Youth Service Advisory Board

NORWICH YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING January 11, 2011 ROOM 335, NORWICH CITY HALL (860) 823-3782 - FAX (860) 892-6031 Email: nyfs@cityofnorwich.org MINUTES The Norwich Youth and Family Services Advisory Board Meeting was held on January 11, 2011 in Room 335 in Norwich City Hall. Those in attendance were as follows: Kay Eyberse-Coordinator Jodi M. Vara-Norwich Free Academy, President Janet Paton-Community Member Debbie Kievits-Community Member Laura Wraight-Norwich Public Schools Angela Rae Duhaime-Community Member Vouise Fonville-DCF Duncan Profitt-Community Member Excused: Soledad Metcalfe-Juvenile Court Absent: Ashley Sebastian-Youth Member, Ryan Kelsey-NPD Kay Eyberse called the meeting to order at 8:30. Kay started the meeting by having everyone introduce him/herself, sign in and update any email information. The minutes from the November 9, 2010 meeting were distributed and read. Several corrections were noted (Connie LaBassi no longer represents NPS and Soledad Meltcalf represents Juvenile Court. The corrections were noted and the minutes were approved. Program Review ~ • Antibullying Workshops- The first Antibullying Workshop for preschool parents and teachers was held on November 22nd at the Rose City Senior Center. Children First Norwich and School Readiness cosponsored the workshop and preschool teachers were able to earn CEUs. 45 parents and teachers attended. • Norwich Youth Action Council- NYAC has met twice, on November 29th and again, on January 10th. Their next regular meeting will be on January 31st and thereafter, on the last Monday of the month at 3:30 in room 335. We have eight youth on the Council: Aracely Reyes, Raagan Wicken, Dane BIARD, Barbara Richard, Arlete Rodriques, Sorna Sarker, Amilia-lee Lydick, and James Handy. They sponsored their 3rd Family Fun Night on November 30th, with 70 parents and kids in attendance. Their next project will take place at Thames River Family Program on February 7th. They will be executing a Kids Craft Fair for the children. Angelo will be connecting with the Mayor’s secretary to arrange a meet and greet with the City Council. • Girls Circle- Girls Circle will continue into the Spring.  • Strengthening Families- The Strengthening Families program will be starting in January. This program is for at-risk children and their parents. The program will be geared towards 10-14 year olds. We currently have 6 families scheduled for the program. A referral is needed for participants of this program. If you would like to refer a family, please contact Kay at (860) 823-3782. • COOL Directions- COOL Directions is in full swing. COOL Directions is a program which offers career exploration, job shadowing, internship opportunities and teaches work readiness skills to Norwich resident high school juniors and seniors of low- income families. • Adopt-a-Family – This cooperative venture with Human Services provided Christmas to 100+ Norwich families. Grant Updates ~ • NYFS was awarded $3615 from the Community Foundation Women’s and Girl’s Fund for Girl’s Circle. • The Norwich Prevention Council was awarded $7500 in grant money to support substance abuse prevention activities in Norwich. • We received word last week that Norwich Public Schools was awarded a $20,000 grant to complement the work being done by the Families With Services Needs Board. The goal of this group is to minimize court referrals due to truancy, defiance of school rules and acting out behavior. • Kay also reported that a change in Congress has resulted in a loss in Federal funding for NYFS’s Young Parent Program. Originally approved for up to five years of funding, 2011 will be it’s last funding cycle. New Business ~ • The Board expressed an interested in hearing about programs for Homeless children. An attempt will be made to have the school’s Homeless Liaison attend our next meeting. • Angela, Debbie, Jodi , Jan and Duncan volunteered to join the advocacy subcommittee for NYFS to tackle the upcoming budget season. This committee will be responsible for organizing a coherent response to potential budget cuts. This subcommittee will be meeting separately to address these issues. • Kay discussed the work she has been involved with regarding the “Norwich Community Center” and is interested in feedback from the Board and, perhaps, a  letter of endorsement. Members expressed hesitancy and wanted to hear more from Luis Depina regarding the plans. Kay agreed to ask Lou to meet with members on the 25th to review his plan. Wrap-Up ~ • “What does Youth and Family Services need from me?” • “What can Youth and Family Services do for me?” Next Board meeting will be March 8th, 2011 from 8:30-9:30am. Room 335 in City Hall Refreshments will be served. All are welcome! NYFS is now on Facebook. Check it out for program updates, tips and upcoming events!