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Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from
around our community.
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“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We Are All Heroes
In December 2021 we gathered to celebrate our beloved community of servant leaders.
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2021 Leadership Awardees:
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Danielle Champagnie received The Excellence in Mentoring Award.
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Maisha Harley received The Servant Leadership Award.
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Smith Guillaume H. Lamothe receivedThe National Partnership & Collaborative Leadership Award
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Alexandria Jones received The Servant Leadership Award.
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Elizabeth Neely received The Innovation Award.
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Conrad Robinson received The Unsung Hero Award.
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Graduates from the 2021 Social Justice Mediation Institute, Tech Goes Home Scholars Cohort, the STRIVE Trauma Informed Educator Fall Training, and Community Peer Lactation Scholars were honored for their accomplishments. Congratulations again to this community of leaders who serve children, families and communities with deep commitment and intention.
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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!
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Network Events
Connect with Vital Village Network at these upcoming events. Click
event to RSVP or learn more.
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"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud."
-Maya Angelou
Join us virtually on Monday, January 24th at 5:30pm to chart our course for service, leadership, and social transformation in 2022. Your ideas, vision, and priorities matter and are essential to molding our collaborative work for the year to come. We hope to see you next week! RSVP Here!
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A Parent Leader Learning Series / Serie de aprendizaje sobre padres líderes
Join us to learn more about entities in and around Boston that educate, empower, and support parent leaders. Together we will elevate and raise the voices of parents and parent leaders. Learn from incredible parent leaders meeting the needs of families. Connect and share with other parent leaders. This event will be virtual and held in both English and Spanish. Please email Kristin McSwain if you have any questions or would like to request other language services.
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Community Events
Join Vital Village Network partners and other community organizations at these upcoming events. Click event to RSVP or learn more.
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Justice 4 All Presents...
Thursday, January 20th at 6pm via Zoom
Join us on January 20th, 2022 for a conversation on the life and legacy of one of America's greatest civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while exploring new ways to promote the unity, equality and justice he dreamed of. We are excited to share our Summer Civil Right's Pilgrimage with you all as we reflect on what it means to take up the mantle of justice today. #SmartStartsTheConversation
Please find the Zoom and registration information below:
Meeting ID: 818 0523 7452
Passcode: 02120
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Holiday Drive for Haitian Families
It may be a new year, but SPARK is still working with Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) to collect household goods including toiletries, winter clothing, linens, and more to help get our new Haitian neighbors get on their feet as the settle into their new homes. Collection bins are now open at both the Congress Street entrance and in the mezzanine lobby in City Hall. The drive will be going on until January 21st! Thank you to all who have made donations already - we truly couldn't do it without you. Learn more here!
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USES and Mindyra Health are partnering to host two workshops on Mental Health with parents and caregivers in the community! There will be two sessions. The first session (Monday, January 24) will focus on adult/paternal mental health support in both personal and employment settings. The second session (Monday, January 31) will cover how parents and caregivers can support children with their mental health. You can register here!
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Starting on January 15, 2022, to address rising COVID-19 cases and encourage vaccination, individuals will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston. People working in those locations will also be required to have received their vaccines.
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As part of Boston’s ongoing efforts to increase food access, the City of Boston launched a pilot during winter 2020, and is now restarting the Farmers Markets Coupon Program with an investment of $576,000 for the summer season. It provides households experiencing food insecurity with coupons to buy fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meats, and baked goods. It gives vendors mini-grants to participate in small farmer’s markets.
Residents interested in receiving coupons should visit participating Farmers Markets and ask for coupons. Farmers market vendors interested in being funded to participate at small farmers markets should fill out an at boston.gov/food-recovery or email [email protected] for additional information.
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Opportunities
Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our
community.
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JOBS:
The National Equity Atlas is launching an open application for people of color working at community-based organizations to become year-long National Equity Atlas Fellows. We are accepting applications through January 21, 2022, and the program will start in March 2022.
