VBRP recently received a grant from Volunteer Maine / AmeriCorps to design a strategic plan to use the talents and experience of AmeriCorps members to help deliver needed (and absent) critical services to our very underserved area of northern Maine. The grant fits in well with our mission to (1) educate the members of our community about the prevalence and the lifelong negative effects of adverse childhood experiences, and (2) to engage them in developing activities and programs that promote the resilience that helps combat those negative effects in our communities, families, and individuals.
We believe strongly that such an effort cannot take part without grassroots participation. That is why we are trying our best to make people aware of the grant and our efforts to develop an effective and acceptable plan, and to ask them to share their perceptions and their observations with us so that we may do the best job possible. It's important, then, that people in our communities be aware of the focus and progress of the VBRP/AmeriCorps strategic planning team's work. Community members are the ones who will be impacted by the results, and so they deserve to be informed and given the opportunity to share their perceptions and their desires with the team. We can be contacted through our email (vanburenresiliencyproject@gmail.com) or by phone (207 868-9895).
This is our first effort to share our work with the people in the communities of Limestone, Caswell, Hamlin, Van Buren, and Cyr Plantation. We would be very happy if you would let us know what you think.
A. WE APPROVED A FINAL VERSION OF OUR VISION AND MISSION STATEMENTS
- Vision: We envision a resilient community whose members work together to successfully address both the causes and the negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and generational trauma.
- Mission The Van Buren Resiliency Project will take a leadership role working in the communities to alleviate the most significant negative effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and generational trauma by building awareness, providing knowledge-based training, promoting collaboration, and developing resources that will lead to a more resilient community.
B. WE PRIORITIZED THE NEEDS FOR SERVICES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED AS SIGNIFICANT BY TEAM MEMBERS AND BY THE VBRP SURVEY IN ZIP 04785 IN LATE 2019
After much work in developing an extensive list of needs in our 04750-785 area, the team worked during the past two weeks on prioritizing the most significant needs and the resources that must be developed to meet them. Three major needs were identified as priorities to be addressed in the final strategic plan if the remainder of evidence collection and analysis continues to support the trend seen so far:
- HUB of services for Pre-Natal and Early Childhood years (including parenting)
2. HUB of services for School-Age Children and Youth (OST program) 3. HUB of services for Elder Adults (socialization, lessen isolation)
(The term "HUB" simply denotes an area upon which to focus when designing the strategic plan. It does not necessarily indicate a physical location.)
The underlying concept is that each of these three areas demands additional targeted services, but it is impossible to ensure all services will/can be quickly and efficiently provided through AmeriCorps members, existing public and private agencies mandated to provide services in our communities, and/or new programs. Primary obstacles cited were (a) insufficient funding, (b) lack of prioritization of specific critical needs and services by the federal and state legislature and local governments, (c) lack of interest and knowledge about specific critical needs and services, (d) prejudices and biases concerning stigmatized needs (e.g., SUD, STDs, delinquency), and (e) lack of research [and/or dissemination of research] about social and financial cost benefits (“bang for the buck”) of many preventive and remedial programs. We are aware that AmeriCorps members' services do not include advocacy functions, so they will not be active in meeting all of the above-noted barriers to implementation. However, their experience, expertise, and enthusiasm will be used as they take leadership roles in program development, volunteer recruitment, and direct services.
The planning team is considering an approach that starts with small pilot programs to address areas of service deemed critical by (a) our team members, (b) the VBRP survey, (c) research into evidence-based programs designed to alleviate our identified needs, and (d) further evidence and perceptions that will be educed through surveys, interviews, and focus groups during our planning period. We will proceed iteratively allowing for constant assessment of “where we are” and making modifications to improve the programs. Gradually the programs will build outward from the central hubs as resources and community acceptance allow.
This process should enable our team to iteratively continue our “discover” and “dream” phases of the appreciative inquiry (Ai), following the Ai process while making initial forays into the “design” phase. As we proceed, we expect to gradually define our final product more precisely, based on (a) our ever more complete understanding of the critical needs within the three HUBs; (b) a greater appreciation of the communities’ perceptions of needs and the types of programs that are feasible, effective, and acceptable within the communities; (c) a more comprehensive review of the literature concerning relevant evidence-based programs; and (d) an appreciation of the funding possibilities, especially in light of the COVID-19 demands upon financial resources.
In light of the information collected to date, we expect that we will be working towards the following, and so we posit these as (only) potential directions for an eventual strategic plan:
(a) HUB services for prenatal and early childhood years
- advocacy and coordination with DHHS and contracted private agencies to reinstitute the provision of visiting nurse and social service/peer workers to assist expectant parents and parents of toddlers
- advocacy and coordination with DHHS, DOE, and local providers to implement HeadStart, pre-school, and affordable child care for children of working parents, those pursuing education and job training, and parents and grandparents who need assistance and/or respite in caring for young children
3. advocacy and coordination with providers of parenting classes, assistance with parenting, and respite care to bring these services to our communities.
(b) HUB services for school-age children and youth
- initiate pilot out-of-schooltime (OST) program(s), perhaps on a 2-3 day/week basis with limited program, stressing social-emotional learning (SEL) coordinated with school SEL programs and positive youth development (PYD) principles
- address the need for transportation to and from OST
3. consistently evaluate and improve the programs, and gradually increase them, gradually modifying them so that they might more fully address needs identified by participants, staff, and parents
(c) HUB services for elder adults
- initiate pilot socialization program/center(s) for elder adults, perhaps in food pantries and/or community buildings
- advocacy and coordination with DHHS and Area Agency on Aging to ensure that participants are advised of available services and quickly and easily connected to them through having resource representatives present in the centers at scheduled times (rather than having elderly adult travel 20 or 30 miles to the service agencies).
3. address the need for transportation to and from center 4. institute an advisory committee composed of participants 5. maintain an aging-in-place focus
(d) Develop an on-going grassroots community coordination and development effort. An AmeriCorps member could be installed as the coordinator for this segment.
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