text alerts on 2020-21 UPK information.
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January National Mentoring Month Resource Spotlight
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts
Finding Mentors, Finding Success Guide
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Scoop on the Stats
Explore data related to child and family well-being.
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The Impact of Mentoring:
Research shows that mentoring positively impacts youth in many ways. Click the images below to find out more!
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More on Mentoring
Check out these recent studies for more details on the positive impact of mentoring among youth.
This comprehensive report finds the powerful effect of both informal and formal mentoring on
improving young people's academic
,
social
, and
economic prospects
.
Click here to learn more!
Researchers found that the
strongest
and
most consistent benefit
of mentoring programs across youth of diverse risk profiles was a
reduction in depressive symptoms
.
Click here to read on!
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A helpful summary of a
new study
on how youth mentoring supports
social-emotional learning, cognitive learning
, and
identity formation.
Plus - how teens can find the right mentor for themselves with
5 simple steps
.
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Sharing Technology
Explore technology related to child and family well-being.
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The
Abundance App
is now available on iOS and Android devices, as well as on desktops. Abundance empowers Boston residents to easily access affordable, high-quality food resources. Download the FREE app today!
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CONtexts
aims to promote positive outcomes between caregivers and children by sharing weekly resources through a FREE text service and interactive resource sharing map. These resources are ideal for anyone working with or caregivers of children ages 0-5.
To subscribe, text KIDS to 8-8-5-8-8
Once you're subscribed you will receive 3 weekly
FREE
text messages:
- Monday: Nearby community resources
- Wednesday: Wellness tips
- Friday: Family-fun events
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Our Mission
Vital Village is a network of residents and
agencies committed to maximizing child, family, and community wellbeing.
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Stay Connected
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Have an event, job opportunity, or resource to share with the network?
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