The Milford Youth Center will host its third annual St. Pat’s Dinner Dance and Fundraiser on Saturday, March 17th. Please help us reach our goal of raising $20,000 while enjoying music from DJ Rob DeLuca, great raffles prizes and a delicious dinner catered by Oliva’s!

The evening, hosted at 24 Pearl St., starts at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight. Tickets cost $35 per person and donations are accepted. You may also reserve tables of 8. To purchase tickets please download form here and bring to Youth Center. Any questions please email
milfordyouthcenter@comcast.net or call 508-473-1756. 

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Join us for the first “Find Yourself Friday” Youth event of the New Year!!! The JAG Youth Council and Milford Youth Center will be hosting their sixth Find Yourself Friday event, on Friday January 27, 2012 from 6:00-9:00pm at the Milford Youth Center. The event will include, a DJ, music, dancing games, snacks and a New Year's ball drop at the end of the night!

This month, the youth decided on a New Years theme, to have youth be able to celebrate the New Year with their friends! The price of admission will be $3.00 per person. All proceeds will benefit the Milford Play Initiative, to purchase a piece of playground equipment for a new playground to be built at Fino Field. There will be a dedication on the equipment to the Milford Youth Center and JAG Youth Council!

We are also looking for volunteers for the event. If you are able to help out, please contact Youth Council Coordinator, Jen Ward at jenward24@gmail.com

Find Yourself Fridays are funded by the Juvenile Advocacy Group, the Milford Youth Center, the United Way of Tri-County, and CHNA 6. 

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Please join us at our next JAG meeting on Wednesday, January 4th from 8:45-10 AM at the Milford Police Station.

The meeting will discuss developmental assets and the community grid, linking our community services to the developmental assets, as well as discussing an interative web design to see how you can put the developmental assets into affect in different areas of youth's lives.

For more information please contact Amy Leone. 

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Join us for an informational and sign-up meeting for our 4th Annual "Dressed Up, Not Messed Up"  Fashion Show. The meeting will be on Tuesday, January 24th from 6:30pm-7:30pm at the Milford Youth Center. Please bring a signed copy of photo release form  and sign up form to meeting. At the meeting, youth and their families, will sign up for hair and/or make-up and outfit times. The date of the fashion show is Saturday, February 11th at 6 PM. 

The theme of our show for the fourth year will be “Dressed Up, Not Messed Up”. Through this event we plan to raise awareness about underage drinking and help teens become better informed about the dangers of alcohol so they can make healthy decisions throughout life. We also hope this event will increase youth self-esteem and attitudes toward their body image.  Each year the show gets better and better, with more youth participating and community involvement!

If you have any questions, please contact jenward24@gmail.com

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For PDF of schedule click here: http://jagnetwork.org/files/January%202011.pdf

Jenny Medina of Milford, Rev. Jose Medina of Framingham, Christine Daddario of Milford, Jen Ward, JAG Youth Council Coordinator, and Jidalis and Pedro Gonzalez, members of JAG Youth Council and Stacy Middle School, just returned from a volunteer trip in the Boca Chica region of Dominican Republic. During their time, the group was able to play sports, help prepare and serve meals, distribute sneakers (collected in September at the first “Find Yourself Friday” youth event at the Milford Youth Center) and t-shirts (donated by the Hockomock Area YMCA) to the local children in need.

Over 100 youth were given new or gently used sneakers, along with a craft and a Christmas cookie as a Holiday gift. Considering the very rocky and rough terrain, the sneakers will be very useful for the kids in these communities. In addition, youth from the JAG Youth Council and Milford Girl Scouts created Holiday crafts for the children. As a type of Holiday cultural exchange, the youth in the DR returned the gesture and made Dominican flags, palm trees and bongos for the youth of Milford. Although it was very moving to witness firsthand the poverty these children and their families live in, all the volunteers acknowledged that it never seemed to discourage their passion and spirit for life. Jidalis and Pedro Gonzalez were especially moved by the experience. They had the opportunity to spend two weeks in the community, volunteer with kids their own age and implement their leadership skills learned from JAG and the Milford Youth Center. As a result, the group plans to start the process of creating a non-profit organization to continue their efforts and return in December of 2012 with more volunteers and items. We also hope to initialize the process of investing in the start-up of a skill/learning center and all-purpose sports field. We see this potentially becoming a small source of revenue for the community.

