Youth Service Advisory Board

NORWICH YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING September 13th 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 November 8th 2011 in Room 335 in Norwich City Hall. Those in attendance were as follows: Angelo Callis-NYFS Staff Jodi Vara-Norwich Free Academy, President Angela Rae Duhaime-Community Member Soledad Busto-Juvenile Court Vouise Fonville-DCF Absent: Ryan Kelsey-NPD Laura Koniecko-Norwich Public Schools Duncan Profitt-Community Member Jan Paton-Community Member Debbie Kievits-Community Member Sorna Sarker-Youth Member Kay Eyberse-NYFS Coordinator was unable to attend Angelo Callis called the meeting to order at 8:30. Jodi Vara started the meeting by having everyone introduce him/herself, sign in and update any email information. The minutes from the September 13th, 2011 meeting were distributed and read. The minutes were approved as written. Program Review ~ • Norwich Youth Action Council- The Pancake Breakfast/Silent auction was a tremendous success. The group raised $1453 after they paid for supplies. They decided to donate the money from the fundraiser to the Senior’s Golden Wishes Fund which provides items such as glasses, medications, etc to needy Seniors. They also held a crafting event for preschoolers at Thames River Family Program and are planning their quarterly Family Fun Night for December. • Girls Circle- has begun as an after school option at NFA. This group has been introduced as a transition tool for 9th graders and is an evidenced based prevention program that we have had great success with.  • Strengthening Families- The new group began at the Senior Center last week. There are 10 families signed up for this popular, family focused training. This seven week interactive program that is designed to boost protective factors will also be offered again in late winter/early Spring. • Youth Employment- COOL Directions is actively recruiting new young people. They provide intensive work skills training and mentoring with the goal of increasing employability and success rates with low income youth. • Adult and Teen Leadership – We have begun actively recruiting adults and teens for our yearly Leadership Training programs. We will also be running a youth leadership component for the Choices program at Thames Academy this year. • Norwich Prevention Council – Norwich will be receiving an increase in funding this year due to an increase in population census for the town. Programming for the coming year includes: Youth Book Club, Shoulder Taps and Compliance Checks run in conjunction with the NPD, a group for youth affected by addictive behavior, 2 SADD coffee house events for the community, and two Kick Butts Events at Kelly and Teachers Middle Schools. • Family Day- This yearly event was, once again, a tremendous success. Mohegan Park was filled to capacity, the Norwich Fire Department fired the hot dogs and the entertainment was a blast. 2000+ people attended and the focus this year was on Children’s Health issues. • Youth and Family Counseling and Young Parents Program- NYFS has been unable to secure additional funding for its Young Parents Program since it was prematurely discontinued at the Federal Level. The counseling program continues to advertise its services and focus on the youth involved in the JRB and FWSN community. New Business Updates ~ • NYFS has received a $1500 grant to hold a Community Conversation related to Family Literacy. • Children First Norwich is planning a community wide workshop on Childhood Obesity featuring Dr. David Katz from Yale University and the originator of the NUVAL system. It will be schedule for sometime in January. Stay tuned. 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 January 10th, 2012 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!