NORTHEAST HARBOR, ME — In November 2017, Maine Seacoast Mission launched Journey, a six-year youth mentoring program. Journey was, and is, made possible by the Emanuel & Pauline A. Lerner Foundation and its mentoring-based initiative, Aspirations Incubator. That initiative is designed to raise and sustain aspirations of rural Maine middle and high school students.
This week, Aspirations Incubator launched its new website www.aspirationsincubator.org and social media pages. The new web presence will offer the public a glimpse into how Aspirations Incubator is working at the Mission and in other places.
Briana “Bri” West, is the Mission’s Journey Coordinator. Bri said, “The Journey program gives students support and relationships that help them navigate their challenges. Students get to experience college and career choices, near and far from home, with friends and mentors. Journey has given students support in-and-out of the classroom, while helping build resilience. In our small community, Journey has given students the motivation to be better, and to strive for what they dream,” said Bri.
“Through deep mentoring and outdoor based programs, Washington County youth are able to explore their strengths and build positive relationships with peers,” added Mission Downeast Director Melvin D. Adams III, Ed.D.
“This work increases college and career aspirations for youth to live and thrive in their communities. We are grateful for the coaching, mentoring, and financial support provided by the Lerner Foundation,” Mel Adams said.
We look forward to contributing to the success of the Aspiration Incubator’s new web presence.
BAR HARBOR, ME — Congratulations Class of 2020 students and best wishes for high school!
Journey Program Coordinator Briana West ended the academic year with heart and spirit, delivering Graduations in a Box to our 2020 8th grade Journey graduates. Bri used this project to catch up with her students in person for the first time since schools shifted to remote learning as a Covid-19 precaution. The students loved their creatively decorated boxes that included leather journals, sweet treats and other celebratory bits!
Bri said she is looking forward to follow-up meetings, albeit physically distanced, with her students this summer.
Journey is a six-year youth mentoring program. Made possible by the Lerner Foundation and its mentoring-based initiative, Aspirations Incubator, Journey is designed to raise/sustain aspirations of rural Maine middle and high school students.
WASHINGTON, DC — Maine Seacoast Mission EdGE Journey Program Coordinator Briana West visited Washington DC the last week in January. Briana was with fellow Lerner Foundation Program Coordinators and staff attending the 2020 National Mentoring Summit.
This professional development opportunity was provided by the Lerner Foundation to honor Program Coordinators for their growth, commitment and passion as they work to support middle and high school students in the communities they serve.
CHERRYFIELD, ME — In April 2017, Portland-based Lerner Foundation chose the Mission’s EdGE program to partner with the Foundation in its $7M Aspirations Incubator Program (AIP).
In November 2018, the Mission hosted Learner Foundation’s AIP meeting with Incubator grantees. Learn more in Lerner Foundation’s blog post.
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https://www.lernerfoundation.com Convening 3 in Cherryfield: What We Learned, and What We’re Counting On
On a cold morning in November, we met with our Aspirations Incubator grantees, including program managers and senior staff from their organizations. Maine Seacoast Mission hosted our gathering, including a sleepover at their community center for some of the participants, and we’re grateful for their hospitality.
This was the third convening of grantees we’ve held since 2017. Don Carpenter, our senior program officer, says, “What excited me was the general sense of commitment to our collective efforts that we’re all making toward loving young people growing up in Maine and helping to raise their aspirations. The power of relationships was on full display, and the programmatic ideas being introduced and discussed was really inspiring.”
LERNER FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PARTNERS IN $7 MILLION EFFORT TO SUPPORT ASPIRATIONS OF RURAL MAINE STUDENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2017
PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland-based Lerner Foundation today announced that eight Maine organizations will participate as partners with the Foundation in its new $7 million Aspirations Incubator Program (AIP), a mentoring-based initiative aimed at raising and sustaining the aspirations of middle school and high school students in rural Maine communities and small cities.
The Aspirations Incubator Program partner organizations and the school districts with whom the Lerner Foundation will work [include]:
The EdGE program of Maine Seacoast Mission/SAD #37. The Maine Seacoast Mission founded the EdGE program in 2002. Through after-school, in-school, and summer programs, EdGE offers children from Gouldsboro to Machias the opportunity to challenge themselves, engage with their communities and the outdoors, and explore college and career options. SAD #37 serves the Washington County communities of Addison, Columbia, Columbia Falls, Harrington, and Milbridge.
