Public Relations Campaign
A key aspect of our public relations campaign is a short film featuring what young people around the county have to say about their goals, achievements, and fears, what it is like to live in their community, and how they would like adults to treat and support them. We are filming in each region of the county this month and look forward to releasing the film at the end of April. It will run on all public access stations in Windham County.

After School Activities
We have compiled all of the data received from the after school activity survey sent out to parents throughout the county with children in kindergarden through 8th grade. We are working to gather information on all existing after school activities to help us process the data. We are also connecting with individuals from each supervisory union region to determine the best ways to move forward in supporting the engagement of every young person in at least one activity. Please contact me if you are interested in being a part of this planning or know someone who should be.

Web Site Development
A web site will be developed for youth and families in Windham County to access information about after school activities available in their area. We will be receiving proposals from local web site designers at the end of this week and plan to have the site up and running before the beginning of next school year.

We are beginning to gather information on all existing after school activities. If you or someone you know provides after school programming, please see the attached letter and form.

Community Dialogue to Promote Understanding and Change
A group of 13 community members in the Brattleboro area are working to organize community wide study circles. Study circles are small group discussions where everyone has a voice. They provide a simple way for people of all ages to talk respectfully and solve problems together. Through study circles, adults and teens can get to know each other, form new relationships, and build a community where everyone thrives.

The group has scheduled a pilot study circle for the month of May. The focus of this pilot will be on the Brattleboro Union High School mascot issue and how it impacts the community. This pilot will help planning committee members learn more about the process and how it can help the community deal with issues that arise.


Education on Positive Youth Development
The Asset Development Initiative is providing a workshop on the key building blocks necessary for youth to grow up healthy, responsible and caring and how adults and youth can work together as part of The Mentoring Project/Alliance for Life Long Learning seminar series. Youth program directors, outreach workers, counselors, teachers, parents, and anyone else interested will gain knowledge and skills from a variety of youth asset and leadership development models. The workshop will be held on March 26th from 9:00am-12:00pm. The cost of the workshop is $25 (scholarships are available). Please contact The Mentoring Project/ALL at 802-258-2255 for more information or to register.

Ski for less and help support prevention efforts!
On March 28 there will be $25 lift tickets available in Killington's Snowshed Base lodge.  $12.50 of each ticket sold will go to benefit the prevention project picked by the participants. For more information visit http://www.state.vt.us/adap/rtamain.htm.

Please Note: This event was not initiated by the Youth Initiative, but we thought you would want to know.