The Domestic Violence (DV) Advocate provides a range of domestic violence victim services to both patients and employees of Boston Medical Center, as well as consultation with those working to support victims and survivors of abuse. The Advocate participates in multi-disciplinary, cross-departmental case reviews, training, and other institutional initiatives to improve the health care and employer response to domestic violence. The DV Advocate works under the supervision of the Domestic Violence Program manager. See more here.
Director of Community Joy at East Boston Social Centers
East Boston Social Centers is a multi-service agency and community center that cultivates community, belonging, and joy. Founded in 1918 to welcome and support immigrant families, East Boston Social Centers continues to proudly embrace “welcome” in all we do. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Director for Community Joy will lead the East Boston Social Centers work to demonstrate we can significantly, measurably increase joy at a community level, starting with staff joy, and radiating out to our program participants and ultimately, our community. You can see the full job description here. To apply, please send cover letter and resume to [email protected].
COURSES and CONFERENCES:
Free "Inclusive and Ethical Leadership" Certificate Course
This is a free course from the University of South Florida M3 Center on Inclusive and Ethical Leadership that features 40 TEDx style sessions (10-30mins) from 50+ experts. This is a self-paced, free course in which the participants can start any time and finish by December 31, 2022. To obtain more information and register for the course, please visit 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!
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.
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Resource Connector
Learn more about resources relevant to children and families in our community from our community.
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Resources to Tackle Tax Season and More: |
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Find COVID-19 Testing Near You find your nearest testing site, including many with walk-in availability at boston.gov. Regular COVID-19 testing, both when sick and asymptomatic, can help prevent community spread of the virus, so we appreciate you taking advantage of these opportunities!
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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.
Self-Care for Black Men and Men of Color Group this 6-week long self-care group is led by Josh McNeil, LCSW, and is open to Black Men and Men of Color anywhere in the country as it is held online via Zoom. The cost of the group is $25/per session, and you can find out more here.
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For Children and Caregivers:
Sitters for Scholars, our volunteers are prepared to provide high-quality babysitting in person for children while parents pursue their education. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve students and families. To maintain the safest environment, both sitters and parents will be required to be vaccinated and boosted, and all individuals, including children two years and up, will also be required to wear a mask. You can sign up here, or see more information here.
Priority registration means you'll need to rank your BPS schools. But what if you're still not sure about which BPS school is the best fit for your family? Our How to Choose a Great-Fit School Guide can help you find the right answer. Click here to see our School Preview & Enrollment Calendar for more information about available dates and times.
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.
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Scoop on the Stats
Explore data related to voting rates across the United States
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"Listening to Parent Voices" Study Finds Parents and Providers May Prefer Remote Childhood Services |
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A new research study supported by the Perigee Fund and The Ford Family Foundation finds that two-thirds of parents and providers would like to continue some early childhood services remotely, even as in-person services resume almost two years into the Covid-19 pandemic.
Researchers from Portland State University, the University of Connecticut, and Georgetown University partnered with seven early childhood programs across the country and conducted 100 interviews with families and providers to hear about their experience with home visiting and infant mental health programs as they shifted to tele-health services in the early days of the pandemic and to identify ways to improve equity and effectiveness of programs.
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Sharing Technology
Explore technology related to child and family well-being.
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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!
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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.
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Too Good to Go is a mobile app where restaurants, groceries, and cafes can post discounted meals or "surprise bags" that may otherwise go to waste. People can reserve foods and rate the meals through the app. The goal is to address food waste, support local businesses, and to make sure everyone has access to high quality food. You can download the iOS version or the Android version.
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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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Are you interested in receiving this newsletter in Spanish?
Le interesaría recibir este boletín en español?
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Community Voice/Voz de la Comunidad
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We Did it Together!
Collective actions and investments.
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Our Mission
Vital Village is a network of residents and agencies committed to maximizing child, family, and community wellbeing.
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