By Marie I. MacDonald | Observer Contributor
On October 20, over 500 young people from across Massachusetts descended on The Mount to participate in the United Way Youth Venture (UWYV) program of North Central Massachusetts. Aptly titled “Dream It. Do It,” UWYV works with 23 partner sites including 18 area schools and additional community organizations to encourage young people to initiate and create positive lasting change in their communities.
Co-sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Humanity at MWCC, Ashoka’s Youth Venture, and the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, this annual event gathers young people from across the Commonwealth and works to inspire them to come up with original ideas and awards each approved team up to $1,000 in seed funding to launch their project within their community.
April Brewer, daughter of State Senator Steven Brewer and recently back from time with the Peace Corps in Zambia, said she considers herself lucky to be doing the same work here in Massachusetts as she did overseas, working in youth development. Ms. Brewer said, “my job is primarily working directly with the students at the schools, helping them to create their action plan and going through the whole venture process.”
Ms. Brewer explained the plan for the day, talking about the different tracks the students could participate in according to their interests and level of need. “Experienced high schoolers are spending time learning how to pitch their ventures to funders and how to sustain it and continue after they graduate from high school,” said Brewer. “More experienced middle schoolers are going more in depth with team and group dynamics and learning how to be a good leader. Young people new to the process are learning how to think outside the box and come up with new ideas.”
Tyler Sweeney works as an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Ayer Shirley Middle School as part of the Youth Venture program at the school. Mr. Sweeney explained how the Youth Venture program encourages kids to look at their communities, identify problems, and use their passion and interest to address those problems. It encourages young people to be changemakers in their community. He is a Champion Ally trained by the Center for Humanity and Democracy and United Way Youth Venture to go out into the schools and work directly with young people.
According to the UWYV Fiscal 2011 report, a few of the projects launched during the 2010-2011 School Year are: Get F.I.T. (Fitness Is Timeless) at the Sky View Middle School in Leominster; Hugs for Homeless at the Ayer Shirley Middle School in Shirley; and Water to the People based right at Mount Wachusett Community College.
One Venturer from Sky View Middle School is quoted as saying, “UWYV changed how I look at and treat my community and the people around me.”
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