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Issue #31 | September 2020
Hello Changemakers - from all of us here at United Way Youth Venture. Happy September!

It's week one of back-to-school for most of you. We hope it went great and that everyone is adjusting well! We know it's a BIG change for everyone and that includes all of us here at UWYV and Changemaking. Our biggest news is that we have gone virtual! Just like all of you we have reinvented ourselves to meet the changing needs of students, families and educators.

We are excited to share some other news! We have a new intern here at UWYV, and we were able to hold our first Youth Venture panel from our Summer Programming at McKay Arts Academy! Read more about both, below.

We would like to invite our readers who are teachers to a Changemaker Think Tank, happening on October 8th from 4-5pm. Scroll down for the invitation!

Read more below about what our Barr Foundation grant, Portrait of a Graduate working team is up to!

Students - we have a poll just for you - below. Please take it to let us know what you would be most excited to learn about.

As always, we appreciate you and thank you for your continued support!

~the United Way Youth Venture Team!
Students: What would you MOST like to learn about or explore more? (Choose one at this time)!
Exploring careers and interests
Building friendships remotely/virtually
Civic engagement and service
Practical skills for becoming a Change Leader
Health/mental health and wellness related topics
Leadership development
Getting "real" and letting go of what others think (especially on social media)

Students: this poll is for you!

We have several exciting and engaging "Fun"shops in the works. Yet, we want to make sure we are offering to you what you have an interest in learning about or exploring more.

Please take our poll.

Thank you!
Meet our new intern, Brittney Dube!

We would like to officially introduce you to our newest intern, Brittney Dube. We are so excited that she has joined our team. She brings a lot of heart, passion and energy, along with some strong skills. Brittney will be helping to support the Youth Venture program virtually, along with some behind-the-scenes creative work. Welcome aboard Brittney! We are lucky to have you!

Brittney says, "I am currently a senior studying Human Services at Fitchburg State University. I have a passion for helping people and for making a difference in their lives. I hope to one day inspire people to work together and focus on positive changes that will benefit society as a whole.

I am excited about this opportunity to work with the United Way Youth Venture program and with Changemaking. I look forward to using my creativity and passion in working with students, educators, and with the UWYV team".
----->> Click here to register!
Portrait of a Graduate Working Team participating in literature review work

As part of the “external discovery” phase of our Portrait of a Graduate preparation, the working team is unpackaging practices and policies that others are doing, so we might learn from them and apply or adjust locally.

As part of this “review of best practices” aspect of the project, the working team is conducting a literature review encompassing reading, digesting what these new practices/policies mean, and sharing with the team.

YOU can join in the Portrait of a Graduate effort by participating as part of the grant’s Working Group member or a subcommittee member. Respond to this email today with your interest or to learn more. 
Our first panel from our first UWYV Summer Programming

We are thrilled and so proud to have launched our very first Venture Team virtually!! Douglas Mata, ninth grader at Fitchburg High School, worked diligently all summer with the support of two McKay Arts Academy teachers, Sarah Carnabucci and Nicole Bourgeois, to build a second Venture. As a leader of the Code Breakers Team, launched when Douglas was in the 6th grade, Douglas felt confident in his action-planning abilities. When he repeatedly heard of the ongoing budget struggles and realized the additional burden teachers might take on to ensure their students have sufficient supplies for the year, he was inspired to create School Funders.

Douglas feels a strong connection to his teachers at McKay and plans to host a community-wide virtual trivia night fundraiser to support his heroes. Be on the lookout for his mixed category trivia event on Kahoot in the next few weeks, good for the whole family, with Amazon gift card prizes for the winners! Help Douglas reach his goal of raising at least $500 for school supplies!
Be sure to check out Jake VanHillo's latest "Changemaker Check In" videos! Watch to see Jake share how UWYV programming will take place with students for the 2020-2021 school year. It's super cool!

Click here for the UWYV YouTube Channel to view his video series!
Interested in writing for the official UWYV blog? Our audience wants to hear from YOU!

The Venturer Voice blog seeks students, Champions, Allies and community contributors to write pieces for our official blog!