Strong Families. Strong Futures. |
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Greetings, VFN family and friends!
It feels so good to be moving into May with warm weather inching its way back to Vermont! Hopefully people have had an opportunity to get outside to enjoy the spring sunshine when it presents itself!
We had a wonderful Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy conference on April 14th. Families and professionals spent the day learning about special education law and advocacy, visiting the exhibits, and connecting with other families and professionals. Some quotes from attendees include: “Peter Wright was incredible. So much amazing and relevant information. The take home materials are going to be crucial in supporting our work for our children” and “Lots of really good information that I will use in my career as a special educator.” A big thank you to all of the VFN staff who spent many hours planning and executing this conference and to the Delta Hotel staff who helped to make this day such a success!
Puppets in Education is very busy providing both in person and virtual shows to schools throughout Vermont and New York. May is an especially busy month with one quarter of all their shows for the school year being performed. They are booked through to the end of the school year and starting to plan for shows in the fall of 2022.
On April 27th we met with two staff members from Senator Leahy’s office to talk about the important ways we support families as the Family-to-Family Health and Information Center for Vermont and why it is so important to increase this federal funding. Our own Bidur Rai and Diane Bugbee spoke about the important work they do for families and Lanie Kanat joined us as a representative of the board. Family Support Co-Director Jamie Rainville did an excellent job organizing and facilitating the meeting.
Family Support has been busy planning for the upcoming “Voices of our Network” storytelling event. It will be held at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington on June 3rd at 7:00pm. We are grateful to be collaborating with Susanne Schmidt on this event and know it will be a powerful evening of true stories told by families and self-advocates.
We would like to invite you to our Open House event celebrating our one-year anniversary in our new office. The Open House will be on June 9th from 3:30-5:00 pm in Williston, 600 Blair Park Rd. Suite 240. There will be light refreshments and drinks served. We hope you are able to join us in celebrating this milestone!
From the heart,
Sarah Wallace-Brodeur
Interim President/CEO
Vice President of Operations
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Annual Youth Summit Driven for Youth by Youth |
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The Youth Advocacy Council, a group of youth and young adults with disabilities supported by VFN and other partners, are inviting youth and the adults who support them to attend the 4th Annual Youth Summit virtual event – “Education, Empowerment, Equity.” The inspiring Keynote is “Empowering Yourself for Independence: Lessons Learned and Honest Advice” from Teagen and Tyler. Hear members’ stories around self-advocacy and join in the conversation to help effect change on pressing issues as identified by Youth Advocacy Council members.
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Over the years, we’ve supported families with children who live with disabilities or special health needs to elevate their concerns and to advocate for needed change in the systems (health, education, mental health, etc) that support and serve their children. And, we intend to do more!
For the past few months, we’ve been working internally to expand our advocacy program in several ways to-be-announced early summer! But in short, our goals are to surround families with caring support, where you feel seen and heard, and where you’re the expert on the issues that impact you and your family.
You can expect more:
- Connection with other families advocating for change
- Training opportunities
- VFN-hosted advocacy events
- Supported access to decision makers
- Timely news and information, including calls-to-action on important issues
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Voices of Our Network
Live Storytelling Event
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Vermont Family Network presents Voices of Our Network, a live storytelling event on Friday, June 3rd from 7-9:00 p.m., in-person at the Film House at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center and available to watch via livestream. Please join us for this evening of powerful true stories told by families and self-advocates in our community. Live music will accompany this diverse group of storytellers as they share their experiences of disability, parenting, and more!
- If you are unable to attend in-person, please register and we’ll send you a link so you can view the livestream at the time of the event.
- This event is presented by Vermont Family Network and Susanne Schmidt with funding from the VT Arts Council.
- Many thanks to our sponsors: Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center and CCTV Center for Media & Democracy.
Please note that the content and stories in this performance are intended for adult audiences.
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The puppets (and puppets team) are excited for a busy month of in person presentations. The Puppets in Education program have reached over 4,500 people this year with a mix of mostly virtual and a few in person presentations days. Thanks to funding from Vermont Department of Mental Health, National Life Group and the Upstate Chevy Dealers, there are nine presentation days left for our Kindness & Stress puppet program (Grades K-4), Anxiety & Worry puppet program (Grades K-4) and Stress Workshop (Grades 5-8). Last week we were back in person at a Windsor County school. Children shared honest and revealing worries:
What do you think kids worry about?
Shots & doctors, “When you are getting stitches.”
“Worried about getting embarrassed by what you are wearing.”
“If you are scared that when you want to do something you might fail.”
What does your worry look like?
“A big wolf about to eat me.”
“My worry is a gigantic storm that swallows all the things I love.”
“Mine is like a shadow person full of doubt.”
What tools can you use?
“In my head I say I can do this, and everything is going to be ok.”
“I just close my eyes and think of all the good things I have in my life.”
“I think about all that I love to keep calm.”
From the school counselor: “Thank you so much, we loved the show! I heard lots of great feedback from students and teachers. Thank you for the stickers. Thanks again, we feel very lucky to have had this opportunity!"
