Thank you, Veterans!

 

The month of November kicked-off our FY2021 Self-Identification campaign for Veterans. Veterans make valuable contributions to our workforce and collective success. During the month of November, we took time to celebrate and recognize them. 

 

DYS staff across the Commonwealth took part in celebrating Veterans in each of their regions while keeping everyone safe during this pandemic.

 

 

 

Jason Lewis, Office Support Specialist II in the Northeast Region, sent an excerpt he wrote to all Northeast Region Staff that rings true and worthy of sharing to you all:

 

"There is no way to put into words how thankful 'We the People' are for the sacrifices our Veterans have made to protect our freedom and our country". November 11 is one day that is set aside in which we all must try our best to express how appreciative we truly are. Veterans comprise our family, our friends, our neighbors, our colleagues... They are men, women, gay, straight, bisexual... and so much more. Simply put, Veterans are a direct reflection of the individuals in every community across the entire globe. And today, it is imperative that we all take a moment to spark a small conversation with a Veteran, to say 'Thank You' to a Veteran or to simply think about a Veteran. This simple act of gratitude will mean a great deal to the individuals who have sacrificed their lives in service to this wonderful country and to you.

 

While trying to put into words the gratitude we feel for our Veterans, we stumbled across a wonderful, open letter written by John C. Maxwell to our United States Veterans. Within this letter, Maxwell is able to verbalize the sentiments that many of us feel toward our Veterans. Although your overall sentiments may differ, we want to encourage you to take a moment to read the letter below and reflect on your own feelings throughout the day...

 

'Today is Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor those who have worn the uniforms of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps while serving our country at home and around the world.

 

I've been blessed to speak with and for our military on different occasions, and while I'm grateful for each person who actively serves, I am especially grateful for those whose service is behind them. To honor our veterans, I want to share just a couple of thoughts around the idea of values.

 

Our veterans have contributed much value to my life and yours, and it's only right that we stop today and acknowledge our appreciation for them because they willingly gave of themselves for a bigger cause.

 

 

 

For the last few years, my team and I have worked in Guatemala, Paraguay, and Costa Rica towards the goal of transformation. We've led roundtables, held events, and worked closely with the citizens of those countries to help influence lasting, positive change that will impact future generations.

At the root of everything we're doing is values-good values, held deeply in the hearts of individuals-are what transform communities and countries.

Values matter, and the values of the US military branches reflect that truth. Each of the services have a set of core values that help identify and shape the character of its people.

 

I want to write just a bit about the core values of the Army because they are powerful and instructive to those of us who've never served. While each military branch has their own core values, over 36 percent of our veterans served in the Army and the core values of the other branches are found within these seven:

And did you notice that these values can be summed up by the acrostic LDRSHIP (leadership)?

I love that!

 

 

There's so much good teaching that could come out of those seven values, but I want to shift gears a bit and speak directly to veterans.

Much is made of your service, and rightfully so. We see celebrations and acknowledgments of your valuable work everywhere from stadiums to the halls of Congress, and yet it is not easy for many of you to return to life post-service. 

 

There are challenges that you face, from serious issues like homelessness and mental health, to the everyday challenges of returning to life outside of the close-knit community of your unit.

 

After months and years as a soldier, sailor, or airman, transitioning to the role of civilian may be one of the hardest assignments you ever have. As you look to find your new way forward, I want to say something that I hope will be encouraging.

 

While I don't know your reasons for joining the military, I do know that your time in uniform instilled in you the capacity for leadership, growth, and purpose. You know what it means to live a life that adds value to others, and you know how to get things done with excellence. The values that defined your time in the service are transferrable to your life beyond the service, and we need those values in the public sphere.

 

We need you as much today as we did when you wore the uniform. Maybe we need you more.

 

One thing is certain, however-today, we honor and celebrate you. We give you our gratitude for all you've done, and we look forward to all you'll do next.'

 

Thank you to all of the brave individuals who have chosen to sacrifice themselves in service of this country. You are all our heroes! Happy Veterans Day from the Northeast Region!

 

In this email, Jason also included a  PowerPoint that lists the brave and amazing men and women of the NE Region recognized this year, an incredibly inspiring video 'What is a Veteran', capturing images of our NE Veterans (past and present) and various images from previous year's festivities.

