Youth and Family Enrichment Services Inc. (YOFES)
Youth and Family Enrichment Services Inc. (YOFES/OAMEC)
1234 Hyde Park Ave
Suite 104
Hyde Park, MA 02136
ph: 617-364-0370
fax: (617)364-0371
alt: (617)447-6522
yofesyou
HAITI Support & InformaTIon
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED NOW—BOTH IN HAITI AND HERE IN OUR HAITIAN COMMUNITIES!
The dimensions of the suffering and loss caused by the earthquake in Haiti are staggering. The tasks of locating loved ones, burying the dead, and providing food, water, and medical care for the living are enormous and require the immediate participation of everyone.
At the same time, the local Haitian community is in a state of shock. YOFES’ immediate focus is on supporting the children and families in our local community who have been affected by this disaster. Haitian families and children are at risk. Parents may be so overwhelmed that they cannot provide the emotional support and other kinds of help that their children in school need.
On January 18, 2010, YOFES called an emergency meeting at our office in Hyde Park. Our focus was primarily on the disaster's impact on local community members served by YOFES. About 20 people attended the meeting, including YOFES staff, board members, parents and youth, as well as allies and friends from Iglesia Shalom Adonai, Jude Goldman of the Lenny Zakim Foundation and the Abreu Fellows from the New England Conservatory.
Join Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YOFES) in reponding to the needs of the Haitian community here in the Boston area.
Help us address the urgent needs of families living here in the Boston area by making a contribution to YOFES
YOFES First Steps and Plans
- Counseling services Provide referrals to skilled counseling and family location services
- Support and Information for young people and families
- Convene facilitated meetings at which young people can express feelings and receive information and support
- Develop radio/cable TV programs as a way to make Haitian voices heard, to give people a chance to express their feelings, relate their experiences, ask questions, and get answers.
- Social Networking. Set up Facebook or MySpace pages for youth to communicate and support each other
- Reinforce existing YOFES programs
- After-school programs. Add extra counselors to provide counseling and additional help with schoolwork.
- Offer additional hours to children in our music program. While children are in their music lessons, YOFES staff and professionals will be available to meet with parents in group sessions.
- Outreach & Collaboration
- Reach out & collaborate with other organizations and faith communities in responding to the crisis. Provide information on the needs of local youth and families affected by the earthquake
- Work with community partners. Collaborate with valued community partners like the New England Conservatory and the Lenny Zakim Foundation to offer programming and services.
- Incorporate this cultural shock into YOFES programming and classes, e.g. by selecting musical pieces during 2010 and beyond that reflect appropriate themes, e.g., solemnity, loss, mourning, rebirth, hope, rebuilding, resiliency – and call attention to those themes in our classes and public performances
- In local newspapers, issue public statements of solidarity and providing practical information
Help us address the urgent needs of families living here in the Boston area by making a contribution to YOFES
Donations can also be mailed to YOFES at
1234 Hyde Park Ave, Suite 104
Hyde Park, MA 02136
Youth and Family Enrichment Services Inc. (YOFES/OAMEC)
1234 Hyde Park Ave
Suite 104
Hyde Park, MA 02136
ph: 617-364-0370
fax: (617)364-0371
alt: (617)447-6522
yofesyou
