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NETWORK CONNECTOR NEWSLETTER
Volume 2, Issue 7; September 2015
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Save the Date:
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Upcoming
Network Connection Meetings!
RSVP ahead of time by clicking on the dates below:
When & Where: 6:00-8:00pm, FGH Building, Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02118
Childcare, dinner, and park validation for the 710 Albany Garage will be provided.
Male Engagement Meeting!
When: Wednesday, September 23rd from 3-4:30pm
Where: Vose Hall Conference Room 5
For que
stions or direction, email us
here
.
Social Justice Mediation Institute!
When:
October 10-12, 17 &18, 2015
The Social Justice Mediation Certification is back! The certification enables participants to assess and diffuse conflict through a social justice lens. RSVP for the training HERE!
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Vital Village AmeriCorps Transitions:
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As the summer comes to an end, Vital Village is sad to say goodbye to AmeriCorps VISTA members
Brian Diah
and
Meghna Nandi
. We are so grateful for their hard work and passion this past year, and wish them luck in their next steps! Filling their roles,
we warmly welcome Faimara Jean-Baptiste and Emma Livne to the Vital Village family!
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Faimara - AmeriCorps VISTA
Faimara Jean-Baptiste graduated from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2015 with a BA in Liberal Arts with concentrations in Sociology and English. Her passion for civic engagement led her to work as a tutor with the America Reads America Counts program. She also interned as a Teaching Woman and Team Leader with Girls' LEAP, which combines emotional, mentoring, and leadership development to provide girls and young women with tools for safety and well-being.
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Emma - AmeriCorps VISTA
Emma Livne graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2015 with a BA in Global Studies and Pre-Medicine, with a concentration in Sustainable Social Change and Middle Eastern conflict. Within her local community, she worked at the needle exchange Prevention Point Pittsburgh, and volunteered in children's hospitals. Her interest in Public Health led her to conduct independent fieldwork on the origins and persistence of child malnutrition. |
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Around the Network:
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Social Justice
Mediation Institute
Vital Village Network's Peer-Advocate Action Roundtable (PAR) is sponsoring its second annual SJMI and invites you to sign up to be a trained social justice mediator. Learn how to use mediation skills to help reduce conflict and improve your neighborhoods and community!
RSVP fo
r the training HERE.
When: Oct. 10-12, 17, 18
Where: Orchard Gardens Conference Room
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Fathers & Family Fun Day
Our partner Father Friendly Initiative is hosting its annual "Fathers and Family Fun Day" this month! The celebration promotes fatherhood involvement and raises awareness about community resources! Free of cost to the community, there will be live entertainment, food, bouncy houses, face painting, games, prizes, and fun!
When: Sept. 19, 12-4pm
Where: Harambee Park / Franklin Field, 15 Talbot Ave, Dorchester
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Codman Square Health Center Fundraiser
Now in its 18th year,
Codman Square Health Center's"Men of Boston Cook for Women's Health" is Boston's largest on-site fundraising event. Featuring local celebrity chefs and gourmet food and drink, the event raises awareness and funds to combat women's health disparities.
Learn more.
When
: Oct. 1, 6pm
Where
: Under the Gala Tent, Codman Square Health Center, 637 Washington St, Dorchester
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Around the City:
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Storytelling for Advocacy
This interactive workshop teaches nonprofit professionals how to develop their messaging and tell their story for use in advocacy work.
Join us as we learn why using story in communication is so effective, how to set the foundation of any strategic story, audience and message, and learn story development and techniques. Register here.
When: Tuesday, Sept. 15, 9am-12pm.
Where: NonProfit Center, 89 South St, Boston
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Revolutionary Boston
Oney "Ona" Judge was an enslaved African American servant on George Washington's plantation in Mount Vernon, Virgina. Professional storyteller Gwendolyn Quezaire-Presutti explores an alternative experience on the nation's socioeconomic development and examines how it contradicts the promise of America. See a list of performance dates and times
here.
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The Road to Wellness 5K
The Dimcock Center is hosting a Walk/Run 5K this September, aimed at inspiring mind, body and spiritual health through fitness and exercise while embr
acing Roxbury's rich history, diverse culture and strong sense of community.
Sign up here
!
When: Saturday, Sept. 12
11am-3pm
Where: The Dimcock Center,
45 Dimock St, Roxbury
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Bright Spots:
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Age Friendly Dorchester
Mayor Marty Walsh will be hosting a "listening session" for those 50+ to discuss what could better the community or how could the neighborhood be a better place as they become older.
RSVP here to attend!
When: Sept. 10, 5:30pm
Where: Great Hall, 6 Norfolk St, Dorchester
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Social Good Marketing
Dorchester resident Michelle Miller Groves recently won a Social Impact Prize from the Boston Impact Initiative and Field's Corner Business Lab for her startup "Social Good Marketing." Intending to impact her community, Miller targets her integrated marketing services to nonprofits and setting up an internship program helping college students get experience with small
businesses.
Read the full article here
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Breastfeeding Event
Congratulations the BMC Baby Cafe at Codman Square Health Center and the Dorchester South WIC for putting on a successful World Breastfeeding Event this past month! Breast pump and USDA representatives were present, as well as many breastfeeding moms to celebrate moms everywhere and honor World Breastfeeding Month! For more info about local breastfeeding support opportunities, please call (617)414-4370.
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Notes from the 90-Day Challenge:
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Mattapan Breastfeeding Group Gaining Ground
A free, drop-in breastfeeding group that was originally intended to be a 90-day Challenge pilot project in Mattapan is now being sustained by the passion and volunteer support of local lactation specialists and is gaining in attendance each week. Jenny Weaver, Berthilde Sylvestre, and Vickey Siggers opened the doors to the group in January 2015, and since then have been consistently helping a core group of 5 moms!
Mattapan Drop-In Breastfeeding Group
When: Wednesdays from 11am-1pm
Where: Mattapan ABCD Head Start, Gross Motor Room
BMC Baby Café
When: Mondays from 5-6:30pm and Wednesdays from 2-4pm
Where: Codman Square Health Center, 2
nd
Floor Multipurpose Room
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Research:
A 20-year retrospective study suggests that kindergarten students who are more inclined to exhibit "social competence" traits-such sharing, cooperating, or helping other kids-may be more likely to attain higher education and well-paying jobs. In contrast, students who exhibit weaker social competency skills may be more likely to drop out of high school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and need government assistance.
Read the full article here.
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Too
ls:
Decreased funds for nonprofits and increased community needs make evaluation measures particularly important. Impact based evaluation methods examine changes in the community, as a result of your program, during and/or after participation.
Learn more
about how to plan and implement an outcomes based evaluation process for your organization, using limited resources.
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The Scoop on Stats:
all you need to know about data measurement!
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In order to measure partner involvement, Vital Village has recorded attendance at all major network events, and illustrated the data on two separate charts. The pie chart on the left depicts the numbers of meetings each participant attended. While the majority of individuals (as shown in blue) only attended 1 meeting, the second largest group attended 4 or more Vital Village meetings: 21.3% of all participants. The right pie chart represents the number of types of meetings each participant attends. The majority of participants attend only 1 meeting type, the most common being the monthly Vital Village Network Connection Meeting. Recording attendance is a simple, but effective way of gauging the involvement of members or volunteers;
try it at your own organization next!
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