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A very special Thank You to TD Bank for their employees for volunteering to set up

the pergola for our Memorial Garden

In this issue you can read about how New Beginnings is Supporting Youth in Rural Areas of Maine. Be sure to mark your calendar with all the upcoming save the dates for training opportunities and events, read on about staff updates, the Youth Action Board's first five years, and more!

THANK YOU! Our work would not be possible without your support.

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Sarah began case management and learned about the resources available to her that could help get her back on her feet. She was introduced to the Transitional Living Program, and in February of 2022 she moved into a single person unit and was able to safely stay in her community with people she knew and loved. With the right supports in place, Sarah began to thrive. “New Beginnings taught me how to live and how to be responsible. I wouldn’t be capable of living independently like I am now if it weren’t for them.” Sarah was the first person in her family to graduate from high school, something she is very proud of. She mastered the skills needed to live as an independent adult, got a full-time job, and secured a two-bedroom apartment for herself that she will be moving into upon exiting the Transitional Living Program. “Before this program I couldn’t keep a job for the life of me. I’ve also gotten a lot better at managing my emotions.” Sarah has proven that so much can change over the course of a year with the right support system.

For more information about New Beginnings’ Rural Street Outreach Program, contact the Rural Street Outreach Program Coordinator, Donna Bilodeau, at dbilodeau@newbeginmaine.org or call (207) 347-9557

Harm-ED: Understanding Self-Injury Behaviors is a virtual, four-hour training designed to raise awareness for individuals and agencies who seek to understand more about self-injury, the reasons underlying self-injury behaviors, addressing stigma, or to improve upon personal and agency responses to those who engage in self-injury behavior.

Learn more about how you can help at https://newbeginmaine.org/nrpm2023/

For more info contact Youth Action Board Specialist, Matthew Wyman at mwyman@newbeginmaine.org

Youth Action Board: The First Five Years

Five years ago, New Beginnings launched the Maine Statewide Youth Action Board (YAB) program with help from the John T. Gorman Foundation and created a driving force for channeling Maine youth voices into creating positive change - empowering young people to be the change they want to see in their communities.

Officially founded in 2018, the YAB emerged as a collaborative effort between New Beginnings and passionate young leaders to engage, support, and uplift youth. The YAB’s mission was clear from the start - to provide a platform for some of Maine’s most overlooked and marginalized youth to have an active hand in shaping policies, advocating for young people like them, and providing critically needed youth voices around legislation and provider-focused training that affect Maine’s young people.

Today, the YAB is a small but mighty team of seven young people between the ages of 14 and 24, who are all from Maine. Members from all across the state, stretching from Cumberland to Aroostook county and many communities in-between. While they all come from different places, what unites them is a shared passion. YAB Members are young people who have lived experiences around housing instability/homelessness, incarceration, poverty, mental health institutionalization, child welfare, and/or other systems. With these experiences, the YAB is able to take what they have experienced and turn it into advocacy for others. Together, they stand up for youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability, and help provide and design education around working with and uplifting those youth.

By actively engaging and collaborating with state agencies, community organizations, educational institutions, and everyone in-between, the Maine Statewide Youth Action Board has served as a driving force behind positive change in the lives of countless young people. From helping to craft Maine’s HOME document, to shaping Maine’s youth coordinated entry system, to building custom trainings around working with marginalized youth, the dedicated leaders that make up the YAB’s Membership have proven that their experiences and hard work are invaluable to Maine’s campaign to prevent and end youth homelessness.

The Youth Action Board’s current projects include helping to build Maine’s youth coordinated entry system, creating trainings for working with specific marginalized populations of youth (namely LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse youth), and serving as youth representatives on a number of important committees and boards - including for the MCOC.

With their ongoing projects and steadfast participation in key committees, meetings, and boards, the YAB continues to light the way toward a brighter, more equitable future for Maine’s young people. Their journey, from its inception to this present moment, underscores the enduring impact of unity, resilience, and the unbreakable spirit of young leaders dedicated to rewriting the narrative for a better tomorrow.

The Maine Statewide Youth Action Board (YAB) continues to offer young people paid opportunities to consult and advocate to ensure youth/young adult expertise and voice is valued and ‘at the table’ where decisions are made that impact Maine youth - including through a partnership with ME Dept. of Education providing technical assistance to McKinney-Vento Liaisons statewide. YAB is recruiting young adults with lived experience of being unhoused or utilizing systems of care (child welfare, corrections, etc.), in particular from Maine counties other than Androscoggin, Aroostook, Cumberland, Franklin, and Penobscot. Contact YAB Specialist Matthew Wyman at mwyman@newbeginmaine.org or call/text 207-402-9106 for more info or to apply.

New Beginnings recently welcomed Stephanie Saltzman as our Director of Finance and Administration. Please direct any correspondence that would previously have gone to Karen Caldwell to ssaltzmanl@newbeginmaine.org or contact Stephanie at 207-795-4077. We also welcomed Ron Gagnon as our Staff Accountant. At Marian’s Place Emergency Shelter, Hanna Jud became our new Program Coordinator. The Street Outreach Program in Lewiston welcomed Brady Barre as their new Case Manager in the Drop-In Center and Jarrod Warren became the Lead Youth Worker. Several Youth Workers came onboard to aid in the expanded hours, including Jason Lamontagne, Kaitlin Lagueux, Kara Birks, and Eli Hathaway.

Pictured above: Street Outreach Program staff and youth having some summer fun at Aquaboggin.

Pictured above: Street Outreach Program staff and youth doing some body art.

We welcome in-kind donations of needed wish list items year-round.

Please contact Nicole with any questions: nicole@newbeginmainae.org | 207-795-4077.

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