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Graduation Ceremony Participation
for Students in Special Education
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Vermont's "Walk with your Class" law applies to all students who, because of their disability, need to remain enrolled in school after graduation to complete their secondary education, including transition-related services. This means that even if your youth will be remaining in school beyond their senior year, they can participate with their peers in the graduation ceremony. For information on any transition to adulthood-related concern, check out the VFN Transition Toolkit for Youth with Disabilities. If you have questions about your high-schooler and their options, please contact the VFN Family Support Program at 802-876-5315 or info@vtfn.org. |
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We hope that everyone is enjoying Springtime in Vermont! Our Sibs created beautiful container gardens at our April Sibshops, while also practicing their mindfulness skills.
We are looking forward to our final two events for this Sibshop year, and there is still room for a few Sibs to join us at Metro Rock!
Sibshops are for children 6+ who have a brother or sister with a disability or special health need. They provide an opportunity to connect, share a snack, and discuss the ups and downs of being a “sib,” all while doing a fun activity at VFN or in the community.
Please email Mindy at mindy.deibler@vtfn.org to register your child for Sibshops and/or to be added to our Sibshops email distribution list.
Upcoming Sibshops are:
May 21 – Metro Rock 1:00-3:30 p.m.
During this Sibshop, we will have fun climbing and repelling at MetroRock Climbing Center. All experience levels are welcome! Safety, of course, is #1. The theme of this Sibshop is Flexibility. What does it mean to be flexible? What are some situations in which you must be flexible, with your sib or otherwise?
Location: MetroRock in Essex Junction, Vermont.
June 4 – Ice Cream Social 12:00-2:00 p.m.
A celebration for the whole family! Whether you attend Sibshops regularly, or are new to the program and want to learn more, or even if you have been thinking about joining Sibshops but aren’t sure – we Welcome All Families! The theme of this Sibshop is Celebration. What do you have to celebrate this year? How do you like to celebrate?
Location: Oakledge Park, Burlington, Vermont (fully accessible). Note that parking is $2/hour; please let us know if this is a hardship.
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Vermont Family Network (VFN) is seeking Support Parent volunteers! If you are at a point in your parenting journey where you are ready to support another family, please consider becoming a trained VFN Support Parent with our Parent Matching Program. This three-hour, interactive Zoom training will give you the skills, knowledge, and confidence you need to support other parents, all from the comfort of your own home!
The next training opportunity will be held virtually in two parts: Wednesday, May 18 and Wednesday, May 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. each night. Interested parents should fill out this Survey Monkey application.
After we receive your application, Mindy will reach out with Zoom registration details. Please email mindy.deibler@vtfn.org with any questions. Hope to see you (virtually) there!
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Upcoming Events - Register today! |
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Events
June 3 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. - "Voices of Our Network"
Please join us for this evening of powerful true stories told by families and self-advocates in our community. Live music will accompany this diverse group of storytellers as they share their experiences of disability, parenting, and more! This event will be held in-person in the Film House at Main Street Landing in Burlington. Livestream option available. Register here.
June 9 from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. - VFN Open House
We would like to invite you to our Open House event celebrating our one-year anniversary in our new office at 600 Blair Park Rd. Suite 240. There will be light refreshments and drinks served. We hope you will stop by and join us in celebrating this milestone!
Free Workshops
May 26 from 10-11:00 a.m. - "Self-Advocacy in Transition Planning"
Join us as we talk about the importance of youth with disabilities developing self-advocacy skills as they transition into adulthood. What is the parent’s role in helping to foster their young person’s growth in independence and self-determination? How should youth integrate their disability into their identity? How can agencies and organizations help youth make a successful transition into achieving post-secondary goals in the areas of education, employment and independent living? Presenters: Tara Howe - HireAility VT Transition Program Manager, Betsy Choquette - HireAbility Programs Manager, Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie - VCIL Independent Living Coordinator, Martha Frank - VFN Family Support Consultant-Education. Register here.
June 8 from 10-11:00 a.m. "Vermont Career Advancement Project"
Join us to learn about how HireAbility’s new Vermont Career Advancement Project (VCAP) creates quality career pathways for Vermonters. Youth and adults with disabilities in Vermont are greatly underrepresented in ‘earn & learn’ programs that lead to high wage, high quality career paths. VCAP provides an exciting new 5-year investment in changing that paradigm. Learn about how this effort will be implemented across the state, incorporating a range of access points or on-ramps to progressive education options including paid credentialed training, post-secondary courses and programs, internships and apprenticeships. Presenter: Rich Tulikangas, Career Advancement Director at HireAbility Vermont. Register here.
In case you missed our last series of workshops, you can find a full list on our VFN website. Stay tuned as we add more workshops to our spring schedule!
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Contact Us. We Will Listen! |
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Helping Vermont Families thrive for more than 30 years |
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Office
600 Blair Park Rd, Ste 240,
Williston, VT 05495
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