Dartmouth youth advocate outlines outreach efforts, mentoring pilot and camperships

Dartmouth youth advocate Delores told the Dartmouth Youth Commission on June 21 that her office has focused this spring on direct outreach and planning for expanded youth supports in the coming school year.

Delores reported that she partnered with the United Way and the Dartmouth Public Library to distribute 150 non-perishable bag lunches over spring break, saying, “We got rid of all of the bagged lunches, and the family seemed to be really appreciative.” She gave a distribution breakdown: 89 bags were handed out at both library branches, 57 were distributed directly to schools and four were provided to a community outreach partner.

Nut graf: The presentation sketched several near-term programs the commission can support — from mentoring and school-based resources to holiday-giving logistics — and included a request to commissioners for help scaling efforts that rely on small commission budgets and volunteer time.

Program proposals and partnerships Delores said she completed a yearlong leadership certificate and attended a youth conference that supplied ideas she hopes to apply locally. She described a proposal submitted to the town administrator to pilot parent cafés in fall or winter based on a short community survey that showed demand for mental-health resources, after-school activities, vaping education and grief/parent support groups.

She also outlined a plan to pilot the Lean In Girls mentoring curriculum at the middle school, targeting sixth graders. Because school lunch is about 22 minutes and the program’s sessions are 45 minutes, Delores said the eight-session curriculum would be restructured into roughly 16 short sessions or delivered after school if the school schedule does not permit daytime sessions.

Backpacks, ‘‘Hidden in Plain Sight,’’ and day-of-kindness Delores said she worked with School on Wheels to collect school-by-school counts for fall backpack distribution. She also reported receiving a grant from the district attorney’s office to assemble a ‘‘Hidden in Plain Sight’’ mock teenage bedroom kit for use by the youth advocate office in school and community presentations on signs of substance misuse. Delores thanked commissioners who sponsored a Day of Kindness at Dartmouth High School and said commission funds covered student materials.

Camperships and funding details Delores explained the commission’s campership practice: an anonymous donor has funded an account from which the commission uses 20% of the balance each year for camp scholarships. This year 20% equaled $1,250 and covered $125 camp fees for 10 students; Delores said she submitted the invoice to the Parks and Recreation Department for payment and noted Parks and Recs negotiated a parent-paid week plus a free second week for participating families.

Commissioner follow-up and scheduling Commissioner Machado asked about school collaboration; Delores said relationships with schools have improved and emphasized that her role is to connect youth and families to services and referrals rather than provide direct services. Commissioners praised the breadth of the youth advocate’s work and discussed timelines for piloting programs given the commission’s limited budget and staffing.

The commission tentatively scheduled its next meeting for Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. and confirmed that Governor Healey’s extension of remote/hybrid meeting options currently runs through June 30, 2027, meaning the commission expects at least another year of the option to meet remotely. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and the meeting was closed by roll call.