Dorchester Youth Council Blog

"I am excited to be a part of the SCI Dorchester Youth Council because I believe it is time for the youth to get involved. We are the youth of today, not tomorrow, and it is our time to shine."

-Dorchester Youth Council Member, 2007

The Dorchester Youth Council is a diverse group of 12 to 17 year olds from the Dorchester community who work together to make a difference in Dorchester.

What Is Going On with the Dorchester Youth Council...

Happy Healthy Teens Enjoy Safe Love Dance

Verquon Harris, a first year attendee to the Safe Love Dance stated, “Wow that was such a fun dance, do you do this every year?” I told Verquon that yes the Safe Love Dance is an annual event and happens each year at the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center. Verquon then exclaimed, “You should have more parties like this!”

The Dorchester Youth Council in collaboration with Social Capital Inc. (SCI) hosted its seventh annual Safe Love Dance this past Friday, February 19th at the Dorchester House gymnasium. The Safe Love Dance combined a safe place to dance and party with an informative health fair featuring 19 local health organizations, among them were Close to Home, Start Strong Boston, MAP for Health, and La Alianza Hispana. In order to enter the dance, teens were required to interact with at least four of the attending organizations and receive information on healthy teen relationships, safe sex, abstinence, STD/HIV/AIDS awareness, self confidence, nutritional health and violence prevention. By the end of the dance, over 160 Dorchester teens successfully engaged with the attending organizations and improved their relationship skills through skits promoting healthy relationships.

DJ Rolling Rick provided the tunes and beats, while volunteers from SCI and the Dorchester community welcomed and engaged the teens. Eddie Brimage and the Powerhouse Krumpers from the Dorchester Youth Collaborative captivated with a spectacular krumping performance, getting the crowd hyped up for the dance.

The SCI Dorchester Youth Council, a DotWell youth leadership program, is a group of young leaders that meet once a week to discuss new and exciting activities for youth to better their community. Council members encourage other youth to become community leaders and help solve the problems of today’s youth. SCI Dorchester is coordinated through a partnership between Social Capital Inc. (SCI) and DotWell.

For more information about the Dorchester Youth Council's Safe Love Dance please contact Keith Pernell at 617-740-2580 or keith.pernell@dotwell.org . To learn more about other community service learning projects organized by the council, visit www.mydorchester.org or www.dotwell.org

Dorchester Youth Council Spreads Warmth During a Tough Winter

During a Dorchester Youth Council meeting, council member, Jaquan Works stated, “I saw on the news that this was supposed to be one of the worst winters we have seen in a long time. I think that we should create a warm coat drive to help those who do not have the means to buy their own coats.” Other council members agreed and we were able to partner with the Burlington Coat Factory on their annual Warm Coats Warm Hearts Coat Drive.

On Monday, January 25th, eleven Dorchester Youth Council Members and four volunteers helped to gather, sort, and distributed about 600 donated jackets from the Burlington Coat Factory to families in need. Although it was pouring rain, the turnout for the Dorchester Youth Council’s First Annual Warm Coats Warm Hearts Coat Drive was tremendous. One participant stated, “This coat drive is a godsend, thank you very much.” Dawn Martin, the Codman Square Technology Center Program Coordinator, exclaimed, “Many people have been looking for warm coats, these donations will help to keep a lot of Dorchester residents warm through these harsh winter months and economic times.”

The spirits were very high and hearts filled as one of the council member's, Jimmy Huynh, walked up to a 5 year old with an adult-sized coat and said, “I think this will fit you.” The child smiled and said, “I don’t think so.” Every month, the council organizes a community service-learning project that they think will help benefit the community. This event really touched the hearts of many Dorchester residents and helps meet an immediate need. Without the generous donation provided by the Burlington Coat Factory, this event would have not been possible. The council thanks the company and its staff for all their support and looks forward to another successful event next year.

The SCI Dorchester Youth Council is a group of young leaders that meet once a week to discuss new and exciting activities for youth to better their community. Council members encourage other youth to become community leaders and help solve the problems of today’s youth. SCI Dorchester is coordinated through a partnership between Social Capital Inc. (SCI) and DotWell.

For more information about the Dorchester Youth Council's Warm Coats Warm Hearts Coat Drive please contact Keith Pernell, email: keith.pernell@dotwell.org, or phone: 617-740-2580

The Dorchester Youth Council Celebrates MLK Day as A Day On Not A Day Off

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?”

There are many who use Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day to relax and recharge the batteries for another week at work or school. The Dorchester Youth Council decided to use the holiday as a Day on Not a Day Off. Ten Dorchester Youth Council Members took the initiative to serve their communities by making cat beds and adopt me bandanas for the MSPCA and fleece scarves and blankets for Room to Grow at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center in Roxbury. Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to enrich the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development. The MSPCA-Angell is a nonprofit organization, which provides direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year. Their services include animal protection and adoption, advocacy, humane education, law enforcement and world-class veterinary care.

Tommy Nguyen, a Youth Council Member joked, “These beds are going to some lucky cats.” The Youth Council had a lot of fun at the City of Boston/Boston Cares Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and cannot wait to get involved in more civically engaging activities.

