YES Young Leaders to Create a Music Studio for North Quabbin Teens

YES’ North Quabbin Young Leaders Council (NQYLC) has received a Youth Leadership and Service-Learning grant of $13,068 from the Massachusetts Service Alliance to create a space for teens to learn, practice, record, and perform music in the isolated, rural 9-town North Quabbin region. The vision began in 2001, when Phil Benoit, 20, completed YES’ BizVenture! entrepreneurship program by writing a business plan to create a music space in Orange.

Budget cuts in the 1990s removed most musical arts programming from area schools and the region’s only musical instrument store went under. Phil, who was just emerging from a 4-year bout of mental illness and looking forward to creating such a musical facility, died in a car accident in our neighborhood a few days after his 21st birthday in 2002. His family created a small fund at YES to support projects in Phil’s memory. In 2005, a group of teens dusted off his plan, applied for a small grant, and, with a contractor, partially constructed a room to house part of the future studio in the vacant 1,000 sq. ft. downstairs space at our property’s ground level, which they dubbed, ‘Phil Harmonix’, in Phil’s memory. Funds ran dry, energy ebbed, and time flowed. In late 2008, YES’ NQYLC was approached by a group of teens hoping to launch a musical equipment ‘lending library’. The mission of this court-mandated effort ― each of the 3 teens need to do community service ― is to provide musical equipment to area teens to learn on and practice with. This kick-started interest among the Young Leaders in the broader music need addressed by Phil’s plan:

The need for this music studio is to utilize the talent that is in the community of North Quabbin. The community is a low income area that does not have too much to do in it. That is why this grant is vital to the community -- to create a space that is productive for the teens of the community. For the past few years, many young musicians have emerged in this community. They are being held back because of the lack of opportunities to learn, practice and record in this area. What this project is about is making a place for young artists so that they can express their talents and really make something out of their lives. This project is something that the youth in this community feels deeply about and has shown a huge amount of interest in. When asked in a survey, 96% of the youth responded that they would be interested in helping out with a music studio. When completed, this project will be useful tool in giving the youth of North Quabbin a positive voice. With Orange and Athol being two of the 20 poorest of the 351 communities in Massachusetts, the youth are obviously looking for a way to break out as individuals but with limited opportunities this is a hard task. No more will kids have to play in garages and just have people complain about them. Here they we be able to play as much as they would like and they would be able to spread their music and get recognized for their hard work. The NQYLC will be here to help and support them every step of the way. Every penny of this grant would be used wisely to help the community and let the kids have a chance to live the American dream and break out of a community stuck in poverty and become something they have always dreamed about.

We will start this project first by reconstruction a space in the lower part of an already existing building owned by YES. Work will beginby organizing for our annual tag sale in on April 11. This will clear the space under construction of clutter. In early-mid April, our three building contractors will acquire permits and begin work on the electrical and heating systems and other tasks that must be done by license-holders. Youth and adult volunteers, as well as YES staff and volunteer-contractors, will undertake construction and finishing jobs to complete the studio Amish-style during National and Global Youth Service Day (April 24-26, 2009) with ‘barn-raising’ activities, where we will all work together, in our project shirts and hats, powered by donated snacks and group meals.

After we refinish the space, we will then move in the equipment necessary to run a music studio. The effort will culminate with a studio ribbon-cutting and cook-out at YES at the end of June 2009. Parents, friends, the press, legislators, and others will be invited. Volunteers will be presented with certificates of appreciation and thanked by local legislators. A sign naming all volunteers and donors will be unveiled. A banner announcing the opening will hang on the front of the building. Photos will be submitted to print media and posted on the studio and YES websites and shared with schools and employers. Members will also be invited to appear on a local community service radio show on WJDF.

The range of kids for the music studio is from 16-24. The reason that we picked that range is because we found that that age group was the most excited and also with the most desire to become great artists in the music industry. Our plan is to recruit kids from some of the local high schools, such as Mahar and Athol-Royalston. We will survey the band and chorus classes of Mahar and community bands that have been starting up and have played at some small events. We plan to encourage these kids in their efforts and help them succeed in their musical careers. We are hoping that we may be able to some day sponsor some local concerts. The North Quabbin talent is there now − we just have to give them the break they need to succeed in real life. We intend to have this music studio running for a long time. We know that the youth want this studio and will use it to produce their own music and use it to tell their own stories. The ultimate goal of this project is to bring something to a community that needs it so badly and to give an opportunity to young striving artists... We intend to get the whole community involved in this project.

