News from Pelham Together
A Place for Teens to Meet Up and Cheer on the Pelicans
Pelham fans in middle and high school might want to meet friends at the game, but aren’t quite sure how to organize that. Or maybe some need a little encouragement and all it takes is a place to go. No problem! Let your teens know they can find their friends at the Pelham Together table set up at all home football games, collect some colored beads, face paint, candy, and go enjoy the game with their group!
Home Game Schedule:
Friday, Sept 22nd, 7pm vs Greeley
Friday, Oct 13th, 7pm vs Clarkstown North
Friday, Oct 20th, 7pm vs Harrison
Stay tuned for more games during Homecoming Week, including Volleyball, Soccer, and Field Hockey.
Introducing New School Liaisons
At each building, these PT representatives are your go-to for all things Pelham Together—where to get the BIG Pelham calendar, what resources and programs are available to parents and youth, including the new PT Counseling program, bringing affordable, short-term therapy to young people ages 5-20. You can also share thoughts and/or concerns regarding topics of interest to support a particular age group, which will drive PT programming.
School Liaisons for 2023-2024 are:
PMHS: Suzanne Snyder
PMS: Rosa Polenzani
Colonial: Lisa Horten
Hutchinson: Alex Loewy
Prospect Hill: Liselle Sakhrani
Siwanoy: Dave Sparano
You will see and hear from them at upcoming Open House nights, and you reach out at any time at contact@pelhamtogether.org (your email will be routed to the correct liaison).
Pelham Together Summer Internship ‘23
During July and August 2023, Pelham Together hosted their popular Summer Internship program with almost 30 teens and 25 mentors, and two recent graduates of the program were mentors for this years’ interns. The program included two sessions with mentors, as well as a 3-day leadership training seminar focused on communication skills, learning and leading styles, goal setting and team building. As in prior years, teens were matched with local, or locally-connected, mentors to spend 30 hours of paid work together. Throughout the program, the interns are guided and supported by Pelham Together’s Youth Advocate, Danielle Marrero. Danielle is on hand to help them navigate conversations and questions that naturally come up in, what is for many, their first job.
The list of mentors represented a full range of industries and work environments. Mentors from many local businesses, civic and non-profit groups, local and State government, Pelham School District and higher education, journalism and publishing.
Dr. Tom Callahan, Director of Mathematics and Science, had this to say about the program overall, “The internships Pelham Together coordinates are great experiences for young people. Not only does the intern benefit from working in a real world setting, but the district benefits from the unique skill set and talent that these interns bring to us. Hosting these students is always a highlight of summer for me!” One of Dr. Callahan’s interns, Jake Lubin, 11th grader, remarked “I (sic) really enjoyed planning the Chasing Space events, and I am excited to host an elementary school book discussion. Overall, the internship was great for me, thanks for such a great opportunity.”
Mentors and Interns alike not only report positive experiences such as these, but 100% of interns report that the program brought them closer to a trusted adult and 100% report it increased their confidence. At the same time, 100% of mentors report that their intern made a positive impact on their organization and 100% say they would participate again. Both adults and young people indicate that this program makes a positive impact on the community.
Jennifer Breheny Wallace, in her new book, Never Enough, emphasizes the importance of young people feeling that they matter. This quote stood out for us as being at the core of our Summer Internship Program, “Communities can really try to focus on helping kids know they’re needed, that the community depends on them. Ask them to pitch in, thank them. . . Give kids in your community opportunities to be depended on and relied on.” Thank you to all the mentors in town who took the time to let our teens know how much they matter by participating in their lives in such a critical and meaningful way.
Applications to apply to be an intern for Summer 2024 will be available on March 1 and due on April 1.
September is Suicide Prevention Month
PT has collected the best resources in one place on their website. (https://pelhamtogether.org/blog/2022/9/27/suicide-prevention-month-a-collection-of-resources?utm_content=bufferf9e22&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer&fbclid=IwAR1zsmLEflJ1Z_DtnjsGsDUqpwF3BfTkaMgjwZ7wOJT2w1wovshxB0Gc8kk)
A few important things to know: It’s okay to say the word suicide. Being able to talk about it opens the door for people to ask for help.
The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988. It works like 911, but for suicide and mental health crises.
This summer, all Pelham Recreation Camp Directors and Assistant Directors and Pelham Together staff completed their certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid and are deeply committed to supporting the Pelham community in this way.