Youth Services At Community Teamwork

We started off the year strong by making 2023 vision boards at the Youth Action Board meeting to plan out our goals!! Thank you to all of the young adults who shared their goals for the new year ☺️

Community Teamwork will be closed today, Monday, January 2nd in celebration of the new year. Happy 2023!
We will reopen Tuesday, January 3rd.

#2023

Community Teamwork will be closed Monday, January 2, 2023 in celebration of the New Year. Happy New Year!

#2023

Our first Youth Action Board meeting of the year is on Wednesday, January 4th at 5:30pm.

We wish everyone a peaceful and Happy New Year! 🌟

Happy Kwanzaa!
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually on the 6th day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festival traditions from various parts of West and Southeast Africa.

Celebrating Love, Community and Family

Community Teamwork will be closed today Monday, December 26th in celebration of the Holidays. We will reopen on Tuesday, December 27th.

The article below appeared in this month's "News Around the Coalition," published by the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition - It is also linked here: https://conta.cc/3GeAFh1

Congratulations, Siobhan - You DO make a difference in young peoples' lives, and this nomination is well-deserved! All of us at Community Teamwork are so proud of you!

To learn more about Community Teamwork's YouthBuild Program visit:
www.commteam.org/program/youthbuild

To learn more about the Massachusetts YouthBuild Coalition visit:
www.massyouthbuild.org

Community Teamwork will be closed Monday, December 26th in celebration of the Christmas holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, December 27th. Happy Holidays!

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This year, Hanukkah is celebrated December 18-26. The story of Hanukkah began when an outnumbered army of Maccabees claimed victory over the Syrian military -- which seemed to be miracle enough! But it was soon discovered that Syrians had raided the temple and stolen the golden menorah.

So the Maccabees crafted a new one. But there was only a tiny amount of oil to light the lamp. The faithful people lit the lamp anyway, thinking it would burn for only a day — but by some beautiful miracle, the oil continued to burn for eight days!

In memory of the joyful occasion, an annual thanksgiving celebration takes place each year as candles are lit to commemorate each of the eight days of Hanukkah.

“Hanukkah Sameach!”

“Yoga is like life, it’s a balance of holding on and letting go.”

Today our staff took time to do yoga and practice mindfulness by rewiring our brains to have a calmer, less anxious response in the face of every day stressors.

How do you practice mindfulness?

🧘‍♀️🧘

We had a nice annual wrap up meeting for our Youth Action Board. Festivities included gingerbread house making and decorating ornaments! 🎄🏠

Thank you to all of our participants for showing up and getting creative 🥰

Our December Youth Action Board Meeting is on December 7th! 🎄

Food, transportation, and compensation will be provided.

Community Teamwork is closed today, Friday November 25th as part of the Thanksgiving celebration observance. We will reopen Monday, November 28th.

Community Teamwork is closed today, Thursday November 24th AND tomorrow, Friday November 25th to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. It's a time for Americans to give thanks for the harvest and spend time with family and friends.

Community Teamwork will be closed Thursday November 24 AND Friday November 25 in celebration of Thanksgiving.

Attend the virtual New England Regional Job Fair to explore “𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥” good job opportunities in New England.

🗓️ Nov. 15 & 16
🕙 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
📍 Premier Virtual

Register: https://bit.ly/NEJobFairJobseeker
View Employers: https://www.mass.gov/nejobfair

Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and support us and the young people in our community last week! Check out these amazing shots from Fran Collazo Photography

We are still feeling so grateful and energized after last weeks event, An Evening to End Youth Homelessness!

Thank you Harkins Photography for these beautiful shots!

What an amazing evening! To vendors, sponsors, donors, attendees… THANK YOU!

Our team is feeling so thankful and our hearts are so full after the outpouring of support from last night’s event. We are more energized than ever to continue this work for our young people and our community!

Stay tuned for more pictures next week!

Carl Howell, Chief Programming Officer at CTI shared:

Extremely grateful for the turnout last night during our Evening to End Youth Homelessness.

Over the past four years we have had 1000+ youth between 16 and 24 years of age walk thru our doors at the Youth Opportunity Center to receive housing , food, parenting, and other basic living needs.

We provided a safe space for youth to engage in advocacy efforts through our Youth Action Board that was vital in shaping our federal contract to meet the needs of the 32 cities and towns we serve.

This event raised over $30k that allows us to reduce barriers and enhance housing and food services for these young individuals who are in vulnerable circumstances.

I want to thank the Mayor of Lowell g - Sokhary C. Chau for taking on the challenge for sponsoring this event and keeping with tradition to out perform the past Mayors.

I also want to thank to Councilor Corey Robinson and Councilor Paul Ratha Yem for their donation challenge.

Lastly a big shoutout to Amanda Sullivan and her team for the vision of this event and pulling it all together. Her leadership with joining the agency as the sole Youth Services staff person to growing the program into a department of over 35 staff is amazing. Like many of our programs, Amanda has led this department to be a state leader in best practices and impact.