The SCI Dorchester Youth Council is a group of young leaders that meet once a week to discuss new and exciting activities for youth to better their community. Council members encourage other youth to become community leaders and help solve the problems of today’s youth. SCI Dorchester is coordinated through a partnership between Social Capital Inc. (SCI) and DotWell.

For more information about the SCI Dorchester Youth Council please contact Keith Pernell through email: keith.pernell@dotwell.org or phone: 617-740-2580.

Join the Dorchester Youth Council

To whom this may concern,

I am writing this letter to inform the youth of Dorchester about a great opportunity to help your community through real social and physical change. I serve with Social Capital Inc. (SCI), an organization whose mission is to strengthen communities by connecting diverse individuals and organizations through civic engagement initiatives. Dorchester needs you! Youth are a powerful force of change and we are recruiting and training teens to connect with and engage citizens through community service learning projects.

We are looking for youth aged twelve to eighteen to become positive agents of change within their own community and the surrounding areas. As a Youth Council Member, you will have the opportunity to identify areas of need in your own community and work towards solving them. Your responsibilities will include recruiting and engaging your peers to participate in teaching, learning, reflection, and action that combines relevant social community-based curriculum with meaningful service throughout the community. In previous years Youth Council Members have been put in charge of organizing a Safe Love Dance in Dorchester. The Safe Love Dance is an opportunity for youth to bring people together to celebrate each other and exemplifies the mission of strengthening communities and fostering camaraderie by building networks of youth to work together towards positive missions. Another event planned and run by the Youth Council is the Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive, which happens on Halloween. During this community service learning project the Youth Council Members recruit other youth to go out into the Melville Park and Ashmont Hill neighborhoods to Trick or Treat for canned food, which helps to combat poverty and hunger in the Dorchester community. Our youth partner agencies will act as a resource for teen leaders and will assist in the identification of community service learning opportunities which engage your neighborhood. Your work will yield influential results. Peaceful, close-knit, active communities are best built by collaborations with youth.

Social Capital Inc. has learned through evaluations and experience that Youth Council Members grow exponentially from this program. Positive community service experiences will allow you to develop leadership qualities. Becoming a Youth Council Member opens up great career and educational opportunities. In addition to the personal benefits of this position, you will be helping your own community and neighborhood to become a more stable environment for people of all ages. Our first meeting was held on October 15^th, but we will be holding meetings for the Youth Council every Monday from 6-730 PM. The meetings will be held at the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center in the Teen Center, the address is 1353 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or want to learn more about this great opportunity I can be reached by phone: (617)-740-2580 or email: Keith.Pernell@dotwell.org. This is a great opportunity to do something positive with your time and improve yourself and your community as a whole.

I look forward to working with you to build a strong, connected community.

Sincerely,

Keith Pernell
SCI Dorchester Youth Leadership Coordinator
Email: Keith.Pernell@dotwell.org
Phone: 617.740.2580

*For more information about the Dorchester Youth Council and the DotWell Teen Center, visit our Youth page.

Trick or Treating for the Greater Good

The Dorchester Youth Council would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this year's Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive a resounding success.

Twelve Dorchester youth and twenty adult volunteers kicked off Halloween with the Dorchester Youth Council’s annual trick or treating service project in the Ashmont Hill and Melville Park neighborhoods of Dorchester. Instead of trick or treating for candy, these civic-minded individuals collected canned goods to benefit two community health center food pantries Dorchester House Multi-Service Center and Dorchester House Multi-Service for the 7th Annual Trick or Treat Canned Drive. During the holiday seasons the food demand increases at most food pantries, including in Dorchester.

As Marika Hewes, the Family Case Management Coordinator at the Dorchester House stated, "These donations will help out the community." This Halloween, the Dorchester Youth Council collected nearly 750 canned goods generously donated by Ashmont Hill and Melville Park residents. Their donations will help feed over 400 families who visit the Dorchester House and Codman Square food pantries every week.

In addition to collecting canned goods the council also stuffed 500 resource bags that were distributed to trick-or-treating families from the house of Melville resident, Doreen Treacy, who generously volunteers her house as our “headquarters” each year. These bags, donated by Mt. Washington Bank, highlighted Dotwell community programs and health services available at Codman Health Center, Codman Square Technology Center, and the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center.

In an effort to keep the season of giving going, the council will extend the Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive through Thanksgiving. They are inviting other members of the community to join the effort by making a donation at convenient drop off locations in Codman Square (450 Washington Street) and Fields Corner (1353 Dorchester Avenue). (Please make sure that the canned food donations are not expired.)

The Trick or Treat Canned Food Drive is an annual service project of the Dorchester Youth Council. Over the past seven years, the council has collected over 7,000 canned goods to benefit local pantries. The council is funded with the generous support of Sovereign Bank.

Again, the Dorchester Youth Council would like to thank everyone who was involved in making this yet another successful year. For more information about the event or the Youth Council please contact Keith Pernell at 617.740.2580 and Keith.Pernell@dotwell.org.

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