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NETWORK CONNECTOR NEWSLETTER
Volume 3, Issue 10; October 2016
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Save the Date:
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3rd Annual Social Justice Mediation Institute (SJMI):
Are you interested in making a difference in your community?
The Vital Village Network is hosting the 3rd annual SJMI! Participants who complete the 40-hour training will receive a certificate that designates them as a qualified mediator! This training if FREE and open to all adults (18+). These new mediation skills can be used not only at work, but also within your family and community.
The SJMI will take place on October 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th and 16th, from 9 am-5 pm, at the
Roxbury Innovation Center -
2300 Washington St, Boston, MA 02119.
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Upcoming Network Connection Meetings:
RSVP ahead of time by clicking on the date below:
The Network Connection meeting will take place in Evans Seminar Room (Room 112A) at the Boston University Medical Campus (72 East Concord St., Boston, MA 02118). A pancake breakfast
and parking validation for the 710 Albany Garage will be provided.
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Leadership Summit 2016:
We are so excited to continue developing partnerships and building movements at the 2016 Vital Village Leadership Summit!
Are you interested in presenting at this year's summit? Are there specific topics, tools, or skills you would like to learn more about? Please send your ideas and suggestions to
kymberly.byrd@bmc.org
!
The Summit has officially been scheduled for December 13th-14th at The Nonprofit Center at 89 South St. in Boston.
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Special Announcement
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The Vital Village Community Partnership
, a
group of motivated community residents, has a
Facebook page though which they share community events and resources. As a VVCP member said, "We need to ignite others to carry this torch with us." If you'd like to be more involved, please email katherie.wiley@bmc.org for more information.
***Help us get to 500 likes***
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Bright Spots:
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Digital Storytelling with Father's Uplift
On September 10
th and 11th, Father's Uplift and Vital Village collaborated so that five participants could work with facilitator Ayesha McAdams-Mahmoud to share their unique experiences of fatherhood in a short video. These digital stories incorporated voice recordings, pictures, visual effects and music to tell deeply personal narratives.You can view each story
here.
"For me, it was a powerful experience because it allowed the stories that lived inside each father to become real for others- through film and voice and sound."
- David Kapaon, Junior Facilitator
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Opening of FIVE Baby Cafe/Drop-In Breastfeeding Groups
It's official! Five free, drop-in breastfeeding groups are now open and ready for parents at:
- Boston Medical Center on Tuesdays from 9:30am-12:30pm
- Children's Services of Roxbury on Thursdays from 5-7pm
- Boston Children's Museum on Thursdays from 10-11am
-
United
South End Settlements on Wednesdays from 9:30-10:30am
- First Teacher on Fridays from 1-2pm
Each group has at least one trained Certified Lactation Counselor, a great resource for any pregnant woman or new mom. We hope that as our new groups gain regulars, these weekly groups will become shared spaces for moms to learn from each other and to connect with other important resources. For more information, visit
our website!
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Vital Village is excited to offer a free texting service, in which users will receive information about
community resources
(Mondays), useful
youth wellness tips
(Wednesdays), and
fun family activities
(Fridays). To subscribe, please
text KIDS
to
88588
. You can also join the Facebook page
here
.
To give feedback on what information you'd like to hear about or to share resources you know about, e-mail vitalvillage@bmc.org with the subject "CONtexts" or post on the Facebook page.
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Praising Parents:
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"So Daddy, how did you feel when I was born?"
Listen to a young science and language prodigy interview her hardworking dad on NPR's StoryCorps.
Listen here.
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Mario Loiseau and his daughter, Mabou |
Have an interview or a video that you
think would be perfect
for next month's
Praising Parents?
Share it with us at
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Around the Network:
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Survivors Leadership Academy
Do you know a survivor of a homicide? The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is offering a certification program to develop skills and readiness around
transforming pain into peace, power, and action; rebuilding community by reaching out to recent survivors, and promoting understanding among law enforcement and service providers.
To register, contact Alexandra at 617.825.1917 or use this
link.
When
: 10/3, 10/5, 10/12, 10/17, 10/19, 10/24, 11/2, 11/7 (5:30-8 pm)
Where
: Louis D. Brown Peace Institute/ 15 Christopher St; Dorchester
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Men of Boston Cook for Women's Health
An event from Codman Health Center.
Come eat delicious food while raising funds to support health programs around breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/ AIDS in Dorchester!
For more information or to buy a ticket, click here.
When: Thursday, October 6 at 6 pm
Where: Codman Health Center: 637 Washington St/ Dorchester, MA 02124
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Dynamic Neighbors in Action
Looking to learn about healthful cooking and to connect with other awesome cooks? The DotWell Center will be hosting a cooking and nutrition class for patients 50+ with diabetes or prediabetes. Read from the ADA's meal planning tips and recipes here. Get ready to learn, have fun, and cook some delicious & nutritious food!
