A Letter from Mike Foote on the Events of January 6, 2021

Dear DREAMers,

In this unpredictable period it’s important to take time and space to process, care for ourselves, and care for each other.

I imagine, like many of you with mentees, children and young people in your orbit, you are wondering what the scenes that played out last night, in the heart of our democracy, indicate for their futures. Within this uncertainty, it feels important to reaffirm our values, and I want to reshare our commitment to you and our broader DREAM community:

DREAM is a community-based organization that values civility and inclusion. We are here to hold a safe and welcoming space for all of our community — mentees and mentors, alumni, families, donors, and partners.

We at DREAM promise to continue to:

• Create a safe space for children to be themselves and grow in peace.

• Foster a beloved community where all people are included and respected.

• Celebrate diversity in our community and in our world as a whole.

• Welcome you, in dialog and action, to co-create a better future for our children.

At DREAM we believe change is possible. That said, the violent events of January 6th at the Capitol building clearly displayed our nation’s deep structural inequalities and white privilege. These wounds will not heal quickly. Yesterday's actions were harmful to many communities and it will take lots of work to rebuild a country that is equitable and safe for all. We acknowledge the difficulties ahead and we are ready to do what we can.

Dream, Mike

PS - To take specific action, we would like to offer the following two trainings and encourage you to join us. Click here to register.

How to design awesome, culturally relevant programming for youth.

As we grow to better understand and appreciate diversity, how are we using this information to inform the experiences we create for youth? Come prepared to learn and share!

January 15th @ 12:00pm

How to talk to your mentee about race.

This training contains a retrospective on coming through 2020 that has had us deal with two different types of pandemics: a health crisis and a resurgent demand for racial justice and equity in our country. How do we prepare to engage in the conversations that our mentees and their families are inevitably already having?

February 5th @ 12:00pm

Facilitator: Lawrence Alexander.Lawrence is a DE&I strategist with Carney, Sandoe & Associates. He joins DREAM this year as a consultant, providing leadership coaching and trainings, reviews of policies and practices, and support for an equity audit. Lawrence is helping DREAM “up” its game to become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.