The nucleus for youth involvement is the NQYLC. This group has met 2 hours weekly at YES since November 2007 to plan community service activities and manage their own affairs (by-laws, officers, minutes, agendas, membership, fundraising, etc.) The Council is comprised of 15-20 youth (the number fluctuates), ages 16-21, from the nine towns of North Quabbin. Some are in school, some are in GED programs, some are employed, and some are unemployed. Last year, Council members helped organize the Community Coalition for Teens’ annual youth conference for 300 of their peers; the Regional Employment Board’s YouthSpeak career event for 32 of their peers; planned and ran the new shuttle parking serving 10,000 attendees at the North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival; and helped a teen group in Greenfield design a onesie carrying a child abuse prevention message for babies born to young parents. This year, the Council is focusing on strengthening its internal organization; planning the music facility; creating a regional teen web portal; and nominating members to sit on youth policy and program planning boards. Currently, Council members have seats on the Regional Employment Board’s Youth Council, Orange Cultural Council, Orange Sustainable Development Architecture Team; and the North Quabbin Community Coalition’s Youth Policy Board. The Young Leaders, with support from our Youth Organizer, Christine McMahon, have already begun working with a local 20-something young entrepreneur, Liam Morris, on the facility’s business plan, with the objective of making its operation self-sufficient. The Young Leaders have begun a list of suppliers to approach for donations and received quotes from several contractors. The Young Leaders also helped draft this proposal. They have been surveying their peers and adult musicians about the studio and will be recruiting a number to participate as volunteers during the construction phase. It was decided to make this project intergenerational to both help supply and support the project (as volunteers and advisors), but also because labor laws dictate what construction tasks and permissions youth can undertake. The CSL component of the project will be facilitated by Liam Morris, making use of the evidence-based Teen Outreach Program (TOP) CSL curriculum which we have used for several years with groups and programs. The curriculum provides a comprehensive framework for planning, implementing, reflecting on, and documenting CSL projects.

YES Young Leaders to Develop Regional Web Portal for Teens

Gardner – Five North Central Massachusetts nonprofit partnerships working to strengthen communities and address issues affecting teenagers have been awarded $80,000 in funding through a federal Compassion Capital Fund grant administered by Mount Wachusett Community College’s Institute for Nonprofit Development. The partnerships, comprised of 12 organizations, were recognized during the INPD’s 2009 Community Engagement Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 6 at the college’s Gardner campus.

The Institute for Nonprofit Development, a program of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity, was awarded the three-year, $600,000 grant in October, 2007 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide North Central Massachusetts nonprofits with intensive, collaborative strategic and financial planning. As an intermediary organization of the CCF, the Institute for Nonprofit Development is required to re-grant $80,000 each year to community and faith-based organizations.

“This truly is a unique and wonderful opportunity for the recipients of this year’s Community Engagement Awards, and it is an especially exciting time for us, here at Mount Wachusett Community College, as we continue to make a positive impact with our students and communities,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. As the college nears the end of its “decade of civic engagement” declared in 2001, “it is apparent that we continue our good efforts, not only for today, but for future decades to come. Our youth and future generations depend on us to set the foundation, pave the way and model civic responsibility and accountability,” he said.

Last year, 11 organizations received funding for business and/or revenue development plans, and next year's awards will again focus on community engagement among youth-serving organizations, said Jennifer Wiley-Cordone, co-director of the Center for Democracy and Humanity.

The community organizations competitively selected in this second round of grant awards are:

Allencrest Community Center: Created through a partnership between the Leominster Housing Authority and the Leominster Public Schools, the Allencrest Community Center has been a successful program for 11 years, outgrowing its current location in a four-room apartment. The Allencrest Community Center project is awarded a $10,000 planning grant for strategic planning to expand its capacity to become a full functioning community center, including the creation of a revenue development plan. The center recently received funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development to construct a new learning center and community center.

