Grantees

The Trauma-Informed Schools Program (TISP) is a resilience-focused consultation and training program helping schools become better equipped to address the impact of trauma and adversity and increase resilience and healing. TISP recognizes the impact of stress and trauma is disproportionate and is therefore designed as part of other equity and social-emotional initiatives. Operating successfully since 2010, TISP is committed to efficacy and improvement. NFI will create a committee to design an updated curriculum, fully integrated between mental health and educational best practices, and facilitate implementation across Vermont.

The Enosburgh Public Library is the center of the community here in Enosburgh Falls. We are planning a twice a month Night Out event at the library here at the Enosburgh Public Library. One night each month will be for our Teen's only to have a safe space where they can come and enjoy some food, have a space to socialize with friends, participate in the nights events, watch a movie, play games and have a safe spot to hang out. We will also do one night a month for our whole families to have a "Night Out" together, where they will be fed, play games, watch a movie and socialize. We will have a special performer that will differ for each event ex: Trivia Night.

NCSU Encore runs afterschool and summer programs out of nine elementary schools in the NEK. A goal of the program is to keep 6th-8th graders in small rural communities engaged, help them build community, and to leverage their leadership in program, school, community and state decision making. This project would support the establishment and sustainability of a middle school SU-wide GSA (for LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies) that meets for Saturday retreats throughout the year. In these retreats youth will learn advocacy and leadership skills, connect with the local community through service and stewardship, and build community with other youth that they will eventually attend the centralized high school with.

BGCB is piloting our Nurture Nature Days Program in partnership with the Vermont Wilderness School in order to provide structured outdoor learning and recreation environments for youth and their families. This program will operate free bi-weekly on Saturdays from 10AM through noon during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024. Each session of the program will be operated on a drop-in basis at a different outdoor location around Windham County. This structure creates better access to programming for families in Windham County’s rural towns, allowing youth and parents/caregivers to attend the sessions that align best with their schedules. Each program session focuses on different outdoor skills and includes a healthy snack for all participants.

Outright Vermont (ORVT) will use this funding for the formal launch of a QTBIPOC youth group. QTBIPOC stands for Queer and Transgender Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This group will be an intentional space, driven by youth and supported by QTBIPOC adult volunteers. The goal is to provide the opportunity to connect, build community, tackle challenges, harness joy, and simply be.

Partners In Adventure is a year-round, one-of-a-kind non-profit program which offers a wide variety of adapted & inclusive recreational and social programs for young people with disabilities &friends. Our mission is to honor diversity while providing unique experiences that foster independence, self-esteem, & build social & community connections. We have implemented a highly successful music therapy program through grant monies received from VCF last year. We have been able to offer this at no cost to participants & with the amazing work of a trained music therapist we have approximately 20 people every session. Music is highly motivating tool for increased communication skills, social skills, creativity, and self expression.

Unfortunately, in 2019, 27 % of Vermont high schoolers admitted to either receiving or sending a sext in the past 30 days (YRBS). This can cause youth legal involvement and emotional and social distress. PCAVT’s Project SELFIE (Safe Expression onLine for Internet Empowerment) will decrease the numbers of youth who engage in and are harmed by sexting. The program is a developmentally appropriate, trauma informed, sexting prevention program to increase digital safety for youth. It includes presentations for middle and high school students and training for adults on decreasing the digital risks: sexting, online grooming, inappropriate digital communications by adults to youth, and online pornography. Evaluations show the program works!

PROSPER is an evidence based partnership model that facilitates the delivery of two evidence based programs that build strong families and help youth avoid risky behaviors. UVM Extension and Lyndon Town School along with community partners, will come together to implement strategies and programs that support needs identified in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey data by building protective factors through a strengths based approach. We will continue to strengthen this PROSPER site in the Northeast Kingdom, adding new facilitators and building sustainability, supporting youth and families in having the skills they need to thrive.