Grantees

Responding to requests from our students, NEYT is piloting a formal Leader-In-Training (LIT) program. We are launching this program to provide new educational opportunities to our Senior Company students, and improve the quality of instruction delivered to our Junior Company students. This program provides training to emerging student leaders at NEYT, offering them new competencies as teachers and formal responsibilities within NEYT programming. Leaders-In-Training will be embedded in NEYT’s Junior Company and Theatre Technology summer programming, working alongside NEYT’s staff in an instructional capacity. Funds will cover staff time for training student participants, as well as provide stipends for each Leader-In-Training.

The New England Youth Theatre (NEYT) will use this funding to launch our Mentorship Education program. Participants in this program will work with our team of staff and visiting artists to learn discipline-specific skills that are applied in support of our productions throughout the year. Through small group and one-on-one learning environments, young people in our Mentorship Program learn design competencies, team building, and leadership skills that plug into modules such as Costuming, Lighting, and Prop Construction. The young people who move through this program are offered more responsibilities in helping stage NEYT productions and educate their peers to apply the skills they have learned.

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.

A summer program in Northfield for area children.

The Northfield Teen Center's 'Walk a Mile' program engages youth in skill-building and community engagement activities which are art focused, youth selected, youth driven, and facilitated by positive adult mentors.

The Foster Grandparent Program is a unique school-based volunteer program for individuals 55 and older. Foster Grandparent volunteers serve as tutors, mentors, and friends to children. They visit preschools and K-12 schools, working one-on-one or in small groups with children with exceptional needs. Foster Grandparent volunteers contribute crucial educational, social, and emotional support that helps children to reach their full potential. Engaging program participants in effective, high-quality trainings—which allow them to be helpful and respond to the needs of the children they serve—will allow us to extend the program throughout the Northwest region to support more children.