                  Arts & Crafts
                  Giving away the sneakers               
                  Kids waiting for their meal

If you are interested in joining our efforts please contact us at:

What are Developmental Assess?
Youth development research indicates youth need opportunities to contribute to their communities in safe, meaningful, and healthy ways. Research also tells us that if youth have an underlying background of family and community support they will be more likely to make good choices about unsafe behavior.

The Search Institute -a nonprofit organization that conducts practical research benefiting children and youth - has identified the building blocks of young people’s successful growth and development. These 40 “developmental assets” provide a common framework by which parents, caregivers, schools and the community can support youth. The Search Institute bases their work on the fact that all children and youth need support, opportunities, boundaries, expectations, and structure.

Research by the Search Institute confirms that strengthening developmental assets promotes academic achievement and reduces high risk behaviors. Community leaders and youth serving providers in Milford have embraced this framework as a way to nurture and mold the commitments, values, skills, and positive identity children need in order to grow up healthy and responsible.

The Attitudes and Behaviors Survey
Over 2 million youth ages 12-18 in urban, suburban and rural communities have answered questions about their thoughts on school climate, parent and school expectations, their use of structured and unstructured time and their behaviors in general, to help adults better understand the youth experience in their communities. The Attitudes and Behaviors Survey (A&B) assesses risks and “assets” to help kids succeed in school and in life. The more of these 40 developmental assets young people possess the less likely they are to get involved in problem behaviors such as substance use, early sexual activity and violence. Along the same lines, young people with many assets are much more likely to make positive choices, exhibit leadership qualities, maintain good health, value diversity, and succeed in school.

Community Support
The leading supporter of the Developmental Assets Framework in Milford is The Juvenile Advocacy Group (JAG) comprised of most youth serving organizations in the community. JAG was instrumental in conducting training in September 2011 through CHNA 6 on Developmental Assets Across the Age Spectrum. JAG has piloted the Attitudes and Behaviors Survey to 100 youth at the Milford Youth Center’s Find Yourself Friday Program. Find Yourself Fridays is an example of Developmental Assets in action. JAG has also invited the Director of Youth Ambassadors Program from South Boston Community Health Center to speak on Engaging Youth through Promoting Developmental Assets this December.

Taking Action
Parents and schools play a key role in building assets in a young person’s life. Whatever the age of the child, it is never too early or too late to start building the foundation a young person needs to succeed. All of us are engaged in many of the asset-building activities already. One goal is to match the areas where youth require more support with activities and evidence- based programs that promote these assets. For example, engaging kids in collecting emergency supplies for storm victims, collecting food for the local food pantry, participating in community clean- ups or creating art installation are some of the ways to promote assets. Schools can engage students in ways to promote achievement and connection through strong linkages with caring adults at school, promoting school pride and club participation to name a few. Parents can promote homework time with their children and participate themselves on civic and school projects. A full list of examples is on the Search Institute website http://www.search-institute.org/content/40-developmental-assets-adolesce...

We welcome your participation! For further information or to become involved with Milford’s efforts please contact Amy Leone at Community Impact communityimpactinc@gmail.com

Please join Whole Food's in Bellingham at Whole Foods 5% Day December 5th (8 AM – 9 PM) to support Healthy Futures!

IN IT TOGETHER: Whole Foods 5% Day on Monday December 5th from 8 AM – 9 PM supports Healthy Futures Initiative. 5% of all sales will benefit this initiative.

Activities scheduled throughout the day including an Elegant Evening from 6:30 – 8 PM with Ming Tsai as well as massage therapists, healers, make-overs, and wine and cheese tastings. 

EVENTS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 5TH:
· 10 AM: Art, Book, Cook ages 2-5
· 10:30 AM: Itty Bitty Chef ages 2 - 4
· 11:00 AM: Munchkin Craft ages 2 - 5
· 11:30 AM: Mommy & Me Music ages 1 – 4

Activities from 10 - 12 PM are free but require registration. Email LaurenM@hockymca.org to reserve a spot!
· 12 - 2 PM: Convenience meets health - bring in your grocery list and we will shop while you enjoy lunch from the prepared foods department. Free * You must purchase your own lunch.
· 6 - 8 PM: Elegant Evening with Ming Tsai
* Features massage therapists, healers, make-overs, wine and cheese tastings, and an appearance by Ming Tsai to sign his books.

For more information, please see attached fliers.

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