Last year was a productive one for Opportunity Santa Fe (OSF) and our Collaborative Working Groups (CWGs) — filled with many accomplishments and new insights. In 2019, we supported 14 CWGs and their work in ways that will to help turn the curve for the children and youth of the City of Santa Fe. Below are a few of the …
Molly Timmins, Opportunity Santa Fe Program Coordinator | September 17, 2018 Growing up I always volunteered– through Key Club, Circle K International, Kiwanis and with numerous nonprofits across New York, Maryland, and New Mexico. By being a part of a service club, it made finding volunteer opportunities that matched my interests and skills, easy and accessible. However, for others, finding the …
By: Emily McRae, AmeriCorps VISTA | August 21, 2018 The Reconnecting Youth Survey (RYS) was conducted in late summer and early fall in 2017 to identify risk and resiliency factors, and barriers to services among youth who are not included in school-based surveys. Surveys were administered to 457 youth between the ages of 14 and 26 years old throughout Santa Fe …
Teya Martinez, Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board member and Santa Fe Prep student | March 7, 2018 The Teen Job Fair was a success and an incredible experience, I really enjoyed being able to give back to our community. It was great seeing youth and adults coming together wanting to make a change in our community. That is what this program is …
Sarah Cheney, AmeriCorps VISTA | February 7, 2018 January, what a month! It’s the start of the new year, we’re all back from vacations, rested (hopefully) and ready to get back to work. I started the month diving headfirst into the National Mentoring Month campaign. It was exciting, it was fun, it was stressful, but most of all it was rewarding. …
Molly Timmins, AmeriCorps VISTA Leader | January 8, 2018 The majority of kids on waiting lists for a mentor are boys. This is true nationally and right here in Santa Fe. Think about your own life — did you have a mentor in your life growing up? What sort of men helped guide you? A father, coach, uncle, a caring teacher? …
Guest Blog: Miguel Acosta, Associate with the Center for Relational Learning and co-leader of the Poder Familiar CWG | November 9, 2017 Si Se Puede! Si Se Puede! The chant, that she created, rang out and grew louder as Dolores concluded her words and prepared to enter the CCA theatre for the premiere of the film based on her life, Dolores! Dolores …
Ellie Hoffman, AmeriCorps VISTA | November 8, 2017 On November 1, Poder Familiar and EarthCare hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration. A group of parents met for several weeks leading up to the event for planning. They discussed the ways that their families have traditionally celebrated the holiday. Their ideas were brought to life at Zona del Sol on the evening of …
Ellie Hoffman, AmeriCorps VISTA | November 6, 2017 The Poder Familiar Working Group is up and running! The group meets weekly with the goal of engaging parents and youth to become community leaders. In October, group members discussed the characteristics they desire to see in their children, planned a Día de los Muertos celebration, continued to develop English conversation skills, and …
Sarah Cheney, AmeriCorps VISTA | November 3, 2017 On October 20th and 21st, the Mentoring and Tutoring Collaborative hosted two Race Equity and Implicit Bias trainings, led by Sarah Silva of PICO National. The most important takeaway I came with was tone. When you approach topics like racism and inequality you won’t gain much support if you’re angry and defensive. But …