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Issue #43 | September 2021
Hello Changemakers - from all of us here at United Way Youth Venture, Changemaking and Portrait of a Graduate.

We have been having a great time meeting the students in the UWYV program at our partnering schools. It's so nice to be back to seeing the students in-person.

We were delighted to be asked to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to be able to give away some DonorsChoose gift cards to some special educators. Read about those educators, below.

If you're looking for an exciting and fulfilling position - - UWYV is hiring! Part-time Outreach Specialist positions are open and applications are being accepted now. See below! And please share with anyone you think would be interested and a great asset to our team.

Healthy Minds Virtual Youth Conference videos and livestream recordings are now available on our website. More to come soon! Keep checking the space. And please share with your students and families.


As always, we are grateful for your continued support.

~the United Way Youth Venture Team!
Join a fun and dynamic team in a rewarding and inspiring position as a part-time Outreach Specialist supporting and guiding K-12 youth in North Central Mass!

United Way Youth Venture (UWYV) is a program that engages K-12 youth in the creation and development of their own socially benefiting, entrepreneurial clubs, organizations and projects. Young people involved in UWYV combine their passions and skills to address a problem they see in their community through an entirely youth-led and youth-created process. The Outreach Specialist will implement in-person and virtual delivery of UWYV at partner sites and promote programing to key stakeholders.

Responsibilities: 
  • Provide outreach for the UWYV program in North Central Massachusetts, ensuring delivery of high quality programming;
  • Support the growth and expansion of UWYV at partnering organizations, including K-12 schools, and engage meaningfully with youth, families, and educators across the region;
  • Support new and existing groups of participating youth;
  • Support and maintain established relationships with partnering organizations, including K-12 schools, through communications and outreach;
  • Implement UWYV programming with on-site and virtual partners as well as independently lead and facilitate direct support to youth and adults;
  • If allowed, travel to several partner sites to conduct site visits and outreach;
  • Help the Assistant Director in determining and scheduling program training sessions and dates, as well as generating content for activities and facilitating workshops;
  • Proficiently use virtual collaboration tools (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams) to deliver the program remotely in a meaningful and engaging way;
  • Utilize database to record and track outreach to youth, program partners and adult volunteers;
  • Support evaluation of students and adults engaged in UWYV through targeted outreach and follow-up;
  • Participate in the planning and implementation of in-person/virtual events for UWYV, and other related initiatives including Changemaking and Portrait of a Graduate;
  • Other duties as assigned.

Requirements:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
  • High School graduate or equivalent (GED);
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills;
  • Proficient in the use of technology;
  • Ability to set and achieve goals and take initiative within the workplace;
  • Spanish-English bi-lingual preferred;
  • Experience working with students, faculty members, businesses, and/or nonprofit agencies desirable;
  • Belief in the power of youth to create positive change;
  • Must have access to reliable transportation and high quality internet connection.
We were delighted to be asked to partner with the College Football Playoff Foundation to be able to give away some DonorsChoose gift cards to some special educators.

The College Football Playoff Foundation's Extra Yard for Teachers Week was September 10-18. During the week we joined others across the nation to recognize and celebrate teachers. Two of our Portrait of a Graduate districts chose teachers in their high schools who they wanted to present with a $100 DonorsChoose card to help fund a future project.

The photos below are of the deserving educators receiving their surprise recognition!
Colby Mazzaferro of Leominster High School is always one of the first to volunteer to help. She has been an active member of the Portrait of a Graduate program and provides valuable insight from the role of a core subject matter teacher.

She is a leader in the school, serving as the Math Department Chair and teaches a wide variety of levels from general to advanced placement. Colby has taught at Leominster High School since 2001. Colby is also a proud graduate of :HS!
Shelly Saben is one of the rock star art teachers at Leominster High School. The collaborative work she does with the other art teachers in Leominster ensures that the students receive great art instruction at all levels. Shelly was also an active member of our Portrait of a Graduate work this year, spearheading the art show. In addition, Shelly is a true leader with a focus on the best interest of her students. LHS has been lucky to have Shelly Saben as part of the faculty since 1999!
Johanna Ottino is one of the amazing and dedicated teachers at Gardner High School who not only teaches math but also coordinates the Advisory Program, assists to organize and implement passion projects, and is the SEL coach at the high school.

Mrs. Ottino is passionate about teaching the whole student and wants to provide them with both academic and real world skills to be successful.
Alexandra Mabardy has been a history teacher at Gardner High School for many years and started a new role this year as the GHS Media Specialist. Ms. Mabardy worked tirelessly this summer to re-imagine the library space and transform it into a student friendly media center and peer tutoring lab. She continues to contribute to student success every day through her work and relationships with students and teachers, her after school programming to support students beyond the school day, and her role as the Equity and Family Engagement Coach at GHS.
Changemaking in Action!

We visited with students in Mr. Jackman's Changemaking advisory period at Gardner High School and guided them in participating in a self-reflection exercise. They created a "River of Life". This activity helps students gain a better understanding of themselves by encouraging them to recall important or meaningful moments and times throughout their lives.
South Street Elementary School

Students at South Street Elementary School came together with us for their first UWYV meeting of the school year. The students enjoyed some fun icebreaker exercises and did some other activities in order to help them get to know one another. They are looking forward to a great year creating a school-wide venture project.
Get a sneak peek at the first videos from the Healthy Minds Virtual Conference uploaded to our website. Click the links below for grade level-specific videos! Enjoy! And check back often for more additions!