Village Voices
Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from
around our community. 
"The answers are in the community" - Kimberly Seals Allers
Join us as we celebrate our community of leaders. We will announce the 2021 Unsung Hero Award, and the leadership awards for Mentorship, Innovation, Service and Partnerships. We will honor the 2021 graduates of the Social Justice Mediation Institute, Tech Goes Home Scholars Cohort, the STRIVE Trauma Informed Educator Fall Training, and Community Peer Lactation Scholars. With gratitude, let's celebrate collaboration, dedication and service to children, families and communities.

We invite you and your family to visit local Boston Public Libraries, explore resources, and try out these activities with the Children’s Mental Health Storytimes Storytellers!

You will receive a FREE book when visiting your local BPL library in person.

*We are extending the scavenger hunt because there are free books still available*

Co-Hosted Activity by the Vital Village Networks Mental Health Committee and Boston Public Library Children’s Librarians!
Network Events
Connect with Vital Village Network at these upcoming events. Click
event to RSVP or learn more.
Mothers for Justice and Equality present Healing Tuesdays and the Mental Health & Holiday Series. You can register here or call their office at 617-516-8086 if you have any questions or issues registering.
Community Events
Join Vital Village Network partners and other community organizations at these upcoming events. Click event to RSVP or learn more.
She's W.O.K.E. presents Black Owned Boston Holiday Pop Up Shop
Sunday, December 19: 12:00pm-4:00pm Find Out More Here!
The She's WOKE are seeking vendors and attendees to come out and support Boston's Black-owned businesses just in time for the holiday season.

Boston Tech Career Fair: Exclusive Tech Hiring
Friday, December 17: 1:00pm-4:00pm Register Here!
Come join the 2021 Tech Career Fair, held virtually, with a goal to connect companies to a more diverse group of candidates, including those who have followed non-traditional paths. The hiring partners present will range from fast-growing startups to Fortune 500 companies, and more information is available at the link above.

Political Lab Bootcamp
Program dates vary from January, 2022, to March, 2022. Find Out More Here!
The Political Lab seeks to support minority communities through a series of partnerships with various Boston city officials, working towards closing the wealth gap, reducing health disparities, and empowering the BIPOC community. Registration for the Winter 2022 Virtual Bootcamp Programs is open through December 31, 2021. There are multiple programs available to educate individuals and empower them to fully exercise their political power.

MA $1 Sunday Afternoons at Boston Children's Museum
Sundays: 1:30PM to 4:30PM Find Out More Here!
On Sunday Afternoons families can enjoy the entire Boston Children’s Museum for $1. The museum includes an Art Studio, Construction Zone, and more.

Tuesdays: 12:00pm
Their goal is to bring parents & caregivers together to create a support system that will provide opportunities for parents to learn new skills, connect with peers, and receive information, mini webinars, and resources. Please email rberiguete@bgcdorchester.org for more information.

Jamaica Plain Tree of Life In-Person Father Support Group
Mondays: 6:00pm
To register for one of the support group meetings, please contact Carolina Abad at carolina.abad@JPTreeOfLife.org. Feel free to visit Jamaica Plain Tree of Life's Facebook page to learn more about their events!

All Children—All Families: Improving Practice For and With LGBTQ+ Youth and Families
Tuesday, December 14: 2:00pm-2:45pm Find Out More Here!
LGBTQ+ youth are overrepresented in foster care, many having been rejected by their families because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Learn more about the effective innovations being put into practice and tools you can use to shift practice in your own program and system.

Children’s Trust: Boston Fathers & Family Network - The Legacy of Fatherhood
Thursday, December 16: 10am-12pm Register Here!
FFN meetings include topical presentations and discussions as well as networking and collaboration opportunities. The result is increased competency for professionals, better coordination of services, and greater public awareness of the important role that fathers have in families. Register here.

Wednesday, January 26 Fill Out the Interest Form Here!
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been exposed to an abundance of information from a large number of sources. The U.S. Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation, developed in collaboration with the HHS Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES), provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities. Fill out this interest form to get updates when registration opens!
Celebrate Vaccines at the Museum of Science!

Superhero kids and their families: get vaccinated at the Museum of Science and get two free Exhibit Halls passes!

The Museum is partnering with Cataldo Ambulance Service and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for new vaccination clinics (Pfizer-BioNTech) for anyone age 5 and older, with booster and adult vaccines also available (if eligible).

Registered guests receiving a vaccine will be allotted two hours of free parking and two free tickets to the Museum, where you can also explore the science behind vaccines in our Project Vaccine: Our Best Defense exhibit.

Check the Massachusetts Vaccination Finder portal for available dates and times. Please Note: Registration for vaccination is required.
Check out more community events on our Website and Facebook.
Opportunities

Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our
community.
JOBS:
Seeking a highly qualified leader who is invested in the mission of Haley House and in the communities served. There are multiple open positions: full-time Communications Director (description here and application here), full-time Communications Manger (description here and application here), and part-time Communications Intern (description here and application here).

NACCHO's MCAH Program aims to strengthen the capacity of local health departments to effectively ensure and assess the health of birthing people, children, and adolescents by providing learning opportunities, developing tools and resources, and facilitating peer exchange. The Director will lead NACCHO's maternal, child and adolescent health (MCAH) programs including supervision of professional and/or support staff. If interested, apply here.

The Family Nurturing Center is seeking applicants for the Dorchester Family Support Network Coordinator position, which you can read more about here. If interested, please email your resume and cover letter to Matt LiPuma, mlipuma@familynurturing.org.

