The Orchard Gardens DREAM Update

December 2012

A great Fall Semester full of program growth wrapped up this month as the mentors began their

final exams.

DREAM Programming:

12/1: The group went back to BU for an afternoon at the Fit Rec, BU's gym. Matches were

able to go swimming and play basketball.

12/8: For the last DREAM of the semester the group headed back to BU and split into two

groups to enjoy a relaxing afternoon watching a movie together.

Program Development:

Academic Release Waivers: Academic release waivers were distributed to parents and

collected in preparation for the DREAM Office’s effort to establish better connections with

the schools our mentees attend. We hope that this will enable us to better assist DREAM

youth in school and connect them academic support resources as needed.

Community Collaboration:

College Fest: I attended College Fest, put on by Madison Park Development Corporation at

Hibernian Hall on January 12th

. I was able to connect with college assistance agencies that

will be able to help DREAM mentees as they get older and are pursuing a college education.

Orchard Gardens Holiday Party: On January 15th

I assisted with the Orchard Garden

Holiday Party at 2 Dearborn St. It was a great way to bring in the holiday season and meet

some new youth that may want to join DREAM.

DREAM Office:

Youth and Family Surveys: During December we continued administering surveys to youth

and parents of participants in our school year program. This is our first time surveying

participants of our Boston area based programs and we are excited to analyze the results.

Teen Employment Guide: This month we started working on compiling teen employment

resources for a guide that will distributed to DREAM teens this spring. Additionally, we are

surveying DREAM teens to better understand their awareness of employment options and

see what types of jobs they are interested in.

Summer Resources Guide: The DREAM office also began working on a summer resource

guide for DREAM families. This guide will be distributed to families this spring and will

include information on free summer camps, free events throughout the Boston area, and

additional resources.

The DREAM Program, Inc. 41 Dearborn St.

Roxbury, MA 02119

(617) 699-8408

www.dreamprogram.org

January 15, 2013

Domestic Violence Training: I attended a domestic Violence Training run by Trinity

Management at Orchard Gardens on January 3rd

. It was an informative training that

provided me with information that I will be able to bring back other DREAM staff and

mentors.

Gang Prevention Workshop: On January 4th

& 5th

I took part in a Gang Prevention

Workshop at the Corcoran-Jennison Harborpoint Conference Center put on by the

Dorchester Coalition for Safe Neighborhoods. The two-day workshop helped keep me

informed of the current state of gangs in the Boston area and how to continue DREAM’s

work in gang prevention.

Annual Appeals: DREAM is in the midst of both its Annual and Alumni Appeals. It is an

exciting time of year when we reach out to our supporters and invite them to contribute to

help support the great work we are doing.

Keep DREAMing!

Chad Butt

Program Director