‘World Cafe’ Event Thursday, Jan. 15th

| January 11, 2015 | City Hall, School Notebook | No Comments

Team Medford in collaboration with the Medford High School Gay Straight Alliance Club, INTERACT Club and Amnesty International Club will be holding a World Café event on Thursday January 15th 2015, starting at 6:30pm in the Medford High School Lobby.

The World Café is a safe space where youth and adults can have conversations about issues that affect youth in Medford. The idea for this event came about from the Team Medford Working group, a group of individuals from the Medford community who are dedicated to empowering youth to have a voice in Medford to bring about community change and growth, based upon the 40 Developmental Assets framework, which are the building blocks for healthy development of young people. With the group’s primary focus on positive youth development, the need for adults to have conversations with youth on issues most pressing to them deemed crucial in the advancement of their work.

This school year, Team Medford has been working with the Gay Straight Alliance club (GSA), advised by Medford High School teachers Michael Skorker and Nicole Chalifoux. The GSA has been supportive in carrying out this event as well as the INTERACT Club, advised by Medford High teacher Amie Saulnier and the Amnesty International Club advised by Medford High teacher Taryn Ross.

The World Café is an event welcome to both adults and youth in Medford. Topics that will be discussed include school stress, gender stereotypes, substance abuse, privilege and discrimination. This event will be a stepping stone for adults to continue having conversations with youth and supporting them in making positive decisions and engaging in healthy behaviors and attitudes.

About Team Medford

Team Medford is an initiative of the Health Department and works in collaboration with other community coalitions, school departments, school groups and police to prevent and reduce alcohol, tobacco and other drug use amongst youth and promote healthy eating, physical activity in the City of Medford. For more information about other strategies to prevent and reduce substance use in the city of Medford, go to www.teammedford.org or contact Penelope Funaiole pbruce@medford.org or 781-393-2449.

– Submitted by Team Medford