STATISTICS:
Female: 50
18-24: 36
25-44: 23
45-59: 19
60+: 2
Shelburne: 2
Amherst: 1
Montague: 12
Ashfield: 2
Charlemont: 2
Colrain:
3
S. Deerfield:
2
Bernardston: 1
Leyden: 1
Northfield:
1
Winchester: 1
Black: 6
Hispanic: 12
Asian: 2
Spanish: 12
Other:
2
Referrals:
The vast majority of our referrals are from "Word of Mouth" (former learners, their friends and family). We also get referrals from Court/Probation, Mass Rehab, GCC, ServiceNet, DSS, F/H Career Center, other TLP Sites
Year
in Review
2003 was a very busy time at Charboneau Learning Center. A good amount of time and energy was spent putting in place some practices for tracking and documentation of our work in preparation for the Doe monitoring in March. We have utilized the database created by Joe to aid us in this task. New fields are added as we look at the statistics and information for which we are responsible.
Even Start
Our Greenfield Even Start Program opened its doors in February. Rebecca Clemente was rehired by TLP to be the Even Start instructor. Again, a good amount of time was spent with the collaborating partners working out the kinks. One of the challenges we had in having an off-site component our program was how to insure that that program was well integrated. Rebecca has worked very hard to make sure that Even Start is represented in all TLP activities.
Outreach
We have been focused on making Charboneau Learning Center very visible in the community as part of our outreach efforts. To this end, we were able to hire an intern from UMass through their Off –Campus Work-Study Program. Amber Ortiz (who had been hired to work with Joe in the Community Planning component of our Doe grant through the same program) worked with us to develop mailing lists to specific agencies, employers, and other community partners. This type of targeted outreach was very helpful in getting our name and information out to a wide audience.
We made good use of our website also. Joe has done a great job of updating the website regularly. Our class schedule, enrollment information, test dates at GCC for the GED and various class activities are posted. Learners from all classes
have posted many of their writings to the site. This has been very exciting and fun to see. Many come in to class and tell us that they showed a friend or relative their work on the Web. This has been a great confidence builder for writing.
Field Trips
We were able to take learners on a couple of field trips thanks to our MCC grant money. One trip was to HCC with staff and learners from our Ware Site, to view the video, “The Laramie Project.” This was a documentary about the death of Matthew Shepard. This was a very powerful and emotional experience for all of us.
A second trip was to the Ecotarium in Worcester. Once again learners and staff from our Ware site joined us. We enjoyed a day of looking at and learning about many different animals. We also saw a planetarium show about the night sky. It was excellent!
GED's
We had 10 learners who passed their GED tests. This was quite good given that this was the first full year of the new version of the test. Three learners have gone on to GCC (one making the Dean’s list last quarter.) Another learner has taken a real estate licensure course.
Youth Issues
We continue to have many 16-19 year olds seeking our services. This presents many challenges. Most of these young people are not here of their own volition. Most are court referred. They also come with a lot of problems and issues that require a lot of support from outside resources. With the cuts in resources and community programs, many of these young people have no outside support systems. The Learning Center has become the resource center for behavior management, housing issues, legal issues and any other issues that surface. This takes up a good deal of staff time and energy. It would be great if TLP were able to get funding specific to youth programming.
BESTWorks
Charboneau Learning Center, along with our Northampton and Orange Sites is part of a BestWorks grant. This federal money comes to us through the Franklin/Hampshire Regional Employment Board via the Franklin/ Hampshire Career Center. It is a collaborative effort with a targeted population of 18-24 year olds. The program is three tiered with a focus on the Culinary Arts/Hospitality field. Participants get an adult education component, employability and job readiness workshops and a vocational piece specific to culinary arts at the Franklin County Tech School or Smith Vocational.
Recruiting for this program has been a challenge. Many of our young people can’t or don’t feel that they can commit to a 6-9 month program. Eva Roberts, the BestWorks counselor at Charboneau, Joe and I are meeting regularly to strategize ways to deal with the issues that are surfacing.
Other Collaborations
Charboneau Learning Center has strong connections in the communities that we serve. We are also part of two large collaborations. One is through our Even Start Program. Our partners are FCAC, Headstart, Healthy Families, MSPCC, and Greenfield School System. The second collaboration that we are actively involved with is through the BestWorks grant. The Franklin/ Hampshire Career Center, Franklin County Tech School, Smith Vocational School, The YES Program and The Literacy Project are the key collaborators in this grant.
CLC Goals for the Coming Year:
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Barrows-Mollis