The following is the agenda from our most recent meeting. Included are some brief notes about the discussion that followed on each topic.
1. Welcome and introductions: several new faces, including some kids...great to see!
2. Secretary's report - review and approval of minutes
3. Incorporation - next step- 501c3: the Salem Area Youth Association became incorporated at the end of Dec. 2009. Now we are pursuing 501c3 status.
4. Ski/snowboard club: first event was Thursday, Jan.7th and it went really well. We discussed pursuing some grants to offset costs for next year. This year's program came together VERY quickly after kids expressed interest. Many thanks to Herb Perkins for all of his work in coordinating the efforts, and many thanks to all of the volunteers who will be helping to pull it off each week. Especially the bus drivers--this program couldn't happen without them!
5. Student members - meeting needed to review applications: quite a number of kids have expressed interest, and have taken applications to complete. Once the applications are received, several of the Y.A. members will meet to review them and make some choices. Even if a student isn't chosen for an official spot on the Y.A., anyone is welcome to attend meetings. Please do!
6. Homeschoolers and private schoolers: discussed how to reach out to these groups, as well as pre-schoolers, to make them feel welcome and get their input.
7. Snowshoeing - Keith: discussed the snowshoeing programs that Keith Kelley, from the Council for Prevention, has been doing with pre-schoolers and programs he's thinking of facilitating for school-age kids.
8. Skating at SAW: the community ice rink at SAW is well on its way to being ready! We talked about having a "Grand Opening" type of event on Saturday, Jan. 30th from 11 AM to 5 PM. This event will be free, there will be a bonfire and food, and folks can skate or sled. Free "rentals" of skates, donated by The Shoppe Off Broadway, will be provided. More details will follow on this...stay tuned!!
9. Ping-Pong Tournament: discussed event for week of February break. More details will follow on this. Julie Myler and Bri Thibeau, plus six other junior and senior high school students, will be working on this project.
10. Website: Herb Perkins set up our website. Susan Getty has been working on this project, and will also be setting up a blog (which you are currently using!). We already have a page on Facebook. These can always be accessed from this page under "Important Links" in the right-hand column.
11. Summer Swim Program: there will be changes made to the swim program as Hebron Camp will no longer be available. We are exploring the option of coordinating with the Cambridge Youth Commission and holding the swim program at Lake Lauderdale. More to follow on this.
12. Comments from guests
13. Action Plan: discussed the need for a formal action plan for the Youth Association as we move into the future.
14. Other: an item of significance mentioned was the possibility of a van for community use; for transportation of senior citizens, disabled citizens, and for youth activities. An organization in Greenwich has a van that they are finding a new home for. LOTS of details to be worked out on this, though.
15. Next regular meeting - Tuesday, February 9, 2010: 7PM at the Courthouse
16. Adjournment
Please feel free to click the comment link at the bottom of this post to leave your thoughts! Thanks so much for your interest and support!!
hello, i was very happy about all what happened at the meeting..it was very informative. i believe that all students who are interested should be members. every one of them. yes, i am sure this will be difficult, but by allowing every student to be a member it will give them all an opportunity to see what the responsibilities are of being a member of importance. so many children are left out because there will be a little bit of extra thought and work involved ...and also it will create a very strong subdivision among the children..they shouldn't have to go through everything in life as to whether or not they will be accepted, they all "should" be because everyone of those children will have something to contribute and to deny them will be just another adult making powerful decisions because too many people are contemplating situations and then in turn complicating everything. paula smith
ReplyDeleteas to my comment previously, and my assumptions were wrong. i do think this is a great opportunity for all children to be united as to making decisions, so that is why i am opposed to single pick anyone of those children to sit with the board. is it possible for all the children to communicate and have their voices and opinions? there is so many details that are not available so in reality i shouldn't be writing anything. so out of respect for everyone here, i do apologize, but i am very passionate about all children for a community to be united. there are some children that have expressed their happiness of what you are doing and so many people are excited about this. it is wonderful to see so many people in salem doing this wonderful program for them. they said they can finally do fun things where their moms will say yes, because they can walk to it. lol. i thought this was cute....so, again, i do apologize for speaking so abruptly without knowing all details...humbled, paula smith
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Paula. Your concerns are valid, certainly. We have put a lot of thought into the process of how to involve the kids, and have discussed the issues you bring up. As it says in the blog post, ANYONE is welcome to attend meetings, even if they are not an official member, and their voices will be heard. The term for student members is only one year, and everyone is given a chance. We absolutely do not want to discourage anyone from participating. Those students who are official members are supposed to be representatives for their grade levels, but anyone with an opinion will be heard. We do our best to be as welcoming as possible!
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, our internet presence is another means for kids and other members of the community to have a voice in the Youth Association. Items/concerns that are brought up on this blog or through our Facebook page will be addressed as needed during meeting times.
Thanks again for your comments Paula! We appreciate that you took the time to share your concerns.