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List of Contents
- Grant Opportunity: Achievement Gap Core Assessments Survey
- HEPA Summit
- Y-Mass News
- Y-USA Advocates Action Network
- 2015 New England Fall Leadership Conference
- Olympic Day at the Y
- Massachusetts Veterans' Services
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Achievement Gap Core Assessments Survey
You recently received a survey from Y-USA for
Achievement Gap Core Assessments. We urge you to complete the survey, as the potential benefits to you include:
- You will immediately become eligible for consideration for scaling/expanding any of the four Achievement Gap Signature Programs (Afterschool, SLLP, Power Scholars Academy and ELR) and supporting sub-grant funding
- Direct capacity building support from Y-USA
- You will immediately become eligible for capacity building funding.
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Save the Date for "
Providing a Healthy Start!"
Massachusetts' first-ever Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Summit!
See below for details
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Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Debate
Thank you all for your state budget advocacy work these past few weeks. You did an amazing job! Thanks to your calls and emails we had 72 co-sponsors on the Youth-At-Risk Amendment, a record number! We also had 70 co-sponsors for the Rate Reserve Amendment, and 32 for the quality workforce amendment. If you haven't had the chance to thank your legislators for signing on please take a moment to do so.
The House budget included level funding of
$900,000 for the Youth-At-Risk Line item. This is a great
start
moving
into the Senate, especially since the state is facing one of its toughest budget years with a $1.8 billion deficit.
The House budget also added a quality workforce amendment for early education and after school programs, putting
$4,000,000 toward direct grants to programs that are at level 3 or 4 in the Quality Ratings Improvement Systems (QRIS).
The addition of $5,000,000 for an Early Education Rate Reserve was successful. While this is a step in the right direction, advocates' efforts to amend this line item upwards were not successful and we continue to push for additional funding.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means budget's amendments were filed yesterday.
If you have meetings with your Senators or have them visiting your Y soon, please let them know that we are supporting
$1.5 million for the Youth-At-Risk Line item
($1.3 million directly to Ys and $200,000 to continue our substance abuse work) and
$15.2 million in the Early Education Rate Reserve.
Senators Moore and Dorcena-Forry have circulated a letter in support of the rate reserve funding in the Senate budget. Please ask your Senators to
sign
on to the letter. You can email your Senator by clicking here. Please also take the time to call your Senator.
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AYP Training on Power Hiring
In the Power Hiring workshop you will learn and review the most critical and important aspects of building and creating the right team. You will learn how to be our own cause-driven detective, to
properly
investigate the candidates you want to hire. Sourcing, phone screens, in-person interviews, reference checks, making the offer and on boarding. Learn these skills to increase your effectiveness as a Cause Driven Leader!
Where
Dave & Busters
250 Granite St
Braintree, MA 02184
Register Online
http://www.ayponline.org/events/event_details.asp?id=629871&group
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OSNAP
The
Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative (OSNAP) is a collaborative project between Harvard School of Public Health Prevention Research Center and local after-school program providers in Boston.
The Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs teamed up with Harvard to train key YMCA staff to facilitate Learning Communities' after-school staff (with local YMCAs) to bring out-of-school time programs together to create healthy changes.
There are three Learning Communities which assess current conditions of programs, create active action plans to assist programs, and work towards improving the work Ys already do.
Kristine Swan, Director of the State Street Early Learning Center at South Shore YMCA and OSNAP trainer, says:
"I have enjoyed working with the other YMCAs AfterSchool/Out of School Time Staff to assess our programs, and work together to enhance our policies and procedures to ensure better outcomes for children. We have gained some great ideas from each other in the process, and continue to work on our action plans to enhance physical activity and nutrition in Out of School Time Programs!"
