News

Mentor Appreciation Brunch Invitation
When: Sunday, January 22nd 10am-12pm Where: City Year Headquarters, 287 Columbus Ave, Boston, MA 02116 This years theme is "Direct Your Future" to honor how mentoring can help direct us in our lives and to, of course, have some Hollywood fun! Come walk our red carpet and mingle with the PYD stars as we celebrate all of our matches, honor some of our outstanding mentors and youth, as well as have some good food and fun. Everyone is welcome! RSVP by 1/18/2012 to: Sheela Nimishakavi at snimishakavi@pyd.org or 617-556-4075 x19.

PYD Staff Make Strong Impression
PYD Staff Jeff Lafata and Kristin Humphrey conducted a workshop at the 2011 Northeast Regional Mentoring Conference that took place October 13-14 in Framingham, MA. Titled "Mentoring Youth with Disabilities", the workshop provided information on how mentoring programs can best address disparities among youth with disabilities. Click here to read an article on their successful workshop.

Partners Exploring Education and Recreation
PYD is collaborating with Tufts Medical Center, the University of Massachusetts Medical School on a research project called Partners Exploring Education and Recreation (PEER), a site-based mentoring program designed to improve the quality of life for youth with Aspergers Syndrome (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA). Matches will meet with a mentor for two hours a week at three participating Boys & Girls Clubs are Chelsea, Roxbury, and South Boston. Mentors will provide support to the youth and as they work towards their personal goals. Matches will have the opportunity to choose from a variety of activities including: Arts, Education, Leadership, Life Skills, Sports, Fitness and Recreation and Technology. Mentees will receive a waived fee to the Boys & Girls Club and a small stipend for their completion of evaluations.

Click here to see the flyer or contact Kate Mattern by October 31st at 617- 636- 4875 for more information.

MLK Scholar Shines at PYD
Jesse Bland was PYD's MLK Summer Scholar this year thanks to a corporate grant from sponsors John Hancock, The Boston Globe, Boston University and Partners HealthCare. Coming into PYD, Bland knew little about the organization, but he quickly embraced the ideals of its mission – aspire, achieve, empower. Now Bland has participated enthusiastically in Access to Theatre, the Youth Leadership Forum, and behind the scenes work at PYD. For more information on the MLK Summer Scholarship program, please click here.

Making a Difference with Words
Non-profit disabilities consultant Susan Crossley's latest blog entry is about her experience with PYD and mentoring. Click here to view it: http://www.disabilityinfo.org/blog/.

South End News Applauds ATT's Performance
On Friday, July 22nd, Access to Theatre put on another great performance at the Cyclorama, highlighted by South End News. Click here to read the article. Congratulations to all of the performers for a job well done!

We've rolled out the most recent edition of the OPTIONS newsletter!
To read it online click HERE! Would you like to receive our bi-annual newsletter at home? Send an e-mail to cahicks@pyd.org with your mailing address to be added to our mailing list.

Calling All Mentors!
For every male mentor on our Mentor Match waiting list we have EIGHT male youth looking for a mentor to help them tackle the challenges of adolescence. Mentor Match is seeking good role models, especially men, to work in facilitated and structured matches with a youth over the course of one year. For more details, navigate to the Mentor Match program page or contact a Mentor Match specialist today!

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