 

The Southeast Region hosted its 3rd Annual Veteran's Day Breakfast. This event honored veterans from both the state and provider communities within the region. The Western Region hosted a small celebration where the Veterans received coffee mugs and thank you cards along with a social distant luncheon. The Central Region also held a ceremony at the Leahy Center next to the flagpole. Project New Hope sponsored the Central Region Veterans event and were there to greet and hand out Bose headphones for each veteran. Aly Whalen, Central's Regional Director, hand wrote cards, packaged them with the headphones along with a DYS Veterans facemask, and dropped the packages off to each veteran. Lastly, the Metro Region honored our veterans with DYS/Veteran jersey's that recognize their service to the Country and the Department. 

 

 

 

The Commonwealth is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce In November, the Commonwealth launched the Self-Identification campaign to encourage state employees who are Veterans to self-identify through a simple process of completing and submitting the Self-Identification of Veterans form.

 

While voluntary, veterans who self-identify will be helping to shape a more diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the citizens of the Commonwealth. There are benefits to self-identifying. Based on the Veteran status, a veteran may be eligible for Civil Service or Retirement related benefits, such as a veteran's preference on civil service eligibility lists.

 

A veteran can self-identify at any time by contacting the DYS Human Resources Department. If you have previously self-identified as a Veteran, there is no need to do so again.

There is no doubt that the Coronavirus turned *mostly* everything in everyone's lives upside down. Every aspect of the agency needed to be analyzed and protocols and guidance's needed to be put in place in order to keep our staff and youth safe. With staff being unable to work because they were sick, had close contact with COVID positive individuals , and/or had to be home to assist their families during the pandemic, it was clear that DYS needed new employees more than ever and those new employees needed to be trained. 

The Department recognizes the DYS Training Team (Jennie Perella, John Kochinskas, Matthew Potter, Monsell Lloyd, Danielle Spitz, Alice Efland, and Lindsay Adams as part of our lineup of COVID-19 Unsung Heroes. We knew re-imaging training would not be easy, but we appreciated how quickly the Training Team came together to create and implement training plans that could be adjusted for the different phases of this pandemic. Raul Delgado, Communications Coordinator, had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Monsell Lloyd, an indispensable member of the DYS Training Team. Monsell had been in several different DYS positions in residential programming, as well as a caseworker in the community before joining the Training Team. Monsell is also a member of the DYS Equity and Fairness work group that meets regularly to examine and discuss how race and ethnicity impacts our agency staff, work, and outcomes for our youth.

Monsell moved to Massachusetts from Anguilla 10 years ago to go to school and never looked back. Originally, he wanted to be a doctor, but instead chose a path that led to work in the human services field. His first job was at a day and residential school that served emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems, and students with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum. This was followed by an opportunity to work for the Department of Youth Services and Monsell has worked here since! When speaking with Monsell about his earlier aspirations to go into the medical field, he said "I feel like I've always had that niche for working with kids and being successful with the kids. And if I could save a youth from going to emergency room, I'm saving a life- so, I just I just stuck with it."

 

 

"One of my biggest career accomplishments was when I used to work the floor. I was promoted from a Group Worker III to an Assistant Program Director of Goss Revocation. At the time, the unit was at a very low point. When I took over with Program Director Roque Ramos, we had about eight staff. Both Roque and I were able to turn our 8 person staff unit into a fully staffed functioning unit.

 

It was gratifying that they trusted me to be in that position. It was important for me to build relationships and have the support of my colleagues.

 

If I had to choose, my favorite position with the Department would be when I worked as a Caseworker. I enjoyed spending time with the kids and seeing what they did in their own environment."

 

 

"I always felt that for staff to do a good job, they needed to understand the importance of building relationships with the kids and know how our kids need to be treated. Relationship building was key. I felt like if I if I could catch people earlier at the Training Academy and I could start to change their way of thinking and understanding that you'll be more successful with our kids calm. My kids would always tell me, 'You know why you are very successful? Because you listen to us all and you always communicated with us, you never leave us hanging.'

 

We, collectively, as a team, try to make everyone feel as though they are part of this family- that's really important."