Healthy Teens: Making Good Decisions: This coalition, comprised of three organizations, HealthAlliance Hospitals, Inc., the Spanish American Center, Inc., and Diversified Home Services, Inc. Healthy Directions/Healthy Families, is awarded $15,250 to expand the scope of its community outreach and develop a new program focused on educating Latino adolescents regarding overall health and well being and the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

North Quabbin.net: The Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) helps Franklin County-North Quabbin teens and young adults find and follow their own paths to prosperity through entrepreneurship, job readiness, financial and technology education. YES is awarded $17,513 for its project North Quabbin.net to help area youth create and maintain a web-based portal to catalog resources and organizations available in the local area, and promote greater interaction between the region’s youth, youth-serving organizations, and each other.

Project RISE: America’s Youth Teenage Unemployment Reduction Network, (MY TURN) Inc. is a dropout prevention and intervention program working with students and out-of-school youth in gateway cities in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. MY TURN is awarded $17,337 for the development of a new credit recovery program at Fitchburg High School for students who are in danger of not graduating on time. MY TURN’s mission is to help youth develop and identify their skills, goals and self-confidence through career exploration, employment training and postsecondary planning in collaboration with partnering organizations.

Youth Empowerment Cluster: A collaboration between the North Central Charter Essential School; Cornerstone Performing Arts Center, Inc.; Cleghorn Neighborhood Center; Fitchburg Access Television; and Montachusett Opportunity Council, the Youth Empowerment Cluster is awarded a $19,900 planning grant to engage youth in the region with the planning and implementation of programs and services, with the goal of decreasing the high school dropout rate and providing post-secondary opportunities for Fitchburg youth.

YES Presents at Sustainable Investment Summit

YES' Executive Director, Tim Cohen-Mitchell, was an invited to participate as a panelist at the Pioneer Valley's first Sustainable Investment Summit held at Summit House atop scenic Skinner Mountain in South Hadley, MA on June 11th. The full-day event brought together from Hamden, Hampshire and Franklin counties some 100 policymakers, academics, bankers, investors, financial advisors, nonprofit organization staff, community organizers, environmental activists and others. The day included four moderated panel discussions and a series of interactive roundtable discussions exploring how people from these diverse backgrounds and segments could find ways to work together to define, design and direct the region's economy toward sustainability.

Cohen-Mitchell provided an overview of YES's history, mission and programs, focusing in on our social enterprise, YES BizCenter. The primary challenge he cited was the need for a different sort of capital investment vehicle to fund non-profit ventures like the BizCenter which meet important community needs needs not being met by government or the private sector.

Funds are needed to grow the venture to self-sustaining maturity, which for the BizCenter means $20K to purchase needed equipment and roll out its first major marketing campaign.
But investors traditionally don't fund non-profit ventures since charitable organization law prohibits private firms or individuals from holding equity or governance positions in a non-profit organization.

Grants for such activities are few and far between, especially for ventures in poor, isolated rural areas, and individual donors tend not to donate to a 'business', even one that is non-profit and has a quadruple bottom line that includes training youth and supporting downtown revitalization and other community organizations.

Debt financing is an option, and there a variety of lenders willing to underwrite mortgages, lines of credit and business loans to nonprofits. However, YES already holds a mortgage and a small term loan (used to renovate the BizCenter's new storefront), and is not in a position to take on further debt.

Listen in tomorrow (Wednesday July 9) at 5:00 pm on WMUA (91.1 fm) and 6:30 pm on Valley Free Radio (103.3 fm) for segments of Cohen-Mitchell's presentation; read about the event at masslive.com and the Hampshire Gazette; and listen to an interview on WRSI, The River.

YES Member Profiled on WGBY-TV

David Wiles, 19, of Conway and owner of Hill Town Mobile, was profiled on WGBY's Making It Here: TeenStyle on May 19. He is the third YES member to be profiled on the show since it began in 2006. The epidsode will be rebroadcast over the summer. Check WGBY's website for days and times. Dave, a graduate of Franklin County Technical School, did his co-op at YES in 2005-2006, programming a regional web portal for the North Quabbin, www.blinq.info. Dave was also a developer and instructor for YES' TechVenture! program in 2006, and worked with a group of other members in creating a teen health website for Tapestry Health Systems. While starting his own web design firm, and later, a mobile web development firm, Hill Town Mobile, Dave has been working last year and this under contract with YES to put YES' Odd Job Squad on-line.

