Village Voices 
Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from around our community.
Tomorrow, Dec. 4th is the last day for  nominations  of our 2018 Unsung Hero Award! We're looking for someone who is doing exceptional work in their community to promote child and family wellness.


Excellent legal developments for temporary protective status (TPS) ensuring Haitian families can stay together due to the hard work of immigration policy advocates, like our partner:
Haitian-Americans United. Celebrate Haitian Independence Day Gala on January 5th. Read more about the work of HAU in a recent Vital Village  blog co-authored by Community Champion, Smith Lamothe & Desi Hartman.

Network Events
Connect with Vital Village Network at these upcoming events. Click event to RSVP or learn more.
Design Thinking has emerged as a powerful approach to centering communities in designing solutions and programs focused on preventing childhood adversities and eliminating health inequities. Register here , this webinar will provide an introduction to the Design Thinking framework and discuss how this tool can be used to strengthen health equity and community change initiatives that seek to ensure that all children and families thrive in healthy communities. 

Come join the Village at the Boston Children's Museum for our end of the year holiday party! We will be gathering to reflect on the highlights from this past year, reconnect with members, unveil our 2018 Unsung Hero, have activities for children, and other special surprises.

We look forward to connecting with  you at our first Network Connection Meeting of 2019.
New location: FGH Building 820 Harrison Ave Boston, MA 02118
 
Community Events
Join Vital Village Network partners and other community organizations at these upcoming events. Click event to RSVP or learn more.

8:30-10:30am @ Kroc Center, 650 Dudley St.
This is a breakfast for men and boys the second Saturday of each month. The goal of this breakfast is for men and boys to have a safe place to tackle issues & improve the trajectory of their lives, families, and communities.

9am-1pm @  Northeastern University Curry Student Center, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA
This hands-on conference is designed for parents and children to learn about the amazing world of science, technology, engineering, and math and the many ways we are affected by it in our daily lives and the careers associated with it.

6-7:30pm @ Roxbury Innovation Center, 2300 Washington St., Roxbury
The last installment of the Roxbury Innovation Center and Center for Women & Enterprise workshop will be a training on accounting for entrepreneurs who are looking to better manage their business.

December 12: Grow your Business
4:30-7:30pm @ Roxbury Innovation Center, 2300 Washington St., Roxbury
If you are an entrepreneur with an idea for a business or a current business, the Roxbury Innovation Center is offering free one-on-one meetings with advisers who want to identify your needs and point you toward the resources that can empower you to move your opportunity to the next level.

December 15: 
11am-2pm @  Bruce Bolling Building-2nd floor, 2300 Washington St, Roxbury
Join Union Capital Boston for Resources, Raffles, Revelry and Refreshments! Community Leaders Award Ceremony at 12pm! Potluck dishes, fun activities for all ages, incredible resources, Holiday music and Celebration!

December 19 Boston Grown-Ups Museum
6:30-10:00pm @ Boston Children's Museum, 308 Congress St.
Boston Grown-Ups Museum is back for its annual Ugly Sweater Party! There will be sock skating, old school board games, music & dancing, trivia, and more.

Check out  more community events on our Website and Facebook
Opportunities
Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our community.

The Marketing & Communications Coordinator is responsible for executing the overall Chamber inbound and outbound marketing strategy, and for developing creative materials and content for some of our most important programs and initiatives. Please submit resume along with design and writing samples to  khauser@bostonchamber.com

Paid Training:  Year Up Program
This free opportunity is for young adults 18-24 to take the next step in their career with an education stipend and 31 free college credits. Read more about this 1 year program  here.

Paid Training: Career Explorations
This free opportunity is for out-of-school Boston young adults aged 16-24 to receive general job training workshops, training in fields including Cu linary Arts, Early Childhood Education, and Health Careers , and receive a paid internship. Enrollment for this program is ongoing, so interested youth can read more about this program here.

UHCCF's mission is to help fill the gap between what medical services/items a child needs and what their commercial health benefit plan will pay for. UHCCF grants provide financial help/assistance for families with children that have medical needs not covered or not fully covered by their commercial health insurance plan.

Early Childhood Mental Health Matters offers free access to their 2018-2019 training series for Vital Village Network members. Access the series here, and select "Guest Participation" when prompted. The Host Agency is "Boston Public Health Commission" For questions, contact Mustaffa Khan.


 

Resource Connector
Learn more about resources relevant to children and families in our community from our community.

Assistance in Paying for Heat
Apply for help paying for heating bills through the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Visit boston.gov/homeheating or call 
617-357-6012 for more information.

Community Housing Clinic
The Office of Housing Stability's Community Housing Clinic is a tremendous resource for residents - tenants and landlords - to talk one-on-one with a housing professional about landlord-tenant laws, learn how to access affordable housing opportunities and discover housing resources available to landlords and tenants. Tenants can learn about their rights if their building is sold, their rents are rising or they're facing eviction. Landlords can get information on enforcing lease provisions, cost-effective resources to resolve disputes and programs to support home repairs and maintenance.

Find a Full-Time Job and Keep It
Career Collaborative offers a free program that helps unemployed and under-employed men and women find good full-time, permanent jobs with benefits and keep them. The positions are in a variety of fields often with some of Boston's leading employers. The program is offered during the day every month, and during the night several times a year. To apply for the program, please come to an Information Session any Thursday at 1:00 pm or by appointment. Plan to spend about an hour and it will be helpful to bring a resume. Please
contact Maddy Lawson for more information.

New research finds group well-child care addresses toxic stress in early childhood. Work and research conducted by Vital Village Network members and staff. Read more here!

 
Scoop on the Stats
Explore data related to child and family well-being.
Below is the  Participant Feedback from the 2018 Leadership Summit: Community Resilience & Roots of Empowerment.

Check out the 2018 Leadership Summit  Blog  for additional reflection and information.
You can also view pictures from the leader summit  here.