DARTMOUTH YOUTH COMMISSION MEETING
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2002
DARTMOUTH TOWN HALL, ROOM 318, 7:00 P.M.

Present: Christian Broughton, Chairman; Lorraine Gagne; Debra Brejcha; Gale Schultz; Valerie Alves; Kevin Lee, Youth Advocate and Justine Clarke, clerk

Regrets: Deborah Smith, Alison Nastanski and Paul Foucart

Chairman Christian Broughton called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.

Chairman Broughton began the meeting by informing the Commissioners that Mr. Bruce Lider has submitted his resignation to the Dartmouth Youth Commission. Chairman Broughton expressed his gratitude for the many years that Mr. Lider served on the Commission. Both Mr. Lee and Mr. Broughton stated they would send Mr. Lider a letter thanking him for his time and valued input during his years of service.

Ms. Schultz inquired about the Commissioners not present at tonight’s meeting. Mr. Lee reported that Mr. Foucart and Ms. Smith both extended their regrets due to prior school commitments. Ms. Nastanski is teaching a course the entire fall semester and will again be in attendance in January, 2003. Ms. Schultz expressed concern because last month we lacked a quorum to hold a meeting.

Discussion ensued about the process of looking for a new Commissioner. Kevin recently spoke with a Dartmouth resident, Alyson Bellora, who expressed interest in becoming a member of the Youth Commission. She will send her resume to Kevin. She is a registered pediatric nurse. She and her husband, Jeffrey; have three children and reside on Sharp Street in North Dartmouth. Kevin will check to see if there are any additional applicants on file.

Approval of June 12, 2002 Minutes: Ms. Schultz made a motion to accept the minutes of June 12, 2002. Ms. Alves seconded the motion. Voted unanimously.

Old Business:

DartmouthYouth.com

· Kevin reported that DartmouthYouth.com is growing in several ways. Kevin has two student interns working in his office between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Monica Fereira, a Dartmouth High School senior, does general office work and research for our Web site. Nicole Pitts is a senior from Fairhaven High School with skills in Web site development. She spends the majority of her time on DartmouthYouth.com.

Both students are affiliated with a program sponsored by the Greater New Bedford Chamber of Commerce called A School To Work Program. Both students receive a letter grade for their work. Kevin noted that Donna Sachs who is the School to Work Coordinator at Dartmouth High School deserves credit for developing the entire concept used in the Greater New Bedford area. Kevin stated that he is extremely pleased with both interns. Monica’s internship ends the end of January, Nicoles in June, 2003.

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· Kevin is working on what he describes as Phase II of the Web site. This involves tweaking it towards the needs of our community. He would really like to increase the number of youths in the town of Dartmouth who visit the Web site.

· Kevin praised Lori Dias-Mitchell, the media specialist at Dartmouth High School. Kevin noted that she has an upbeat working relationship with students and she has made the library a wonderful learning environment. Ms. Schultz also stated that Lori is a fantastic media specialist.

· Kevin is working with Mr. Tom McDermott, Director of Health Education for Dartmouth Public Schools, on how to dovetail a section of our Web site that would become a Health Education Learning Center. This resource would be for students at all grade levels. Health Education teachers could also utilize this resource for lessons and homework assignments. Kevin has also met with Commissioner Valerie Alves to explore this concept further. Ideally, Kevin would like to seek a funding source via grants to hire a professional to develop this concept.

· A redesign of the Homepage is also being considered. As our content grows on the site, the need to reorganize how people access different topics will need to be reconsidered.

· Kevin stated that he is receiving calls/emails from clinical workers, psychologists and health care workers, etc. requesting that their practice and agencies be listed on the Web site.

· Kevin stated that he is still in contact with last year’s intern, Brian Messier. Brian has been very helpful, via telephone, helping out Nicole Pitts when she gets stuck with program and code problems.

· Chairman Broughton told Kevin that he is very impressed with all his hard work and efforts on the Web site.

· Ms. Pauline Pope, a professional Web developer, who did work on our Web site in the past, emailed Kevin and stated that she occasionally checks the site looking for link and file-extension errors. Kevin appreciates the fact that she still stays in touch and periodically helps us out.

Old Business from floor:

· There was no old business from floor at this time.

Youth Advocate’s Report:

· Chairman Broughton asked Mr. Lee how he has adjusted to the location of the new high school. Kevin stated that he tries to be present at the high school from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 a.m. on a daily basis. During this time Kevin meets with pre-scheduled teen appointments, confers with guidance staff, administrators, teachers, etc. Some of this time is spent being present in the Media Center or the cafeteria.

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· Mr. Lee reported that the first three weeks of school were quiet in terms of requests for service, etc. After three weeks, Kevin noted, disciplinary problems and interpersonal conflicts began to increase.

· Mr. Lee also makes a point to visit the teacher’s prep area to stay acquainted with the teachers.

· Kevin stated that the high school is spacious and clean. The front door is not locked however, there is a security person stationed in the foyer where visitors must sign in and/or are directed to the main office.

· Kevin sent a letter to Principal King asking if a specific space could be located for him to meet with students. Mr. King replied in writing stating that at this time, because of ongoing construction, he was unable to honor this request. Kevin informed Commissioners that he has been finding space with the help of teachers, where he can meet with clients.

· In cooperation with the attendance office, Kevin arranges to dismiss several students on a weekly basis who meet him at his office at the Town Hall. These students utilize a special dismissal form that the parent first signs off on, which then is processed through the High School attendance office.

· Banana Splits has started up again for the year. The fourth and fifth grade group is full, with 9 girls and 2 boys. The second and third grade group has 7 children enrolled. Currently, there are four student interns for the group. Kevin anticipates 8 more high school students from the Key Club to participate.

· Approximately four to five parents have spoken with Kevin expressing their concerns with the future redistricting of the elementary schools. Ms. Schultz, who is also a member of the school committee, thinks any problems will be worked out and students and parents will become accustomed to the change.

· Kevin stated that the Teen Group is off to a good start. There are 11 to 14 teenagers who attend on a weekly basis.

· Kevin stated that Laurie O’Neil, Elementary School Social Worker, holds a course for parents whose children have ADHD. This course will meet for six weeks in the Youth Advocate’s office.

· The Caring Tree Grief Group will run again this year, starting in February.

· Mr. Michael Gagne, Town Administrator, approved Kevin’s request to attend the Child Welfare League of America’s annual training conference in Washington, D.C. in March of 2003. The cost for attending the training will come from the Reserve Fund.

· Kevin continues to do work with two to three homeless families at the Capri Motel in Dartmouth.

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New Business:

2002 Department Expenditure

· It was suggested that for the next meeting, account balances for the regular Youth Commission Gift Account and DartmouthYouth.com Gift Account be made available for review.

· Kevin stated that he has been trying to get an application for the James Arnold Foundation Scholarship. He will continue to look into this matter. In the past monies from this scholarship were put into the Youth Commission gift account. Funds are low in this account and Kevin would like to discuss how to increase the amount at our next meeting. One consideration that could be explored is to change the working name of the gift account to something more appealing.

· A motion was made by Ms. Gagne to approve the 2002 Department Expenditure Report. Seconded by Ms. Schultz. Voted unanimously.

New Business from floor:

· There was no new business at this time.

The next scheduled meeting of the Dartmouth Youth Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11, 2002 in Room 318 of the Dartmouth Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

Ms. Schultz made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Alves seconded the motion. Voted unanimously at 8:35 p.m.

____________________________________ _______________________________

Christian Broughton, Chairman Date

Dartmouth Youth Commission

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