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Network members' voices bring good news and share highlights from
around our community.
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“We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation’s greatness.” – Yvette Clarke
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For the month of February in honor of Black History Month, MasterClass is offering the entire Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love courses for free.
This class will inform, contextualize and challenge viewers to rethink the notions of race and racism, while reconciling gaps in traditional education about U.S. history and offer tools and techniques to empower change in our own lives.
There are over 50 classes from instructors Nikole Hannah-Jones, Angela Davis, Jelani Cobb, Cornel West, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, John McWhorter, and Sherrilyn Ifill.
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Boston Public Library Presents the "Black Is..." Curated Reading List |
Black Is... is a list of books published in the previous year for all ages concerning the African American experience. This printing is part of the Boston Public Library's annual observance of Black History Month. |
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You're invited to a virtual conversation on the child care crisis, centering the experiences and voices of Black mothers. U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley joins Dr. Renee Boynton-Jarrett, Founder of Vital Village Networks, and Dr. Michelle Sanchez, Principal of the Epiphany School, moderated by Latoya Gayle, Sr. Director of Advocacy at Neighborhood Villages.
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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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Children's Mental Health Storytime
Families with young children are invited to Children’s Mental Health Virtual Storytimes co-hosted by the Vital Village Network Mental Health Committee and Boston Public Library. Together, we will bring families together for book readings and activities focused on Social-Emotional Learning inspired by our Children's Mental Health Storytime Toolkit.
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Turning the Page on Collaborations: Reaching Families through Stories
Hosted by Vital Village Networks and Boston Public Library
When: Friday, February 25th at 12:00-1:30pm
Families with children and community partners are invited to join the February Network Connection Meeting during Boston School Vacation Week. This event is guided by the question: How can stories support family well-being? Come to share your voice and collectively imagine how collaborations can uplift social emotional wellness and reach all families in our community. There will also be plenty of family-fun activities throughout our time! This event is co-hosted by Vital Village Networks and the Boston Public Library Children's Librarians.
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In the effort to pursue our mission of supporting professional pathways for lactation counselors and in response to requests from the scholars, we plan for Scholar Support Meetings with leaders from the Coalition and Partners on various topics from IBCLC share-outs to latch support.
February 23rd, 2022
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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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Winter Camp was created to provide free opportunities for children and families during February school vacation. In 2022, we are excited to offer a wide range of activities across Massachusetts including zoos, ice skating, interactive workshops and more.
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The Boston Winter Express will include pop-up public spaces in neighborhoods across Boston. There will be free outdoor artistic performances, book giveaways, complimentary hot drinks, and more. These events will spread winter joy across Boston and lift up our small business community in Main Streets districts. The City will particularly be supporting neighborhoods that have been hard hit by COVID-19.
This family school vacation event is hosted in partnership with the Highland Street Foundation and L.L. Bean. The free and open to all festival will feature music, giveaways, various winter attractions, treats, and crafts. There will be various attractions, including a funhouse, rides in the park on the Trackless Train, family dance classes, hands-on games, and more.
Goodnight Book Club hosted by First Teacher
Join the Goodnight Book Club on February 23rd for a reading of "You're Phenomenal" by Kam Vivi Verde. Please email Karla to register or find out more.
Smart From the Start Virtual Job Fair
Discover new opportunities and growth with Smart from the Start and their partners during this Virtual Job Fair. Attendees will include Breaktime, Community Builders, Dress for Success, Community Music Center of Boston, and more! Join the Zoom here. The Zoom meeting ID is 825 1378 8317 and the passcode is 02120.
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Vital CxNS co-hosts monthly town hall style conversations where we convene health practitioners, academics, and thought leaders with community members to discuss pressing issues at the intersection of medicine, race, and the social determinants of health.
In recognition of Black History month and in the pursuit of finding solutions to tough issues facing communities, we are hosting a conversation on medical racism in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mayor Michelle Wu announced SNAP participants can now use their EBT cards to make online grocery orders and receive grocery delivery from the Daily Table, a nonprofit food store with locations in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Cambridge. The Mayor’s Office of Food Access (OFA) provided Daily Table with $93,000 using American Rescue Plan funds to support the SNAP online initiative.
In a program that began last week, SNAP participants can now use their EBT cards to order groceries online for in-store pickup or delivery via Daily Table’s website or app. This service is ideal for those with mobility challenges, or families who prefer not to shop in-person during the ongoing pandemic. Learn more here.
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Opportunities
Check out job, volunteer, and grant opportunities available in our
community.
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JOBS:
The Family Mobility Program Coordinator will be primarily responsible for coordinating and supporting Family Mobility initiatives that move families towards economic independence (i.e., Job Readiness Workshops, parenting supports, coaching). This role requires a high level of autonomy, great attention to detail, and comfort with providing 1:1 support to parents and families in our community. Please reach out to Ella Zimbalist with any questions!
As Family Outreach Coordinator, this person will work closely with the Youth Program Team and other key USES's talented team members. This position will be critical in strengthening USES's externally facing strategy, focusing on relationships and community-building with internal and external stakeholders. The Family Outreach Coordinator will report to the Director of Early Childhood Education and Out of School Time Programs. Please reach out to Ella Zimbalist with any questions!
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 fritzau@ebsoc.org.
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.
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Mujeres Unidas Avanzando (MUA) in Dorchester is now accepting registration for our next cycle of our popular Home Health Aide (HHA) Training. Students graduate this course with the knowledge and certification necessary to begin working in this high-demand field.
Start Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday from 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Format: In-person (some classes will be on Zoom, but majority in-person)
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GRANTS:
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. The deadline to apply is February 24!
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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.
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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.
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 from across the United States
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United States Census data shows a narrowing gap between educational levels in Black populations due to a combination of compulsory education and a growing younger population. College enrollment has gone up and high school dropout rates have fallen to only 5% in the last 50 years. As you can see here, this data is very promising and is a continuation of a rising trend, indicating universally better access to secondary and higher education.
See more statistics about Black children's access to education across the United States and Black educators here. Additionally, in honor of Black History Month, the Center for Racial Justice and Education has also released a detailed guide for parents and educators to discuss the importance of Black experiences in the United States throughout this country's history from an intersectional point of view, as well as what we can do now to promote equity in the classroom.
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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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Share with Us
Have an event, job opportunity, or resource to share with the network?
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