 

Aside from skills that Monsell has added to his tool box, he also expressed the importance of having a diverse workforce. "When I first came into the agency, a number of people at the Training Academy were predominantly white," said Monsell. "I always thought that was something that needed to be changed. When you walk through the door, you want to see someone that resembles you."

 

 

Monsell was used to working with his colleagues and trainees on a face-to-face basis and the change to virtual meetings made him come up with different ways to get his points across.

 

"It has been extremely difficult for the training over the last couple months especially when it comes to the pandemic; not only for the trainers but also the administrators. There has been a lot of behind the scenes work with regards to getting new employees through the door. Back in March when we had the first shut down, we created a Webex training that would get cleaners and employees through the door temporarily just to get through a few weeks until we can meet again in person to actually do basic. Jenny and Lisa did an outstanding job with coming up with a hybrid model where each trainer goes to a different region and teaches basic for a week. That was extremely difficult because it has a lot of moving parts. We all had to go to each region prior to training and test our equipment out individually and for some reason they were always challenges with internet connections. We all know how technology is and when we need it, sometimes it just fails. Some of our laptops and projectors were crashing due to the long hours we were running them. We also had to order new equipment which was also in high demand worldwide for example web cameras, microphones, and external hard drives."

 

 

"When it comes this hybrid model, we continued getting mass amounts of people who needed to be trained. We had to limit the class sizes to about 12. The trainers have been going nonstop. Along with basic training, we are still doing Ars [annual reviews], PREA for providers for the upcoming PREA audits as well and getting new trainings ready for next year. I hope I don't jinx us, but we all have been working very hard over the last couple of months, full throttle, and if one of us gets sick it would definitely put a wrench into our operation. It is very difficult to keep everyone engaged in our training. We had to incorporate a number changes to our trainings due to our activities and breakout sessions. When there is a drop in the internet or loss in connection, each trainer needs to be focused and paying attention at all times, so we can be prepared to jump in where anyone leaves off, so we can close those gaps. For the new employees coming in, they seemed to like the new model... but it can be difficult to look at a screen all day and stay engaged."

 

Towards the end, Ja'Net and I discussed next steps regarding taking care of our staff and youth. Ja'Net said that "the only thing I would add is I think we're going to have to think about staff wellness, after this. We must think about the staff who were diagnosed, or staff who have had personal losses in their life related to COVID, and the staff who have been trying to manage their children's remote learning while working full time. We must plan for how we are going to further support our staff. We do a great job taking care of young people, and I feel like taking care of the staff is how we're going to continue to take care of young people. There is burnout. But if you appreciate your staff and treat them well, they're going to be happier to be there." It is what I've seen here in the Western Region and I'd like to take this time to thank all of them. They have worked tirelessly, and I will be forever grateful. I know that youth and families are grateful as well. We are getting through it together. We are all rowing in the same direction and each person is doing their part. One thing I love about this region is that we collaborate and work within our strengths. Each person, no matter their role, state or provider, brings something unique and special to the work and we find a way to have people use those strengths as a part of the larger team. It is remarkable to see how we did that through this difficult time; not surprising, but remarkable!

Each year, state employees throughout the Executive Branch are recognized, by the Governor, for their extraordinary contributions to public service. These employees, whether individual or in a group, are nominated by their colleagues (supervisors or peers) based on their performance.

 

The Department of Youth Services received numerous nominations for employees who have gone the extra mile, showing the highest commitment to service, and motivating and influencing fellow employees.

 

Please see the list of our PRP recipients below!

 

 

 

1. Personal Protective Equipment Team:

2. Southeast Region - Boys of the Past, Men of the Future, Facilitation Team:

3. Southeast Region Screening Team:

4. Human Resources Workforce Team:

5. The Paul T. Leahy Center Campus:

 

Our annual Commissioner's Awards Event to recognize staff throughout our agency and staff working for our provider partners will be virtual this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. As Commissioner Forbes said back in September, our staff have stepped up and ensured that our core operations have been carried out at a high level despite having to work through the combination of the pandemic and social unrest related to racism. We will be hosting the ceremony on Monday, December 14 via WebEx.

Please see the Commissioner's Award winners below: