WPY UPDATES

Meet Our Executive Director, Magali Garcia-Pletsch

Dear Olivia,

I am humbled and overjoyed to be sending you this note today, as the new Executive Director of Waltham Partnership for Youth.

In 2022, I celebrated my one year work anniversary with WPY by sharing the following reflection on social media: “I have always wanted my job to be a vehicle for helping to create the world as I wish it were: a more just and inclusive place that prioritizes community and well-being. And with WPY, I’m able to work towards that world every single day.” For the last three years, as WPY’s Director of Programs and Operations, I have been privileged to continue working towards this vision alongside all of you.

To the amazing colleagues, board members, community partners, and young people that I have worked with over the last three years: thank you! We have done great work together, and there is still much to do, to ensure that we live into WPY’s core values of Belonging, Compassion, Collaboration, Courageous Honesty, and Youth-Centeredness. These values serve as the foundation of the relationship building that is so critical for our future. These relationships, combined with meaningful opportunities for young people to contribute to their communities and shape their own trajectories, are important building blocks of healthy youth development and prospering communities.

I am honored to continue to work towards these goals as WPY’s Executive Director. My genuine hope is that you will join me in building the “world as we wish it were” by continuing to support WPY as we work together to create a brighter future for Waltham’s youth.

With gratitude and excitement for what’s to come,

Magali

Career Exploration & Training (CET)

Connecting students to life-altering career development opportunities through meaningful paid internship experiences.

Pictured above: WPY Summer Internship Program employer partners from the Waltham YMCA meet with their WPY summer intern

The Career Exploration and Training (CET) team has been working diligently with our almost 100 interns to complete hiring paperwork and prepare for the start of internships. On Tuesday, June 18th, employers, interns, and their families gathered at McDevitt Middle School for the Summer Internship Program orientation. At orientation, the CET team shared important information about programming this summer, including Career Talks, Work-Based Learning Plans, and Instagram takeovers. Interns also had the opportunity to meet their employers, ask questions, and receive more information about their internship sites. Most interns will begin their placements in early July. Check out the Summer Internship Program Orientation pictures below, and follow the WPY Instagram to watch weekly takeovers and day-in-the-life vlogs of interns at their placements!

Wraparound Waltham

Collaborating to create a community of belonging and opportunity for newcomer immigrant students and their families.

Pictured above: Grupo Monarca, a WPY Wraparound support group for high school students, celebraing their final school-year meeting



June was a month of celebrating and summer planning for the Wraparound team. Welcome Classes at the high school and both middle schools concluded with their final sessions. Kennedy Middle School students even made handmade thank-you cards for WPY's Wraparound Middle School Coordinator, Dave LeBlanc!

The Wraparound support group for high school newcomer students, Grupo Monarca, celebrated their final school-year meeting. Students ate pupusas, shared parts of their Central American cultures with trusted adults in the group, and built community by trading stories. Grupo Monarca will resume in mid-July for a summer session, which includes local field trips for newcomer students to learn about community resources, such as the Waltham Public Library and Waltham Boys & Girls Club. 

We will also offer a summer soccer group for newcomer students who will be transitioning to the high school in the fall. Weekly meet-ups will offer students the chance to build relationships with each other and with Spanish-speaking adults at the high school.

Finally, the Waltham Welcome Center will be keeping busy this summer. The Welcome Center will be open from 11:00am-2:00pm, Monday-Thursday. We are also thrilled to share that the Welcome Center is partnering with Waltham Fields Community Farm to supply fresh produce vouchers to 40+ families in Waltham!

Opportunities for Youth and

Community Members:

Welcome Center Summer Hours

The Waltham Welcome Center has new summer hours! From now until the end of August, the Welcome Center will be open from 11-2pm, Monday-Thursday. The Welcome Center is located in the front lobby of McDevitt Middle School.

Please contact WPY Welcome Center Coordinator, Marlen Godinez, with questions!

Summer Eats with Waltham Boys & Girls Club

The Waltham Boys & Girls Club (WBGC) is partnering with Project Bread, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and community corporate partners to ensure free meals are accessible to kids and teens across Waltham through Summer Eats. Meals are available from June 24-August 16 at the above locations in Waltham. WPY is excited that we will have six summer interns who are supporting the WBGC and their Summer Eats initiative!

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