How is eligibility for determined? Factors include household size and combined gross annual income of all residents 18 and older. APPLY: 978-459-6161, [email protected], commteam.org/fuel

Community Teamwork has a Fair Housing Program. Fair Housing is housing without discrimination. Everyone is entitled to Fair Housing. Everyone means everyone – even if you are a non-citizen or are undocumented. Housing providers cannot treat people differently because they are immigrants or do not have documentation. Threatening to report someone is also illegal. If you think you have been discriminated against, CTI can Help. Call us at 978-654-5736, or visit our website at www.commteam.org. -citizen

Due to widespread interest -- Our event, An Evening to End Youth Homelessness, Thursday, November 10th, 6-9pm at Mill No. 5, has been SOLD OUT (maximum allowed capacity has been reached) and we will NOT BE SELLING TICKETS AT THE DOOR. We apologize to those who wanted to join us. You can learn more about YOUTH SERVICES and CTI's other programs at www.commteam.org.

Are You Facing Eviction?
Discriminatory eviction is against the law

HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IS ILLEGAL
Fight a discriminatory eviction, enforce your rights. It is against the law to evict or someone because of race, color, national origin, religion, s*x, gender identification or expression, family status, disability, source of income, age, or veteran status. Retaliation for exercising your rights is also illegal.

Housing discrimination may look like this:
• “My other tenants are uncomfortable around you.”
• “I reported harassment, now I’m being evicted.”
• “They are evicting me for non-payment, but my benefits don’t arrive until the 8th.”
• “everything was fine until I needed an accessible shower.”

Get Help Now – Don’t Wait
Community Teamwork Fights Housing Discrimination. Contact the Fair Housing Program at CTI. Contact us at (978)654-5736 or [email protected]. Let us know if you need an interpreter or reasonable accommodation. The Fair Housing Program does not ask or collect information on immigration or citizenship status.

The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.

CTI is here to help - apply now at commteam.org/fuel

How is eligibility for determined? Factors include household size and combined gross annual income of all residents 18 and older. Call or visit your local LIHEAP agency to see if you qualify.

Remember to Make your Voice Heard ~
VOTE TODAY!

We will be closed on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week for professional development and our big event on Thursday!

The Mill You will reopen on Friday morning, see you then! 👋

Thank you Wednesday from
for coming out to our Youth Action Board meeting last night and showing us some awesome cameras and interviewing techniques! Shoutout to the brave folks who volunteered to be interviewers and interviewees! What a fun night 😊🎥

Check out Youth Family Foundations new baby swag! Make sure to ask your case manager about these cute new items located in the Baby Corner next time you visit the Mill You! 👶🍼🧸

The monthly Youth Action Board meeting is TOMORROW! We are bringing back a special guest from and continuing our conversations about YHDP.

See you Wednesday! 👋

We are about two weeks away from An Evening to End Youth Homelessness! ⭐️

Join us for a night of music, food, and drinks as you learn more about Youth Services programming and meet the team!

Tickets are still available for purchase on our website www.com team.org

We are hiring a Youth Advocate to lead our Youth Action Board! This is a brand new and exciting position that will support young adults who have experienced housing instability, work with state and local partners, and advocate and educate our community. Apply now at www.commteam.org/our-organization/careers/ or in our Instagram bio.

Community Teamwork will be closed today, Monday, October 10th in celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day which honors the cultures and histories of the Native American people.

Community Teamwork will be closed Monday, October 10th in celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Day which honors the cultures and histories of the Native American people.

We had a great time painting pumpkins at our monthly Youth Action Board meeting last night! Thank you to all who joined us ☺️🎃

Attention young parents❕Please join Youth Family Foundations for a focus group, along with the Institute for Community Health, TOMORROW at 11 am. In person, or via Zoom. Food and compensation will be provided! Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8352773705

Meeting ID: 835 277 3705

We invite all of our participants to our October Youth Action Board for some pumpkin painting and important updates about programming!! 🎃

If you have any questions please reach out to your case manager!

Hello again from the housing team!

For this edition of program spotlights, we want to talk about a crucial element of the services we deliver, our partners in the community. This week we will outline 2 programs that rely heavily on these relationships; the Foster Youth Initiative (FYI) and the College Engagement Program (CEP). Over the last several years, FYI and CEP have been two of our most successful pathways to getting young adults housed and on the pathway to success.

Established in the 2018/2019 school year, the College Engagement Program formed as a pilot program across the state of Massachusetts in an effort to help house college students who are struggling with their housing. This project pairs together a youth serving program with a community college and a state 4-year program. For the N. Middles*x Region, CTI partnered with Middles*x Community College and Umass Lowell to provide meal plans and bed space for 5 young adults, as well as on-going support to meet participant housing goals. The program has been a huge support in allowing students to focus on their education while in safe housing.

In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Youth Services launched another program that would not be possible without extensive collaboration between community supports. The Foster Youth Initiative provides vouchers for young adults with experience in the foster care system after the age of 16. With the help of the Dept. of Children and Families, our program identified young people who qualify for this voucher and work with Lowell Housing Authority in order to get the young adults application processed and vouchers in the hands of those who need them. In the second photo is Anngely, our DCF Youth Specialist 😊

Each of these programs have enabled us to support dozens of young adults in realizing their housing goals! None of this work is easy, and none of it would be possible without the support of our partners.