Saratoga Partnership for Prevention

Partnership Meeting Minutes

Date:  

May 12, 2005

Facilitator:      Bev LaBarge

Location:

3 Blue Streak Blvd., 2^nd floor, School District Administration Building

Recorder:       Robin Ambrosino

Attendees:

R. Ambrosino, K. Bayer, L. Beer, S. Boice, S. Bold, J. Bell, C. Cachidurian,
M. Cary, C. DiMambro, J. Ekman, H. Endres, B. LaBarge, S. Lang,
T. Moon, K. Sephas, E. Stanton, J. Tirelli.

Materials Distributed:

Girls, Inc. summer brochure, Saratoga Center for the Family summer programs flyer, Saratoga Pie release party flyer, Susan Trump Benefit Concert flyer, Mediation Matters folder of materials

Upcoming Events

·      The school budget vote is Tuesday, May 17, 2005 from 12 – 9 p.m. at all the elementary buildings. There are many misconceptions about assessments and their relationship to the school budget. The school district is supportive of Partnership initiatives, and without a budget it would be difficult to run them. District’s budget-to-budget increase is the lowest in the Capital District.

·      The Saratoga Prom is two weeks away on Saturday, May 21. Post prom Party is at Hi Roc lanes from 11:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. Ticket sales don’t start until week of May 16th. There seems to be more buzz about the Post Prom Party this year, possibly due to the bowling. There will also be movies, karaoke, and youth leadership games, and give-aways, such as gas cards, cash prizes, PSPs, DVD players, and iPods.

·      The Mayor has invited The Prevention Council to his weekly press conference to discuss the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” initiative on Wednesday, May 18^th at 11 a.m. That will mean more press coverage the week before the prom. The Saratoga Springs Police Department will be also be doing DWI traffic patrols over that weekend. The issue of youth attending parties where parents are serving alcohol is coming up more and more around the country. For questions or more material, contact Judy Ekman at 581-1230.

·      Dulcimer player Susan Trump will perform a benefit concert for The Prevention Council at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 12^th  at Caffe Lena. Cost is $22. Seating is limited. Call the Caffe at 583-0022 for information or to make reservations.

·      The Annual Chicken BBQ to benefit Saratoga Center for the Family will also take place on Sunday, June 12^th at the Presbyterian New England Congregational Church. Proceeds from the new CD, “Saratoga Pie,” featuring local musicians,  will also benefit the Center. The Center’s summer program information is now available. Summer Kids Groups will be broken down further by age, with sessions available July - August. A Strengthening Families program just started and another one will start on July 18^th. An evening Parenting Program started on May 17^th and another will start in July. Also, The Center has become the umbrella agency for the Child Custody Stress Institute and will offer two, two-night programs in June and August for parents faced with child custody issues. For more information about any of these programs, call 587-8008.

·      Stacy Bold is the new director for Girls, Inc. They are looking to expand their programs out to Saratoga, Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie counties. There are still slots open for their Summer Fun  Programs, which will feature Exploring Theater Arts, Ventures in the Capital Region, Cooking and the Media, and basketball skills, among others. Payment is on a sliding scale to eligible girls. Call 436-9964 or 374-9800 for more information.

·      SEAD’s annual Diversity Day celebration will take place on Sunday, June 5^th at the Visitor’s Center on Broadway from 12 p.m. – 4 p.m. There will be dancing, music, food and a perennial exchange.

Partnership Update

·      The Partnership hosted a Youth Alcohol Forum with the High School PTSO on May 2^nd. Attendance was fairly low, but there was a lot of good information discussed.

 

·      Staff is still waiting to receive results of the Parent Survey from the independent evaluator in Rochester.

 

·      Staff is gearing up for four weeks of DARE All Stars camp this summer – the last two weeks of July and first two weeks of August. Response has been good. One week is almost full, and a few others are halfway full.

 

·      The City of Saratoga Springs gave a proclamation at last week’s City Council meeting to support the “Parents Who Host Lose the Most” media campaign.

