DEI mentoring: Volume I

DEI and Culturally Aware Programming for DREAM Mentors

Hello DREAMers! Welcome to the first volume of DREAM's DEI Mentoring Newsletter! To start off, some of you may be wondering, what exactly is DEI? DEI is short for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Below are the definitions of each segment as provided by NACE.com: Diversity: Including but is not limited to race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status, education, marital status, language, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, genetic information, and learning styles." Equity: The guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically under-served and under-represented populations and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is needed to assist equality in the provision of effective opportunities to all groups." Inclusion: Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policymaking in a way that shares power and ensures equal access to opportunities and resources." This new newsletter series was curated to address the educational needs of our current mentors on the subjects of diversity and creating culturally aware programming. Many of you have asked us for resources that could be used to facilitate conversations and teach your mentees on the subjects of race and inclusion. Especially in today's times, these subjects have been at the forefront of modern media, and a sensitive subject for those affected. It will always be a priority of the DREAM organization to strive for an inclusive, diverse, and ethical working environment in all that we do, and especially for the youth that we work with. We hope that you all find these bi-weekly resources useful and incorporate them into your lesson plans with your mentees moving forward. Below are this week's three DEI Resources: 1.) Talk About Race (NPR Audio Guide) This twenty-minute NPR audio segment highlights key things to keep in mind when discussing race with young children in an informative, eye-opening story from experts, educators, and parents.

2.) "Who I Am" Poetry Activity This fifteen-minute activity encourages self-awareness and development by having each participant write a short poem with an 'I statement' with things that make them unique.

3.) Teaching Kids About Diversity (Craft Activity) This visual activity only requires a simple household item (eggs), and showcases this simple message of diversity: "We are all the same on the inside."

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Looking for more DEI and inclusive mentorship resources Be sure to check out our official resource hub and Facebook Group!

DREAM Partners with One Warm Coat!

Hello DREAMers, DREAM has officially partnered with One Warm Coat to secure coat donations throughout our various service regions! We're so excited to begin work on these coat drives and are humbled and grateful for the opportunity to work with them! Keep an eye out on your inboxes for more updates as they come along! About One Warm Coat: Since 1992, One Warm Coat has been working to provide free coats to anyone in need. Every year, hundreds of nonprofit organizations and schools benefit from the generosity of their neighbors. “Last year, One Warm Coat volunteers collected more than 500,000 coats, which were distributed in the communities where they were collected. DREAM needs the community’s help to keep [your city/community name] residents warm this winter. We’re happy to provide everything the community needs to hold a coat drive on our website” said One Warm Coat President & CEO, Beth W. Amodio. About DREAM: The DREAM Program helps close this gap for over 500 of the most vulnerable children in our communities by providing deeply committed college student mentors, local and regional adventures, summer enrichment and overnight camp, support for postsecondary success, and an unwavering commitment to dreaming big. The core of our model is Village Mentoring, a high dosage, college campus-based one-on-one, and team mentoring model. About One Warm Coat One Warm Coat is a national nonprofit that works to create awareness of the vital need for warm coats across the country. One Warm Coat supports volunteer efforts to hold coat drives by providing tools and resources. One Warm Coat works with manufacturers and retailers to accept and process in-kind coat donations. One Warm Coat relies on individual and corporate financial donations to support the coat drive program, in-kind donation program, and awareness campaign, and to purchase new coats for agencies in crisis. Every $1 donated warms 1 person. One Warm Coat partners with non-profit agencies and schools in local communities across all 50 states to distribute coats for free and without discrimination to children and adults in need. Learn more about One Warm Coat here: onewarmcoat.org

DREAM Program Receives $1.25 Million To Mentor Youth Affected By Opioid addiction

Hi DREAMers, With great excitement and gratitude, I'm writing to share a grant announcement coming out of Senator Leahy's office about a new investment in our work, to pilot high school DREAM. We can't wait to get going. Mike ----- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday announced that Vermont’s DREAM program will receive a three-year, $1.25 million grant from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to support peer mentoring for elementary-aged youths in rural communities whose lives have been affected by the opioid epidemic. This is the second such award made to Vermont mentoring programs since Leahy, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to expand the program’s eligibility to include rural states that have been hard hit by drug addiction. The change was first made in the fiscal year 2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Leahy said: “We know mentoring works, it can literally change lives. For a young person whose family life has been upended by the opioid epidemic, this kind of one-on-one connection can be a lifeline. It’s even more critical now, as we see the increase in rural isolation brought on by the COVID pandemic.” The Youth Initiative grant, administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), will help match high school mentors and elementary-aged mentees from rural communities across Vermont. DREAM, which works to close the opportunity gap that exists for many of Vermont’s young people, seeks to boost educational expectations, grow personal aspirations and build trusting relationships through its mentor pairings. The program also works to provide supportive social environments that will reduce the likelihood of youths engaging in high-risk behaviors, including substance misuse. “Through inequitable and often racialized systems, there is a growing the socio-economic chasm in resources, life experiences, and access to adult mentors for youth in low-income households,” said Michael Foote, DREAM’s executive director. “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to reach more youth around Vermont and to help grow the mentoring movement and we are incredibly grateful to our many partners who have helped us further develop this part of our mentoring work.” Leahy, a longtime champion of youth mentoring programs, credited Vermont’s strong network of mentor providers for the state’s success in capturing these highly competitive grants. Last year, Vermont’s Department of Children and Families, in partnership with MENTOR Vermont, was also awarded a three-year, $1.25 million DOJ grant to support mentoring in communities challenged by opioid use disorders. Leahy continued: “These programs are reaching our most vulnerable young people, who are often living in underserved rural communities. I’m proud of the work being done in Vermont. We know how critical these social connections are during normal times, but they are even more critical now as our country, and the world, faces down a deadly pandemic.” Read the full press release on Senator LehaLeahy'sy's website HERE