Network Connector, Volume 1, Issue 9; December 2014


Network Connector
Brought to you by the Vital Village Network
Volume 1, Issue 9; December 2014 
Thank you all for a fantastic year, we hope you enjoy the holiday season and have a prosperous new year ahead!
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Mark Your Calendars!

 

 1/12/15 - Network Connection Meeting

 1/7/15 - Leadership Summit  Teleconference, 12:00-1:00 pm

1/23/15 - Vital Village Network New Year & 90-Day Challenge Celbration! *Stay tuned for more information

90 Day Challenge Update
We are more than halfway through our 90 Day Challenge. This image captures just a snapshot of the work being undertaken by our network partners. Beyond these figures are numerous collaborations within the network taking place on BigTent, Email and in person connections!
Share your 90 Day Challenge updates here!
Seasonal Giving Drive
Thank You All for your generous response to our Seasonal Giving Drive! The Vital Village Community of Partners gathered donations for The Sant Belvi Adult Day Center. 
They provide healthy sanctuary to senior citizens and adults with disabilities and specialize in meeting the general needs of over 175 members predominantly of Haitian descent. Please join us in delivering the donated gifts to the Adult Day Center. Plan to hang around as we will enjoy activities with the clients!

Where: 

Haitian Adult Day Health Center 
 6 Frontenac Street 
Dorchester, MA 02124  

When:  December 23rd, 2014                     
Time:  11:00AM -1:00PM
Please call Tania Rivera at 617-414-7447
or email at tania.river@bmc.org for more details

 

Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC) inaugurates Behavioral Health Department!
MCHC opened The Behavioral Health Family and Community Health Department which expands MCHC's cappacity to address the needs of the community, increasing the attention paid to mental health and other behavioral factors.  
The new Behavioral Health Department is the culmination of partnerships and collaborations within the Mattapan community, functioning in areas of education, social services and health institutions. 
 
Hear Our Stories and Restorative Justice
 
Thanks to our amazing guest speakers, the December Network Connection Meeting was an especially powerful, moving experience for Vital Village. We would like to thank Aline Gubrium and Paris from Hear Our Stories for talking to us about their work using digital storytelling and leading an open, profound discussion on the healing process and the challenges that children and parents face. To learn more about how digital storytelling can be used to make your advocacy work more compelling, check out the Hear Our StoriesProject here. 
We would also like to thank Janet Connors from The Lewis D Brown Peace Institute and Peter Newman from COFI for walking us through ways that restorative justice practices can be used to facilitate community healing and conflict resolution. Learn more about their work here and stay tuned
Dr. Thea James: Schwartz Center Compassionate Caregiver Award Recipient 
November, 2014. 

Congratulations to Dr. Thea James, Director of The Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (VIAP). VIAP is based out of BMC and has transformed clinical responses to injuries related to trauma by making interventions that start bedside and last through recovery.Dr. James has also co-launched Unified for Global Healing.Read the full article Here.

The Image of Black Fatherhood 

"Black Fathers, Present and Accountable" Zun Lee explores fatherhood in the Bronx, the photo-journal paints a different picture of fatherhood in comparison to what the media presents. Check it out Here.
 
Affectionate Parenting Reduces Aggression in Children  
Researchers noted that affectionate parenting is associated with Low aggression levels and good language development. Learn more here!.
26% of U.S students are raising a child while attending college. 
That means 4.8 Million students are parents. The college population is diverse, What would America look like as 100 College students? Learn more here!.
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"It is easier to build strong children, than to repair broken men." ~Fredrick Douglass