Youth Opportunity

Program Name: Near Peer Mentoring in New Bedford Schools
Award Amount: $10,000

Coaching4Change (C4C) partners with low-income, school districts to provide an extra layer of support for high-need K-12 students. By training racially diverse College Mentors who assist students in the classroom and after school, C4C supports school improvement initiatives by increasing student engagement and social-emotional learning. C4C’s College Mentors support, encourage, and assist local school children to succeed academically and as individuals. C4C’s model is straightforward and highly effective: Professional educators (the Coaches) supervise college students (the Mentors) who in turn mentor/coach the K-12 students. Programming at each school is co-designed with school leadership teams and C4C staff to meet the specific needs of each student and school community.

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Program Name: The Basics SouthCoast
Award Amount: $10,000

The Coalition for Health Equity and Early Development (HEED) is partnering with Southcoast Health to support families with children aged birth to five in marginalized communities. Together, they will share a full-time Community Health Worker (CHW) trained in The Basics Five Principles to engage families during WIC appointments and in the shared lactation room at the New Bedford Health Center. The lactation room, designed with artistic contributions from New Bedford Creative, the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra, and the Zeiterion Theater, will promote relaxation and well-being for nursing mothers while reinforcing early childhood development principles.

CHWs will empower families with tools to nurture healthy child development, supported by partnerships with Birth to Third and One Southcoast Chamber to streamline access to childcare and voucher systems. HEED also aims to expand the model to workplace lactation spaces, collaborating with the New Bedford Health Department to engage employers in supporting early childhood initiatives. This initiative demonstrates the power of creativity, collaboration, and The Basics framework to ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive.

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Program Name: Academic Excellence Program
Award Amount: $20,000

Dennison Center is located in the three most poorest census tracts in the city and state. Dennison Center has provided a variety of programs and services to disadvantaged children and families in New Bedford and throughout the South Coast region for over 150 years. Our purpose is to increase the educational attainment and personal development of at-risk adolescents and families by offering education, recreation, and support services in a safe setting. We serve around 100-150 children and teens on a daily basis, with an extra 200-300 during the summer, and are open to any kid or teen aged 6-16 or through high school graduation. We accept all youth "wherever they are," regardless of circumstance, disability, or need. Our immigrant communities reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of our children, who have rich cultural heritages. Our students are from low-income households and are at high risk of dropping out of school, joining gangs, or becoming adolescent parents. In New Bedford, 40% or more of kids drop out of high school, owing to a lack of a vision for their own future. Dennison comes in to provide after-school and summer programs to help students to stay in school and make good life decisions. Our 12,000-square-foot facility provides a variety of academic, art, athletic, and youth development programs and services.

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Program Name: English Literacy- ESL Youth Program
Award Amount: $20,000

This year marks Discovery Language Academy's fourth year of offering its youth ESL program, which has garnered significant interest from both middle and high school-aged students (ages 13-18). During the 2023-2024 academic year, funding constraints limited the program to a class for 7-12-year-olds, with a concurrent post-secondary adult course. The academy aims to continue the middle school ESL class while expanding to include a high school-level ESL class.

Over the past three years, the program has demonstrated its necessity and success, with assessments showing significant language skills growth in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Using the Massachusetts WIDA Standards model, 53% of students showed measurable improvement, with 14 of 26 participants advancing their proficiency levels. Participation has steadily grown, with 27 students in year one, 28 in year two, and 26 in year three. With plans for year four, the academy anticipates serving at least 60 English Learners.

The program aims to create a seamless transition from middle school to post-secondary ESL courses while encouraging family participation in ESL learning. Plans include hiring two certified ESL teachers and a classroom aide to lead the program, offering intensive and engaging instruction to accommodate up to 60 participants. Classes will meet weekly during the summer and bi-weekly from September through June, aligning with the adult class schedule to support family learning and community impact.

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Program Name: Providing New Bedford Youth with Equitable Access to Nature Year-Round
Award Amount: $22,000

Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) has been operating in New Bedford since 2004, celebrating 20 years of service this year. Y.O.U. brings youth to New Bedford's south end and complements children's traditional education by bringing children outside to explore the peninsula by bicycle and see the city's south end through a nature-focused lens. Getting children outside in nature, moving their bodies, and getting their hands dirty supports their physical, social, and emotional health and well-being, while also providing them with a fun and engaging educational experience. Through three of Y.O.U's core afterschool programs - Fall Urban Explorers, Winter INdoor Discoveries (WIND), and Spring Urban Explorers - the Y.O.U. team plans, coordinates, and implements outdoor learning and exploration around the south end. Youth participants explore the peninsula's natural resources and habitat, including Buzzards Bay, the Victory Park Pond, and Fort Taber, as well as Y.O.U.'s growing Living Education Center, which includes Y.O.U.'s Apiary, the Victory Park Children's Community Garden, the live Osprey camera, the autonomous weather station, and the Monarch butterfly habitat. Education in nature enhances the traditional STEAM curriculum that students are taught in school, while also greatly benefiting children's physical, social, and emotional well-being and health. Research published by frontiers in Psychology in 2019 found that: "Nature does promote learning in children in both direct and indirect ways. Nature can help a student feel more attentive, less stressed, more self-disciplined, more engaged, more interested and more physically active and fit. And it can also provide a calmer, quieter, safer, warmer, more cooperative setting for learning." Through this high-quality afterschool programming that is offered free of charge to participants and their families, New Bedford youth get the opportunity to engage in fun and educational experiences in their own backyard.

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Program Name: YWkids School Age Child Care Program
Award Amount: $25,000

YYWkids provides a high quality after-school and summer program in a state-of-the-art facility to approximately fifty-two (52) children/youth who over-reflect the demographics of the New Bedford community. The program operates Monday through Friday from 2:00pm-6:00pm and full days during school vacations and summer (7:30am-5:30pm). Utilizing national best practices, enriching program activities challenge and inspire the growth and development of New Bedford youth—benefiting students, families, and the community. The program offers unique and quality opportunities geared specifically for the diverse needs of each individual child. YWkids places strong emphasis on leadership development, self-esteem, problem solving, and teamwork exemplifying the vital attributes of 21st Century skills. All participants receive free transportation to and from the YWkids downtown site, thirty to sixty minutes of physical activity, nutritional snacks, racial justice , financial literacy and STEAM activities, emotional & social support, and off-site experiences. The youth are provided with fun, personal enriching experiences that may not otherwise be available to them.Wkids School Age Child Care Program

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