 

·      Nicole had minor surgery and will be out for a few weeks. Anyone who wants to send her a note can pass it to Maureen or Robin and they will pass it on.

 

·      TIPS courses are ongoing. John Kelly and Andy Nolan are still facilitating. Two courses were scheduled for early May – one for bar and restaurant staff and one for retail staff. The retail class had to be cancelled for lack of enrollment, but the other class was well-attended, with 23 participants.

Mediation

Matters Presentation

·      Based in downtown Saratoga Springs, the agency, Mediation Matters, serves Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. It offers an opportunity for people to sit down with people they’re in conflict with to resolve their disputes – i.e.,  landlord/tenant, victim/offender, child custody situations, pre-PINS diversions, special education, early intervention, etc. The focus in any mediation is to address the harm that’s occurred. It can be a one-on-one or group situation, where there is more than one victim. The goal is to accomplish an agreement among all parties involved.

 

·      The agency had previously been under the umbrella of Catholic Charities but is now separate. Services are free of charge and funded by grants and contracts through the Unified Court System. The agency’s goal is for people to use mediation instead of going to court where the decision-making is out of their hands.
 

·      Mediation tends to be less adversarial than the court system, and is both confidential and voluntary. In a face to face situation, both parties are able to voice their side of the story. To make the outcome enforceable, the parties attach a petition that goes to the court.

·      Not every situation is appropriate for mediation. Agency staff screen for domestic violence or an imbalance between the parties. The agency can do intakes over the phone. It has contracts with city courts, family courts, and small claims courts. It also offers mediation of public policy issues, facilitators for group discussions, etc.

·      Mediators are generally volunteers. They receive 30-hours of training in mediation skills. They need to recertify regularly and oversee a certain number of sessions each year. Anyone interested in becoming a mediator can call the agency at 584-6361.

·      The agency is hoping to find a group that’s supportive of restorative justice and willing to partner with them to help expand it in the Capital Region. Specifically, they’re looking for people to oversee others’ community service and to help offenders develop skills and ties to the community. People who are already marginalized are often the ones to enter criminal justice system.

Miscellaneous

Discussion

·         Question was raised about whether we should have the annual Planning Meeting in June or September. Suggestions included:

 

·         Make June meeting a summary of what we set out to do this year and what we accomplished. The next steps can be the basis for the September meeting.

·         Use the June meeting to process the youth survey results and the Parent Survey results, if we have them in time. Look at what we’ve done and where to go from here. Do we want to keep all the same priorities or change things?

 

·      Still exploring a speaker for athletes. Ideas have expanded to include not only John Underwood, but also Murray Banks, a former triathelete and good speaker; Anthony Weaver, a Saratoga graduate, pro-football player and dynamic person; or Tim Stauffer, a Spa Catholic graduate and Major League Baseball pitcher.

·      Still exploring a transition program from middle school to high school. This is a natural progression from the focus on elementary school to middle school. The first group of All Stars kids will be moving into the high school next fall. Staff will conduct focus groups with small groups of 8^th graders on Thursday, May 26,  to learn about what they’d like to know before going to the high school next year.

·      Related to the high school transition initiative, there is a pool of grant money that the school district needs to spend on a science-based program in the high school before August 2005.

·      Stacy Bold from Girls, Inc. suggested a program specifically for girls called Operation Smart – an acronym for Science, Math, and Relative Technology. Group thought a program should be available to boys, too. Another possibility was Russ Terpening’s Criminal Justice Club that lost its funding. Problem raised is that it’s not science based. In general, there are not a lot of science-based programs for a universal population in the high school age group.

·   June 16^th will be the next Partnership meeting. There have been some requests for more party time and less work. Staff would like to recognize partners for being part of our accomplishments. Location TBD. Look for more information by mail in the next couple weeks.

·   Maureen will continue to explore and report back.

 ·   Partnership and Prevention Council staff will meet with school district officials to explore other science-based options.

Next Meeting

The next Partnership meeting will take place on Thursday, June 16^th  at a location to be determined. Invitations to this Year-End Planning and Celebration meeting will be sent via mail.