Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also more heard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden: it is easier to say "My tooth is aching" than it is to say "My heart is broken."
— C.S. Lewis
Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from around our community
Mental Health Awareness Month: A message from our VVN Mental Health Committee
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. This month is dedicated to addressing and eliminating stigma, providing support, promoting public education, and advocating for strategies to improve the well-being of individuals and families affected by mental illness. 
 
The Vital Village Networks Mental Health Committee is community-led and aims to be diverse in ethnic, cultural, and professional backgrounds as well as in education, age, and experience. We bring our strengths together to actively listen to, learn from, engage with, and transform our community to destigmatize mental illness and promote positive mental health and well-being. Through providing opportunities to belong, access to resources, and education, we will help to create a beloved, safe, and resilient community.
 
On Wednesday, May 15th, the Mental Health Committee will be hosting the May Network Connection Meeting. It will be an excellent opportunity to explore ways to improve our lives by promoting positive mental health and well-being through community connections and resources. We hope to see you there.
 
Throughout this newsletter, we’ve shared various resources and events, both through Vital Village and the Community, dedicated to social-emotional wellbeing.  
Connect with Vital Village Networks at these upcoming events
Join us at the May Network Connecting Meeting!
Wednesday, May 15th | 5:30 pm
Check out available resources relevant to children and families
My'Self' in the World: Updating Children's Mental Health Storytimes Toolkit
In celebration of May Mental Health Awareness Month 2019, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan residents and BPL children's librarians came together under the Vital Village Network to create the innovation of Children's Mental Health Storytimes. Together, we bring families together for reading and singing with their children as a way to promote their children’s social, emotional, and mental well-being. To share and promote this model, we created the Rhythm & Rhyme: Activities for Early Childhood Mental Health toolkit.

In honor of 5 year anniversary of this innovation and mental health awareness month 2024, we are seeking community ideas to create an updated Children's Mental Health Storytimes Toolkit: My 'Self' In the World. Please share your ideas via the Community Ideas Form.
My'Self' in the World Children Storytime 
Attend the My “Self” In the World Children Storytime series with your young children every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET via Zoom. Join us for readings, activities, and reflections focused on social-emotional learning.
May Mental Health Month In-Person My 'Self' in the World Children's Storytimes
In honor of May Mental Health Month, we have partnered with Boston Public Library to offer a series of in-person Children's Mental Health storytimes at local Boston Branch libraries all month long. Visit the Vital Village Calendar on our website for date, time, and location details!
Join the Greater Boston Birth Equity Coalition
The selected Greater Boston Birth Equity Servant Leadership Team is searching for candidates and nominations for the Coalition's Elder Council (intergenerational). They are also encouraging everyone to apply for the Greater Boston Birth Equity Coalition-GBBEC "General Membership" and to sign-up for to its mailing list. 

For your use and convenience, feel free to check out and use the following links:

For questions, please contact Leidy.quiceno@bmc.org || 617-780-7991
Now Virtual Learning Lab Archive: Elevating Power through Healing-Centered Action: Reflections from the Greater Boston Birth Equity Coalition
On Thursday, April 25, members of the Greater Boston Birth Equity Coalition gathered to discuss their journey of launching the coalition, its process to design a collaborative governance and decision making structure that uplifts the dignity of its members, and healing-centered practices and strategies they are leading to advance holistic approaches to prevent maternal morbidity and mortality, and improve maternal and infant health and birth care for families in the Commonwealth. Access the webinar here.
CONtext
CONtexts (Community Resources On Health Nearby Fun) is a free text messaging service and interactive resource-sharing map that promotes child and family wellness by providing current information on nearby community resources, wellness tips, and family-fun events.
Once you’re subscribed, you will receive three (3) weekly free text messages: Monday’s text - nearby community resources; Wednesday’s text - wellness tips; Friday’s text - a family-fun events
Free Sign-Up! To subscribe, text KIDS to +1 (844) 806-0616
Events, resources, and opportunities by our partners and community organizations
May Mental Health Month Calendar of Events
Vital Village Networks Mental Health Committee
Our Mental Health Committee has collaborated to offer this calendar of events for May Mental Health Month! Explore events and opportunities going on in the Greater Boston area, and get involved! View the full pdf for more details and to register.
The Mother's Day Walk for Peace (MDW4P)
In-Person Event
A beloved Boston tradition honoring the lives of our loved ones who have been murdered. It is the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute’s (LDBPI) largest fundraising event to grow and sustain services, advocacy and training. This year’s theme is "Cultivating Cycles of Peace.” In our society, we are constantly looped into cycles of violence that overshadow the transformative power of peace. We have the agency to cultivate these cycles by empowering survivors, supporting returning citizens and their families and investing in Generation Peace, the young people shaping the world. Visit the MDW4P website to register, donate, or sponsor.
Date & Time:
Sunday, May 12th, 8:00 am
Address:
Town Field Park in Dorchester, MA 02122
Looking for Childcare or Preschool?
Great Starts Boston
Great Starts is designed to offer families a streamlined, simplified dashboard of all of your options. Explore programs based on the things important to your family: the size of the program, a cozy home environment or a classroom, hours that match your work schedule, and the activities that will help your child thrive. Through Great Starts, Boston families will be able to:
  • Learn about their childcare options in Boston
  • Explore through an interactive map all the programs available
  • Apply to UPK (all school settings except for BPS available now) and BPS K-12th grade (available next school year)
Boston Public Library Seed Library Initiative
The Boston Public Library’s Seed Library invites you to create your own garden! You can pick up a selection of seeds at these participating branches listed here. The seed library aims to support our local ecosystem and combat food insecurity. These select branches have a variety of free, easy-to-grow vegetable, herb, and flower seeds.
Revisit the April Network Connector Newsletter Archive on our website, and explore the full newsletter archive library here.
Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our community
Birth to Five Child Health and Development Initiative
Collaboration for Community Health
Proposal Deadline Friday, May 31 by 5:00 pm EST
The Collaboration for Community Health's Birth to Five Child and Development Initiative will provide four years of funding to support organizations working to set a high trajectory for success in school and life among children from birth to five in Boston. Click here for details.

Sign up for the optional virtual information session on Tuesday, April 30 or you can schedule a time to speak with Boston Children's staff here.

Applicants will be notified by Wednesday. July 31 if the proposal was accepted.
Metro South West Healthy Communities Initiative
Boston Children's Community Mission
Proposal Deadline Friday, June 7 by 5:00 pm EST
The Metro South West Community Health Initiative's Healthy Communities will provide up to five years of funding. The funds will support groups working to advance child health equity and improve children's health through policy, systems, or environmental change in the communities of Brockton, Framingham, Needham, Quincy, Randolph, Waltham, and Weymouth. Click here for details.

You can schedule a time with Boston Children's staff here.

Applicants will be notified by Friday, August 23 if the proposal was accepted.

For questions, email Debbie Lay, Senior Project Manager of Community Health Initiatives, at debbie.lay@childrens.harvard.edu.
Supporting All Children's Success in School
Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) possess unique strength alongside their challenges. While symptoms such as difficulty focusing, restlessness, and impulsivity may impact academic performance, schools play a crucial role in supporting their success. This involves:
  1. Appropriate support, including behavioral management and organizational training, to harness individual strengths and enhance self-regulation.
  2. Providing specialized education services customized to each child's needs, fostering a supportive learning environment that accommodates diverse learning styles.
  3. Promoting school connectedness, nurturing positive relationships between students and educators, which can bolster self-esteem, motivation, and academic engagement.
Over 6 million children aged 3–17 in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD. Treatment rates vary widely by state: 58% to 92% for any treatment, 38% to 81% for medication, and 39% to 62% for behavioral treatment.

Feeling connected to family, friends, and school is crucial for children and adolescents' social and emotional development, protecting them from the negative effects of stress. These connections promote good mental health and well-being. School leaders can foster school connectedness by creating a supportive environment where students feel valued. This approach helps students develop essential skills like emotional management, goal-setting, empathy, and relationship building. Additionally, students who feel connected to school are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, more likely to adopt positive health habits, and tend to perform better academically. Explore strategies for schools to enhance students' emotional well-being and social connectedness. Learn more.
Classroom Treatment Strategies for ADHD Students
  • Effective classroom strategies: behavioral management and organizational training.
  • Led by trained staff to reinforce positive behaviors and improve academic engagement.
  • Special education services and accommodations through IEPs or 504 Plans.
  • Teachers support ADHD students with clear instructions, choices, and minimizing distractions.
  • Regular communication between schools, parents, and healthcare providers is crucial for tailored support.
Have an event, job opportunity, or resource to share with the network?
Vital Village Networks is a network of residents and agencies committed to maximizing child, family, and community well-being.