 |
|
|
|
Sponsors
of the Year 2009: Seven Hills Charter School In his role as Technology Integration Specialist at the Seven Hills Charter School, one of Mike Belanger’s major responsibilities is mentoring and teaching many of the 700 kindergarten through 8th grade students who attend the school. The school has an unusually comprehensive program, thanks to its charter school status. Mike creates creative and exciting ways to integrate technology into the classroom experience and curriculum, and each child at the school benefits from his creativity and innovative ideas. Not surprisingly, Mike was immediately interested in expanding his mentoring capacity when he was approached for the first time three years ago to take on a Dynamy Internship Year intern. Since that time, he has worked with seven of our interns. Mike’s enthusiasm is infectious, and it is easy to understand why our students take an immediate interest in being mentored by Mike as soon as they meet him. In addition to his responsibilities for the technology curriculum, Mike also directs all the school musicals. So, he is able to offer our interns a wide variety of internship responsibilities, from classroom aide for technology to participation in the arts and music curriculum and musical productions. Through a shadow experience, he gives interns the opportunity to learn what it takes to produce a musical, from advertising and sets to choreography and stage managing. Mike’s passion for helping young people is immediately evident. He says, "I get great satisfaction in empowering young people to learn how to take ownership of themselves, and realizing that they can accomplish their goals on their own. I give them the chance to make mistakes, but I have high expectations, and I won’t let them off the hook when they do make a mistake. That is what experiential learning is all about." We greatly appreciate the opportunities that Mike and the Seven Hills Charter School give to Dynamy interns, and are pleased to honor him as Sponsor of the Year. 2008: Boys & Girls Club of Worcester In just over two years’ time, Molly Sullivan has given five Dynamy Internship Year students the opportunity to try out the role of mentor, teacher and big brother. The Boys & Girls Club, where Molly works as the Social Recreation Program Director, provides a positive place for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have one. And, as a frequent sponsor, she also gives Dynamy interns a new and important role to try out in their lives: positive role model and adult mentor to children for whom that is lacking that in their lives. In just over two years’ time, Molly Sullivan has given five Dynamy Internship Year students the opportunity to try out the role of mentor, teacher and big brother. The Boys & Girls Club, where Molly works as the Social Recreation Program Director, provides a positive place for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have one. And, as a frequent sponsor, she also gives Dynamy interns a new and important role to try out in their lives: positive role model and adult mentor to children for whom that is lacking that in their lives. Dynamy interns are involved with every aspect of the recreational programming the Boys & Girls Club offers. There is the game room, sports tournaments, leadership programs, clubs, cooking, gymnastics, bowling, pool, life skills classes, swimming, boxing, dance, and much more. In her role, Molly takes in the newest members of the Club and helps them to figure out where and how they want to fit in to the Club. Children are often hesitant and shy at first - and having Dynamy interns to work one-on-one with them is a win/win situation for everyone. Molly says that each of the five young men who has worked under her has brought his own individual strengths and talents. Whether it’s energy, creativity, enthusiasm, patience, or imagination, she likes to draw out each person’s special abilities and show them how to "pay it forward". She likes exposing young adults who don’t know what they want to do to human services work. "I get to mentor them, and teach them how to mentor the children they meet. They get to see how important the work we do is. It so happens we have had all male interns, and too many of our young boys have no adult male role models in their life. They take that away from here and then give it to others when they leave." She also brings specific lessons to their workplace experience, such as the importance of teamwork, organizational skills, managing negative behavior and basic workplace etiquette. Molly sums it up by saying, "My passion is to help people learn how to do this kind of work." We greatly appreciate the opportunities that Molly and the Boys & Girls Club give to Dynamy interns, and are pleased to honor her as Sponsor of the Year. 2007: Regional Environmental Council and WCCA News
Channel 13 Glassworks has been providing a rare
oppurtinty to interns for many years. At the studio, interns receive
instruction on how to blow glass, and the freedom to create whatever
they can imagine. Emily Thatcher (Class of 2006) recognized
Glassworks for giving her the opportunity to explore glassblowing,
something she said she could have ‘never pictured herself doing a year
earlier’. |
WCCA-TV is the Worcester Public Access Television station.
Seeking to empower Worcester citizens and promote city pride, WCCA
features programming produced by community members, about the community
and for the community. 