Chief Program Officer
Tech Goes Home in Boston is hiring a Chief Program Officer. Please see the attached job description. Applications are rolling but priority will be given to applications received before December 31st. Reporting to the Co-Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), the Chief Program Officer (CPO) is responsible for all program planning, organizing, operating, and staffing. See this webpage for more information.

GRANTS:
Boston The Peace Development Fund is offering a number of grants ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 to support grassroots organizations working for social justice. Read more and apply here.

The Fund for Teachers awards summer fellowship grants to preK-12 grade teachers to pursue self-designed professional learning. Individuals may apply for up to $5,000 and teams may apply for up to $10,000. Read more and apply here.

NACCHO, with support from the CDC’s Division of Human Development and Disability, has an open funding opportunity for the Strengthening Disability Inclusion Efforts within Local Health Departments demonstration site project. The goal of this project is to enhance local capacity to meet the needs of people with disabilities within health department programs, policies, and services. NACCHO will make up to two awards available to local health departments with awards up to $15,000 each. Submit your applications by December 20, 2021, 5:00pm PT.

Santander’s Cultivate Small Business was created to help early-stage entrepreneurs (focused on women, people of color, and immigrants) build food businesses.
The 12-week (fully virtual) program is completely FREE to food entrepreneurs and provides you with industry specific education, networks and mentoring, along with the opportunity to apply for capital grants for your business. It’s like a mini MBA for food businesses. The program is fully funded by Santander Bank. This year it’s virtual and open to anyone in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Get tickets to the information session here.
Resource Connector
Learn more about resources relevant to children and families in our community from our community.
Weathering the Boston Winter - Recommendations:
COVID-19 Resources:
Learn more about COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Ages 5-11 access safety information and coming soon locations, hours, and website links for vaccinations.

Vital Village’s COVID-19 Resource Map regularly updated with descriptions, contact info, locations, hours, and website links for important basic family needs.

Protected Together sharing information safety information about vaccines

Two new food resources launched by the Boston Mayor’s Office of Food Access: the food resources SMS chatbot accessed by texting the word 'FOOD' to 617-579-8238 and the online food donations platform.
Connections and Healing:

Roadmap to Resilience is a collection of podcast episodes, short videos, and other digital resources are here to give you tools and strategies to help children and families overcome adversity and move forward.

The Wellness Idea Bank is a comprehensive and community-driven guide for those in the Greater Boston Area that helps collect events, ideas, and resources for supporting wellness and social connections. This seasonal edition highlights resources focused on the transition back to school for families.

The Multicultural Mental Health Directory offers linguistically and culturally appropriate mental health and related services for communities of color, LGBTQ community, immigrants, and refugees.

The Community Advocacy Program provides support to survivors of intimate partner violence remotely; carefully and safely providing crisis intervention, safety planning guidance, emotional support, referrals to community resources and advocacy via hotline. Visit CAP's website to find a list of phone numbers in six different languages.
For Children and Caregivers:

Boston Children’s Museum Sign-Up for Weekly Activity Emails to receive fun activities you can use to enrich and support children at home, as well as articles and podcasts.

Healthy Families Massachusetts, a family support program proven to reduce child abuse and neglect, has expanded access for first-time parents 23 years old and younger beginning in pregnancy.

The Jeremiah Program, a 12-week empowerment and leadership course that aims to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time.


New Toolkit for Pregnant People and New Parents, resources and tools by the CDC to help pregnant and recently pregnant people, breastfeeding people and new parents caring for infants protect their health and help people who serve these communities communicate with them. 

HandholdMA.org, is a family friendly website designed for parents of school-aged children in Massachusetts who are worried about their child’s mental health. Is your kid just being a kid, or is their behavior something to worry about? If so, what are the next steps you can take? HandHold will help you figure that out.

Scoop on the Stats
Explore data related to voting rates across the United States
Child Tax Credit Expansion: A Proven Opportunity to Promote Child Well-being

The American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit for more than 65 million children in the U.S. and established advance monthly payments to reach more low-income families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Child Tax Credit benefit was formerly $2,000 and increased to $3,000, with a $600 bonus for children under age 6.

The Child Tax Credit expansions have been projected to reduce annual child poverty by more than 40 percent, proving to be an effective strategy to promote child and family well-being. With the Child Tax Credit policy, families are able to afford basic necessities such as food, housing, transportation and childcare which supports them to remain in the workforce. Studies have demonstrated that direct cash payments to families support economic mobility and asset building, which are both associated with positive health outcomes for families and children. 

Continuing the Child Tax Credit expansion has the potential to significantly reduce inequities for children of color who are impacted by poverty. Extending the Credit's expansion past 2021 is estimated to reduce poverty rates among Black, Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) children by 8 to 9 percentage points. See graphic above from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

The Child Tax Credit expansion is due to expire at the end of December 2021. Currently, Congress is working to pass the Build Back Better Act which proposes to maintain the Child Tax Credit expansion.
Sharing Technology
Explore technology related to child and family well-being.
The UPDATED Abundance Boston Food Access App 3.0.2 is now available! Abundance empowers Boston residents to easily access affordable, high-quality food resources. Download the FREE app today!
The COVID-19 Resource Map now has updated addresses and hours of over 90 locations in Boston currently provide free breakfast, lunch or dinner for youth, and 10 free community fridges open to the public 24/7.
CONtexts: Community Resources on Health & Nearby Fun Promotes positive outcomes for caregivers and children ages 0-5 by sharing resources through a FREE text service and interactive map.

Subscribe today! Text KIDS to 844-806-0616 to receive 3 free text messages on community resources, wellness, and events each week.
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