When: Tuesday, September 13- 9:30-11:30 am
Where: Conference Room A; Dorchester House Multi-Service Center- 1353 Dorchester Avenue; Dorchester, MA 02122
Contact: Call Sophie Dover for more information at 617-822-8224
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18th Annual New England Fatherhood Conference
March 22-24, 2017
Join dads, families, social workers, health educators, fatherhood specialists and family advocates to learn together and share our work to support fathers! Presenters will facilitate interactive workshops around four topics:
Dad & Family/Community, Dads & Health, Dads & Education and Dads & Systems. If you are interested in creating one of these workshops, please reach out to diana.ditunno@ct.gov for application forms. Applications are due on October 20, 2016.
Primary presenters will receive a free ticket to the conference, while secondary presenters will receive reduced prices!
Where: Mystic Marriott Hotel and Spa in Groton, Connecticut.
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Around the City:
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Music and Nature--A Beautiful Match
Do you love both music and nature? Come enjoy a special community concert with musiConnects. Spend your morning outdoors listening to beautiful music with friends and family.
When
: Sunday, October 1610 am - 2 pm
Where
: Boston Nature Center/ 500 Walk Hill St
For more information, click here.
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Project Hope Open House
Join Project Hope as they celebrate 35 years of helping families move out of poverty!
Mingle with the Board of Directors, connect w
ith Project Hope's ambassador's and enjoy a glass of wine in celebration.
When: Oct 6th.
Where:
550 Dudley St. Roxbury, MA 02119
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A Night of Jazz
Do you enjoy music and conversations on healthy living? Come to a Celebration of Health- a jazz concert honoring Gloria L. Fox and Joseph Maher Jr. of Steward Health Care. Relax and de-stress with some smooth tunes.
When: Thursday, October 27- 10 pm
Where: Strand Theatre/ 543 Columbia Road
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Pre-School Story Time
Come listen to magical, captivating, and adventurous stories
Go to the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library with your child (ages 3-5) on Wednesday mornings (10:30 am - 11:30 am) for story time! Call in advance to pre-register at 617.442.6186.
Also at the Dudley Branch:
- Tuesdays at 10:30 am- movie showings for preschoolers
- Chess lessons on Saturday afternoons
- Check out the collection of books covering the African American experience since before the Civil War, including the slave trade, the Underground Railroad, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights Movement. There is also an extensive collection of books about African American music and musicians including gospel, blues, jazz and soul.
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Tilt-Down Fence,
a temporary urban stage set for Vietnamese water puppet shows and oral plays about immigrant experiences, is coming to Dorchester in early October (by the Fields Corner bus stop)!
The fence both represents the economic ladder and is a physical framework where people can come together and support one another.
"symbolically speaks about the borders
and boundaries that the immigrant population has to break through + structure of placemaking"
BR+A+CE has met with Evelyn Darling, Nia Allen-Lee, and their youth groups to think about ways in which Tilt-Down Fence can best serve the Dorchester immigrant community.
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Early Voting in Boston
The city of Boston will be hosting twenty-seven "one-day" early voting sites. "For the first time Boston will allow voters to cast their ballots early from October 24, 2016 through November 4, 2016 at 5:00 p.m., for the November 8 Election." This decision will allow city residents to vote at a time that is convenient for their work and family schedule. Read the full article on voting registration
HERE
!
Voting in your local and national elections is important for so many reasons, including making your voice heard!
Click here
to learn more about the importance of voting, and the voting process itself!
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While a little absurd, this intervention has important implications that were echoed by the other interventions studied.
1.
Appealing to white people's sense of justice or egalitarianism may not be effective in and of itself.
2. Not only is it important for white people to repeatedly see black people in positive ways, it helps for whites to actively and personally identify with a group composed of black people.
3. Reducing implicit bias might require portraying white people in negative ways, especially if they these new views can replace or complicate specific negative biases about black people.
Click here to compare additional interventions and read the full article by Lai et. al.*
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The National Center on Family Homelessness created the "What About You?" workbook to help promote self-care exercises in non-profits organizations. This workbook provides self-care assessment tools, strategies for remaining connected to co-workers, organizational health surveys and more information about "compassionate fatigue" and "vicarious trauma."
Click here to learn more.
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The Scoop on Stats:
staying up to date with data measurement!
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Fig 1. Diaper need in the United States, Smith et al. 2013
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Diaper need and its impact on child health**
In this 2013 study, a group of 877 low-income, urban women were interviewed about diaper need. Over 30% of women reported not having enough diapers to change their children as often as they would like. When a young child remains in a soiled diaper for too long, she can acquire dermatitis (rashes) and urinary tract infections. Low diaper access can also create high level of stress for parents.
As such, diaper access is important both for the health of children and for the mental health of parents.
Smith notes that a single person working at federal minimum wage could expect to pay more than 6% of her gross pay (total income before taxes), and that certain demographics (like Hispanic women and women over 45) were significantly more likely to suffer from diaper need.
Read more
here!
Know someone who is working to improve diaper access in the community?
Please email zoe.miller@bmc.org with more information!
* Lai, C.K. et al.
(2014). Reducing Implicit Bias Preferences: a Comparative Investigation of 17 Interventions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Advance Online Publication.
**
Smith, M. et al. (2013). Diaper Need and Its Impact on Child Health. Pediatrics (132:2).
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to
access
tons of
community-shared resources and help us get to 500 likes!
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88 East Newton St.
· Vose Hall, 5th Floor ·
Boston, MA · vitalvillage@bmc.org · 617.414.3674
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