YES Selected for Social Enterprise Workshop Series

ORANGE, MA - The Young Entrepreneurs Society, Inc. (YES) has been selected as one of six non-profit organizations invited to participate in the North Central Massachusetts Community Wealth Workshop Series. The series, facilitated by Community Wealth Ventures, a Washington, DC-based consulting firm, is offered under the auspices of the United Way of North Central Massachusetts and Mount Wachusett Community College with a grant from the Administration for Children and Families of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. The grant is administered by the Institute for Nonprofit Development, a program of the college’s Center for Democracy and Humanity.

Beginning in Leominster, MA in April 2008, this 6-month business planning process is designed to help high-performing nonprofit organizations develop and grow social enterprises. "This is a fantastic opportunity and the timing couldn't be better for us," said Tim Cohen-Mitchell, YES' founding director. Cohen-Mitchell said his organization is hoping the Series will help YES grow its existing social enterprise, the YES BizCenter. Developed by teen members of YES in 2001, whose business plan won the 2002 National 4-H/USDA Business Plan Competition, the BizCenter was launched in 2004 to provide the community with full-service copying, document finishing, faxing, office supplies, and notary services. It is also the North Quabbin region's only authorized UPS and FedEx shipping agent.

The venture, according to its manager, Christine McMahon, is "coming up on four years in business" but still needs to grow to ensure its financial viability and make sure it's "meeting the quadruple bottom-line our teens had in mind when they planned it." Those bottom lines include providing quality products and services at an affordable price; helping youth to 'learn to earn' by interning and working at the venture; using proceeds to fund YES' other youth programs and facility renovations; and supporting other community organizations and events through donations and its everyday 5% discount for non-profits.

The Workshop Series consists of monthly peer learning sessions and customized consulting phone check-ins. According to Community Wealth Ventures, nonprofits taking part in the Series will be engaged in a rigorous business planning process and will gain access to tools, frameworks and business experts resulting in a solid business plan when the Series wraps up in September 2008.

Letter to the Editor: Boston Sunday Globe, 2/24/08

YES Executive Director, Tim Cohen-Mitchell's, letter to the editor was published in yesterday's business section of the Boston Sunday Globe (2/24/08). The letter was a supportive response to an article in the previous week's Sunday Globe (2/17/08) entitled "Youth Movement", about the "... startling number of young people leaving New England since 1990" and the search for "incentives for them to stay."). You can read Tim's letter -- entitled by the Globe as 'Cultivating the next Bill Gates'-- by clicking here or below:

Scott Kirsner's article, "Youth Movement" makes a persuasive case for why young people's entrepreneurial endeavors should merit our attention and support. Several states, like Mississippi, mandate that high school students take entrepreneurship classes. But in Massachusetts, there's not a legislative word on the subject.

Helping schools and organizations inspire young people to create businesses and helping their firms take root and grow is simply good job-creation policy. Having spent over 20 years as a practitioner and academic in this field in Ireland, Kenya, and here at home, I'm ashamed to say that Massachusetts is behind the curve.

Until our commonwealth puts the task of helping our young people learn the art and science of business creation on par with wooing nonresident firms, subsidizing big businesses, and waiting for the next Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer to fall into Harvard Yard, our kids, like those now grown into their 20s, will come to find that Massachusetts is not the land of opportunity we told them it was. Politicians are fond of saying that making an 'investment' in our children is vital for the future. They are right, and they should.

Timothy Bruce Cohen-Mitchell
Orange
Executive director & founder, Young Entrepreneurs Society Inc.

YES BizCenter Moves!

With the passing of the final building inspection of YES' 3rd storefront at #24 South Main Street in Orange on Monday afternoon, YES staff, interns, volunteers and members kicked into high gear. They moved the entire 3.5 year-old BizCenter into its new space by 11:00 p.m. that evening, in time for the opening of business at 9:00 a.m. the very next morning. Out of habit, a few customers and our UPS driver entered at #26 next door, but all reacted favorably to the new digs. They especially liked the lively color palette of sun yellow, white and teal selected for the walls, doors and trim. The new digs feature new ceilings, walls, doors, windows, electrical wiring and service, heating system, lighting, ceiling fan, air conditioning, an automatic front door opener, and refinished hardwood floors. Much of the renovation work was overseen by Brian Whaland (YES '00), with dozens of others contributing time, materials, labor, small favors, and encouragement. Cash expenses for the 5-year project were met through the sale of a donated wheelchair van and restaurant equipment and fixtures (included in the building purchase in January 2003), revenue from BizCenter sales, donations from individuals, and a $5,000 term loan. Under $5,000 in grant funding was expended, a financing pattern almost identical to that used to renovate YES' two adjoining storefronts. Next up: moving the Teen Cyber Cafe into the space vacated by the BizCenter, and upgrading the Benoit Conference Room into the ' Benoit BizCave', a fully-equipped classroom and community room.

