Greetings!
There is lots going on in Dudley this month and you can be part of it! Come join us as we kick off Dudley Children Thrive's Word Build Campaign, call in to a youth radio show on Nha Terra Radio, sign up to be a tutor or reading buddy in the fall or view the trailer for the new film about DSNI right now by clicking below!
Interested in joining us as a staff member? DSNI is hiring! Check out the job description on our website and feel free to share! Keep saving the dates for these upcoming events: - DSNI Annual Meeting - Wednesday, June 27
- Multicultural Festival - Saturday, August 11
- Walk for Dudley - Saturday, September 22
See you soon,
 
Glenn Knowles, Board President John Barros, Executive Director |
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More than Just Talk Radio
 Everyone wants to talk about education, but to actually make schools work for the benefit of every student is incredibly challenging. No one has all the answers, but open, thoughtful conversation can help identify needs and generate ideas for addressing them. That's why the Dudley Youth Council (DYC) has chosen to devote its radio shows on Radio Nha Terra to education reform topics this spring.
The members of DYC, who take turns hosting the show in groups of three, believe everyone in a community has responsibility for the school success of its young people: teachers, parents, even students. Building on this idea, the first few shows have focused on teens' attitudes about school, the need for more passionate teachers, creative teaching and learning methods, and dropout issues including gender disparities, peer motivation, and the dropout bill being sponsored by Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz. The hosts don't agree on everything, however, so count on a lively debate each time you tune in. Listeners are encouraged to call in to share their thoughts.
Tune in to Youth Radio live on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 7:30-8:30pm on Radio Nha Terra, either on 107.1 FM or online at www.radionhaterra.com. You can call in at 617-989-1071. And, we plan to make audio recordings available in the near future. For more information, please contact intern Rachele Burns at 617.442.9670 or at rburns@dsni.org.
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DSNI's Resident Development Institute is back!
Resident leadership is at the center of DSNI's work, and the Resident Development Institute (RDI) is one of the ways that DSNI cultivates and supports emerging resident leaders.
RDI offers workshops, seminars and training programs. In March, we offered Values and Vision - a great introduction to the "why" and "how" of DSNI's work. In April, we offered Community Organizing to a packed room of over 20 residents, including many of our youth leaders.
Coming Sat, May 5th, 9AM-5PM: Meeting Design & Facilitation at DSNI
In this workshop, participants will examine what makes for "good" & "bad" meetings. Participants will learn five steps for designing great meetings, and gain core facilitation competencies. The workshop will be fun, interactive and truly helpful for anyone who wants to work more effectively with groups. Open to all and free of charge. Registration is important for our planning purposes. Please sign up by emailing May mlouie@dsni.org or calling 617 442 9670.
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Supporting our Students!
 It really does take a village to raise and educate a child. That's why DSNI and its partners in the Boston Promise Initiative don't stop at advocating for excellent schools in our neighborhood. As the school year draws to a close, we reflect on some ways in which we've worked to invite, encourage, and coordinate community support of our students.
DSNI partners with the schools in our neighborhood, helping them to provide extra help and enrichment to students. Employing well-trained tutors, DSNI's Saturday School has served students of the Dearborn (in partnership with Roxbury Presbyterian Church) and the Burke. Students have been overwhelmingly positive about their experience in the program with 100% of those surveyed students reporting that "[Saturday School] helped me do better in my regular classes." This spring, in collaboration with Project REACH, we are providing SAT Prep classes for Burke students.
We have also recruited volunteers to help support students' learning. Seven people have served as Reading Buddies to Haynes Early Education Center students this spring, each spending roughly an hour a week with his or her young buddy.
The high-stakes MCAS test is also high-stress for many students, potentially derailing their success even when they have the knowledge to do well. To help boost their confidence, DSNI recruited more volunteers to write 276 letters to Burke, Dearborn and Orchard Gardens Pilot School 8th and 10th graders. The letters, delivered just before the students took the MCAS, bolstered the students self-confidence and encouraged them to feel and do their best.
September-and the new school year-will be here before we know it! If you are interested in volunteering to help students in our community, please contact Alicia Mooltrey at amooltrey@dsni.org or 617.442.9670 x200.
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| Coming Soon: Gaining Ground!
Exciting news! The long-awaited film Gaining Ground will be released this year! The new film is the sequel to Holding Ground (the much-lauded film about the formation of DSNI) and both were produced by Holding Ground Productions and Vital Pictures
Watch the trailer:
 | Gaining Ground Trailer
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About DSNI
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative is a resident-led, community change collaborative in the Dudley area of the Roxbury and North Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston.
Our mission is to empower Dudley residents to organize, plan for, create, and control a vibrant, diverse, and high-quality neighborhood in collaboration with community partners.
DSNI Leads Boston Promise Initiative
As the lead agency for the Boston Promise Initiative, DSNI is working to align the efforts and resources of families, community and faith-based organizations, schools and universities, businesses, government agencies, and private funders to create a Dudley Village Campus--a community that supports students as whole people, preparing them to attain excellent educations. Currently we are making use of a Promise Neighborhoods planning grant and working to prepare our application for a large implementation grant.
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Join Us for the Word BuildLaunch Party!Dudley Children Thrive-a collaboration among DSNI, Thrive in 5, and several other partner organiza-tions**- will kick off its Word Build literacy campaign with a Launch Party o n Saturday, April 28 from 11 am-1 pm, at the Kroc Community Center, 650 Dudley Street! Word Build supports families in building young children's vocabularies by engaging them in lots of conversation and giving them fun, language-rich experiences. The campaign focuses especially on parents and children who are isolated by connecting them to existing neighborhood resources.
Join us this Saturday for lunch (free!) and fun, literacy-related family activities and information. Take home free T-shirts, Word Build starter kits, and some really fun ideas! **Word Build partners: Boston Medical Center, Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Children's Museum, Children's Services of Roxbury, Communities in Schools, Countdown to Kindergarten, The Food Project, Project Hope, and Thrive in 5.
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DSNI's Wish List
- Members
- Volunteers
- Ideas
- Gift certificates and coupons from local businesses
- Daytime Reading Buddies for the Haynes EEC
- Tutors for the Dearborn and Burke Saturday School
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