2011 YOUTH Travel Scholarship Recipients

LEAP Program at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf

The Language Enrichment and Academic Pursuit (LEAP) Program is for Deaf students with interrupted formal education who are at a profound educational disadvantage and have only a few years of formal education in which to catch up before they graduate. In order for students to become independent, employable adults they must develop problem solving and thinking skills, fluency in American Sign Language, and functional (or better) English reading and writing skills.

Twenty-five LEAP students and staff spent an amazing four days on the Vineyard where they visited the FARM institute, built perseverance while kayaking on Cape Pogue, and explored the heritage of the deaf community on the Vineyard by visiting Abel's Hill Cemetery. Teacher of the deaf, Fiona Bennie comments on the trip, "This trip was FILLED with firsts for our group. Several had never been on a ferry, none had been to Martha's Vineyard, several had never slept away from their family. For one girl, it was the first time she had ever had a S'more! The kids had an opportunity at the hostel to cook and clean up after their meals. Several of them mentioned how much they enjoyed this part of the experience. The kids loved harvesting and cooking their meals at the Farm Institute and I am quite sure many will never forget the orphaned lamb or learning to drive the young oxen. It was a symphony of coordinated activities and the kids were busy and engaged every moment. One student was captivated by the koi in Mytoi gardens, another by the scary/exciting feeling you get at the top of the lighthouse, and another by the way the sunlight sparkled on the water during the dune buggy tour."

LEAP students caring for an orphaned lamb at the Farm Institute.

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative

Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative participated in the YOUTH Scholarship program for the second time this summer by exploring the Vineyard with 20 teens and staff. All participants worked with DSNI throughout the summer on various projects to improve their neighborhoods. The trip to the Vineyard was a way to relax and celebrate their hard work. Highlights of their trip included exploring the dunes of Chappaquiddick with The Trustees of Reservations, conquering the surf at Aquinnah Beach, bonding with peers at the hostel and a visit to Oak Bluffs where they were able to enter one of the Ginger Bread Cottages.

DSNI youth testing out the medicinal clay found on the beach (not from the cliffs) at Aquinnah beach.

Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC)

The Codman Square (NDC) is a neighborhood-based community development corporation managed by an experienced, multi-racial, neighborhood-based Board and staff. The mission of the NDC is Corporation is to enhance the quality of life for all residents of Codman Square and to foster the stabilization of the community. This mission is carried out through comprehensive initiatives that encompass real estate development, economic development, and community planning and building. The Smart Talented Adolescents Reaching for Success (STARS) Youth Program is the youth component to the NDC's community building and organizing work. The program has as its goals to increase academic success, self-esteem, community participation, and healthy youth/adult supportive relationships among NDC youth. CSNDC's highlights include a trip to the Farm Institute, which they prepared for by cultivating a garden in Codman Square prior to the trip. Youth worker Blayne Lopes reflects on their experience, "I think our group will come away being more conscious about their food choices and with a strong sense of unity. Our group was exposed to different people, a different community and ways of being. I think they have come back feeling more open and empowered then before."

Thank you to all the teens and staff who participated in the 2011 YOUTH Travel Scholarship. HI-New England is thrilled to support youth groups on their travels to our hostels on the Cape and Islands.

We were thrilled to support these three groups last summer as they traveled to our hostels on the Cape and Islands!