YES TV

Now, for the first time, we've posted video segments on our website. Jeremy Parker, our Member Services Coordinator, has spliced and diced to bring you several short features created by or featuring YES members:

2003 | 2 Odd Job Squad radio jingles, WJDF-FM, by YES members
2004| Changing of Hands: Youth in Community Development, by UMASS Anthropology students
2005 | Making It Here: TeenStyle, WGBY-TV, profile of YES member business, David Norcross, Farrier (equine hoof care)
2005 | Tapestry Health Reproductive Health PSA, produced by YES members
2005 | Youth Leadership Summit, Fitchburg, MA, workshop by YES
2006 | North Quabbin Youth Info Video, produced by YES member
2007 | Making It Here: TeenStyle, WGBY-TV, profile of YES member business, Sweet Bananaberry (handmade jewelry)

Watch them all at: http://youtube.com/profile?user=yesbizcenter

YES Receives 'Managing for Excellence' Award

YES was presented with a 'Managing for Excellence' award by the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts at the North Quabbin Community Coalition's December meeting. The award included a check for $2,500, which will be used, in part, to hire 'Stories That Move' to train our staff and two DIAL-SELF Americorps members how to teach youth at our Teen Cyber Cafe the art of digital storytelling two afternoons a week this winter/spring. Youth will have the opportunity to share their digital stories with the public at a festival planned for June. We hope to follow this up with an intensive summer program in which youth create digital stories about our region's young entrepreneurs, for use as 'virtual BizTours' in YES classes once the stories are posted on our website and those of the entrepreneurs profiled. Contact Tim FMI.

North Quabbin Adult Education Center to host MoneySmart! Program

The Literacy Project has retained YES to teach a YES MoneySmart! personal finance program for GED/ABE learners. The program will be held at TLP's North Quabbin site at 34 North Main Street, Orange from 1:00-4:00 pm on four Thursdays - 11/29, 12/6, 12/13 and 12/20 and includes YES' day-long 'Financial Survivor' adventure trip to NY, NY. Click link for full details and on-line application.

YES Chosen for 2007 Catalogue for Philanthropy

YES has been selected for listing in the 2007 prestigious Massachusetts Catalogue for Philanthropy. This year 390 charities applied for new listings, and 54 were selected, as “examples of excellence” in all fields of Massachusetts philanthropy—the environment, culture (arts and education), human services and international. According to George McCully, President of the Catalogue, “Young Entrepreneurs Society, Inc. was chosen because they are a great example of ‘private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life’ in Massachusetts, and because they are both excellent and cost-effective. We urge donors, especially in the Orange area, to consider adding Young Entrepreneurs Society, Inc. to their giving list this year.”

The purpose of the Catalogue, now in its 11th year of annual publication, is “to strengthen the culture of philanthropy in Massachusetts…through donor education….” "The Catalogue is designed as a showcase for Massachusetts philanthropy,” McCully said, “and a one-stop shop for a family's charitable giving. A single check, electronic transaction over the web, or stock transfer, can be allocated to as many charities as the donor pleases, and because the Catalogue is paid-for by its philanthropic sponsors, 100% of every donation goes to the designated charities or fields of philanthropy." This year it is mailed to 120,000 homes statewide, and is available to everyone on the web, at www.cfp-ma.org.

Once again this year, the day after Thanksgiving has been declared “Giving Massachusetts Day”. In his proclamation, Governor Deval Patrick urges all citizens and families to respond generously to the annual year-end appeals they have received from charities. Since 1997, charitable giving here has more than doubled, from about $2 billion to $4.4 billion—a record high for us—in 2005, the latest numbers available.

Open House & Annual Meeting on 12/6

Help us celebrate the opening of our 3rd and final storefront at 24 South Main Street, which will be the new home of YES BizCenter. From 5-6 pm, come tour the facility, have a snack, schmooze with our members. From 6-7 pm join us for our annual meeting: hear a recap of 2007 and a preview of 2008. If you can, kindly RSVP so we know to expect you. Just give us a call at 978-544-1869 or email info@yes-inc.org. Hope to see you there!