Event Categories: Training

The Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund provides resources for businesses to train current and newly hired employees. Its goal is to help improve employee skills and maintain the economic strength of the Commonwealth’s businesses.

A representative from the Workforce Training Fund, administered by Commonwealth Corporation, will present an overview of the grant options and answer questions in the information sessions. Learn about this valuable training resource and how MCC can become a partner and provide grant-writing assistance and training to area companies.

Develop Your Leadership Skills and Make Your Community a Better Place!

Empower: Building Leaders, Strengthening Communities is a new initiative developed by Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA) and Lowell Alliance for Families and Neighborhoods (LAFN). We are seeking community activists and leaders, or potential leaders, interested in learning how to create positive change and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods and communities.

Through an 8-week training program, Empower will provide participants with the knowledge, skills and resources to strengthen their capacity to create and lead change at the grassroots level. Workshop topics will include: Leadership and organizational skills, overview of Lowell’s history, how City Hall works and how to influence that process, communication and conflict management skills, understanding and leveraging community resources, organizing for change, and project planning and implementation. Participants will also have the opportunity to expand their personal and professional networks and work with activists from around the city.

We are looking for candidates who are committed to making Lowell a better place to live in, for themselves, their families, and their neighbors. Empower participants will have an opportunity to act on that commitment through planning and implementing a project designed to strengthen their community. Preference will be given to candidates already active in grassroots or informal groups, who are working to improve conditions in their neighborhoods, and/or who can identify and articulate community or neighborhood issues they want to impact. While Empower is open to all Lowell residents, we are especially interested in engaging residents of the Acre and Lower Highlands neighborhoods.

Program Goals: Upon completing the program, participants will be empowered to:

Organize people for positive outcomes
Use leadership concepts and skills to become more effective leaders and communicators
Leverage community assets and resources
Develop collaborative partnerships in pursuit of common goals
Improve and increase communication and understanding between low-income residents and mainstream leaders/people in power
Develop and implement effective community-building projects
Create positive change at a neighborhood or city-wide level

If you are selected for participation, you will be expected to:
Complete the 9 workshop course, plus at least 2 project-planning sessions.
Actively engage in the development and implementation of a community-building project.
Help create and lead change that will make your community a better place to live!

Empower workshops will take place Thursday evenings, 6 pm – 8 pm, on the following dates:

August 31
September 7, 14, 21, 28
October 5, 12, 19, 26

And at least two follow-up planning session, dates TBD.

If you are interested in participating or know someone who might be, please contact Nancy Coan at ncoan@ywcaoflowell.org, or Aurora Erickson at aurora.erickson@cbacre.org.

This program will be funded by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

This conference is for professionals working with patients or clients dealing with this issue.

Date:  October 4-6, 2017
Location:  Double Tree by Hilton Hotel, 123 Old River Road, Andover  

Registration is now open!

 Purpose: To increase participant’s ability to use and/or support implementation of best practices in both residential and community settings that result in sustained positive outcomes for youth and families who receive a residential intervention. Attendees will leave the training event with practical strategies to improve policies and practices in their programs (residential and/or community) or agencies (oversight/funding), as well as with an understanding of business strategies to transform agencies operating residential programs to ensure long-term success.

Who will benefit: There will be training sessions to support oversight and funding/policy leaders and staff; sessions to support residential/community executives, leaders, clinical staff, advocates and family members.  Adolescents with residential experiences, who are interested in learning about best practices, will also find some sessions of interest.  It is recommended that teams of leaders/staff/ advocates/families/adolescents from the same oversight agency/program attend the event together.  A collective team approach will promote a stronger learning opportunity and ability to implement strategies and tools learned within the program or oversight agency.

 Registration rates

• Full training Program: $395
• Single Day Rate: $200
• Presenters will receive a discounted rate of $295
• Introduction to BBI on October 3rd, 2- 5 p.m.:  $50 (free w/ paid full registration of $395)

To register for the training, please go to:  http://togetherthevoice.org/bbitraining

There is limited scholarship funding available for family members and youth. To receive an application please contact Kelly Pipkins-Burt

To reserve your hotel room:

Our host, American Training, Inc., has worked with the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Andover, MA to secure a great hotel room rate ($152/night plus tax – which includes breakfast).  These rates are available on a first-come first-serve basis so make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.  

To receive the discounted room rate please have a credit card available and register via Booking Link or call the Double Tree at 978-975-3600 or 800-445-8667 by September 5, 2017 and indicate that you are with the Building Bridges Initiative – 2017 Fall Training Event.  To register for extra nights (i.e. before or after the conference) @ the low rate, you must call the hotel.

Training Schedule:  A full agenda and list of presenters will be included soon!

Questions: contact Sherri Hammack

 Of note BBI has received some funding to support registration costs for leaders from minority led residential organizations and minority led community organizations that interface with residential programs.  Please contact Kelly Pipkins-Bert for more information.

We look forward to see you and your team(s) in Massachusetts in the Fall!

Sherri Hammack, Coordinator
Building Bridges Initiative
http://www.buildingbridges4youth.org/

Learn how to promote dialogue among students that can help change the school culture. We’ll show you how to secure commitments from school administrators, screen the film, lead discussions, and implement 5 lesson plans in classrooms.