Evidence of Collaboration
The Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative was developed in 2009 in partnership with Vineyard community leaders. At the heart of the Institute’s work is an inclusive community listening and planning process that builds strategic cross-cultural, multidisciplinary alliances and engages people to work together to address issues facing their youth.
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MVYLI’s Advisory Council: Julia Burgess, MV Community Services, Nancy Cole, MV Museum, Mark London, MV Commission, Nancy Gardella, MV Chamber of Commerce, Chuck Hughes, YMCA, Leo Frame, Young Boys to Men, Sidney Morris, Director of the Farm Institute, Jane Parquet, MV Charter School, Noli Taylor, Island Grown Schools and Melinda Loberg, Dukes County Commission.
AmeriCorps NCCC projects with Island partners: Island Grown Schools; Whippoorwill Farm; Baylor Norton Farms, Island Cohousing; Native Earth Teaching Farm; BiodiversityWorks; The Trustees of the Reservations.
MV Chamber of Commerce: Feb. 2, 2011: We collaborated on the first MV Job Shadow Day with twenty Island businesses mentoring MVYLI youth which led to jobs, internships and increased work ethic and sustainable business.
Martha’s Vineyard Commission: During the Youth Summit, Vineyard youth delegates created the first Sustainable Vineyard Map with the MV Commission’s top cartographer. This is the first step towards engaging youth in the Island Plan, which was developed over the last five years, but without youth involvement.
Martha’s Vineyard Community Television: we developed an internship who created videos featured on MVTV and our YouTube Channel: Intern Chris Pitt produced 3 videos (MVYLI Dreams, Vieques Youth Dreams,Youth Summit Highlights) and won first Walter Cronkite Award. Intern Meagan McDonough is producing video on College Field Trip.
Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School Guidance Department: The MVYLI College Prep & Field Trip was developed to reduce drop out risk of college freshmen. It was a great success, resulting in press and photos hung to inspire youth to attend the second College Field Trip and a video with MVTV intern, featured on MVTV and the Institute’s YouTube Channel.
Martha’s Vineyard Charter School has a representative on the MVYLI Advisory Council; three students served as youth delegates; two participated in the field trip to make presentations to Senator Kerry and Governor Patrick’s staff. Two Charter School youth are representatives to the Cape & Islands Youth Congress which meets monthly on Cape.
MVY Radio: MVYLI youth have been interviewed for two special shows to share their dreams and plans.
MV Times and Vineyard Gazette: have featured six articles on the Martha’s Vineyard Youth Leadership Initiative.
Plum TV: featured MVYLI youth along with excerpts from the Vineyard Youth Summit highlights video.
Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellows: Youth Summit presenters included Emma Green Beach, Shellfish Hatchery, Liz Baldwin, Felix Neck and Noli Hoye Taylor, Island Grown Schools.
NAACP of Martha’s Vineyard: MVYLI youth were inducted as Junior Members of the NAACP Chapter of Martha’s Vineyard at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner at the Harborview Hotel. They were invited to make a presentation at the NAACP Juneteenth Conference which addresses the cultural, social, educational and economic of people of color on Martha’s Vineyard. MVYLI youth will make their Cultural Health Presentation.
Rotary Club of Martha’s Vineyard: The Institute created an event honoring Walter Cronkite where his grandson presented the first Walter Cronkite Awards to a Vineyard youth and global youth. They have expressed interest in partnering with MVYLI for 2011 for youth leadership program.
Island schools, non-profit organizations and community leaders: nominated Vineyard youth to serve as delegates to the Youth Summit for Sustainable Development. Whippoorwill Farms: Andrew Woodruff, served as faculty for the Youth Summit for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Vineyard Quest to visit and learn about innovative sustainable energy: Island Co-Housing, Wampanoag Tribe, Morning Glory Farm’s windmill, Dot’s Dumptique, Edgartown Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hobknob Inn, solar sites like Steamship Authority and YMCA.