Donna Keller, Senior Program Director at Old Colony YMCA and OSNAP trainer, says:
"One of the most important pieces I felt were looking at policies and how to work towards changing them to align with the OSNAP standards. The policies are what we need to show to parents, children and staff that we as an organization are embracing the standards and will be adhering to them. Having policies in place give us our leg to stand on... It was a great opportunity for other Y's to share their stories and experiences so that everyone walked away with new ideas and resources. I believe that because of the OSNAP initiative, Y's will continue to be leaders for healthy eating and physical activity."
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Youth in Government: Fostering Today's Youth
Michelle Chung, Youth in Goverment participant says:
"For over 32 years, the Massachusetts Youth in Government (YIG) program has guided teens to become more informed and involved in the workings of the United States' democratic system. With over 200 participants a year within the state and thousands within the country, this model of student government allows teens the opportunity to experience the processes and protocols exemplary of a true democracy. Despite the fact that YIG ends for most delegates by the end of high school, a majority have taken the skills they've learned in the program to other areas. Many have gone to college studying politics or even participated in College Youth in Government, while others have become youth advocates or leaders where they can utilize their public speaking skills learned from their experiences. Youth in Government has been a program that inspires civic engagement in today's youth, and fosters care, honesty, respect, and responsibility in all of its participants."
If you do not have a Youth in Government delegation at your Y and are interested in starting one, please contact Caitlin Cavanagh
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YMCA Housing
If your Y has Housing programs or facilities, please
contact us
!
We're putting together a network to connect Housing personnel in Massachusetts YMCAs.
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Join the Y-USA Advocates Action Network
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National Advocacy Days may have ended, but that doesn't mean our advocacy work is over! The Y-USA Advocates Action Network website includes the latest news and updates, Twitter posts, action alerts, photo streams and stories related to advocacy.
If you haven't done so already, TAKE ACTION!
The Alliance will be primarily using Aristotle to contact advocates, check your spam folders for messages from Aristotle.
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Save the Date: 2015 New England Fall Leadership Conference
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Save the Date
The 2015 New England Fall Leadership Conference will take place on Wednesday, October 14- Friday October 16 at Sea Crest Hotel in Falmouth, MA.
Opening Keynote Speaker:
Angela Williams
SVP, General Counsel & Chief Administration Officer at Y-USA
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Commemorating the birth of the modern Olympic Games, Olympic Day is not only a celebration, but an international effort to promote fitness and well-being in addition to the Olympic ideals of Fair Play, Perseverance, Respect and Sportsmanship. This year, organizations can host an Olympic Day celebration between May 31-July 1, 2015.
Communities across the U.S. will celebrate Olympic Day through educational programming and other activities and may also include Olympic Day as part of a pre-existing event.
We encourage your Ys to host an event in your community in the month of June. Tag Olympic Day onto the event to make it bigger! Resources such as physical tool kits and virtual seminars headed by the United States Olympic Committee are available. In addition, the US Olympic Committee will work with 10,000 Olympians and Paralympians to find an athlete to potentially attend your event!
- Some event ideas to host:
- Fun Run
- 5k Run
- Mini-Olympics
- Sport Clinics
- Day Camp Theme/Events
- Olympic Art
- Olympic Trivia
- Torch Relay
- Obstacle Courses
To register an event for Olympic Day, visit
www.TeamUSA.org/OlympicDay, click on "Host Registration" and follow the on-screen prompts and questionnaire.
Once completed, you are registered to host an Olympic Day celebration in your community!
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Massachusetts Veterans' Services
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Please share this information about Veterans' Services with all Y staff, members and family members!
Veterans seeking support in a crisis or general resource and benefits navigation, should contact the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services Statewide Advocacy for Veterans Empowerment (SAVE) Program. SAVE helps veterans and their families navigate federal, state and local resources to ensure successful outcomes at home. SAVE can be reached at 617-210-5743 or rsaucier@massmail.state.ma.us.
For more general information regarding benefits and resources for veterans and their families in Massachusetts please go to www.massvetsadvisor.org.
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