Programs and Services

Programs & Services

To fulfill our mission of uniting low-income greater Boston youth & parents through the identification & expression of their valuable talents, PMI provides the following programs & services:

Provide tv/recording studio access to youth at Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN) Cable TV studio and produce regular live family cable tv shows at BNN and rebroadcast every Monday 3:00pm on Boston Cable channel 23. These talk-shows/talent showcases focus on issues that effect the urban communities. This year we achieved an important milestone: 10 years of providing this fyi/talk-show/talent-showcase service in our community. Our guests/hosts include a list of international and local figures, each one reaching, teaching, sharing, caring and building community.
Run both parent-peer and youth-peer support workshops
Recruit & train mentors
Refer families in need to peer mentors & service providers
Provide youth talent showcases & liaison for those entering the entertainment industry

Process

PMI empowers families through strengthened skills, discipline, communication and self-esteem. The typical service process in our organization:

1) A need is identified with a child or parent.

2) They are brought into our programming-workshops, training or mentoring.

3) A commitment is expected between parents and their children at the completion of a series of workshops.

4) The youth in turn share their experience with their peers and build independence. Often media or educational production takes place that is also, in turn, shared with other individuals or the wider community

5) Result: the negative energy is expected to be channeled in a positive direction.

Operations & How We Measure Success

Processes

Outreach to community organizations (housing developments, community centers, social/religious organizations & families) to raise awareness of PMI offerings.
Provide studio exposure
Produce youth shows
Produce PSAs
Run media workshops
Run leadership workshops
Run film writing, direction & production workshops
Run peer support workshops
Run afterschool artistic training
Apply for/raise funds
Provide youth talent showcases
Liaise for youth entering industries

Measurable Outcomes

Community knowledge of & trust for PMI staff & intentions; numbers of contacts & interpersonal networks

Youth studio exposure hours
Quality cable program hours/reach
Quality PSA program hours/reach
Media know-how; workshop hours
Leadership know-how; hours
Film production know-how; hours

Peer support know-how; hours
Art know-how & pieces; hours
Diverse funding; application wins
Community events/productions
brokered meetings, traps avoided

Recent Accomplishments

Completed a successful pilot program at the Dudley Branch Library "Parenting peer support" for local Roxbury parents. Funding was provided by the Fellowes Athenaeum Trust Fund. PMI seeks to secure additional funding for this well attended program.
Produced & Hosted PMI’s regular Cable TV program "Keeping It Real" talk-show. Work included providing youth and adults access to Media arts technology, locations and industry/career information. We also created Public Service Announcements with youth and trained on interviewing skills, camera skills and video performance. We celebrated our 10^th year of TV programming in our community.
Coordinated a successful ‘Girls in Transition' project for good grooming, making healthy choices, developing self-respect and focusing on betterment.
Hosted ‘Black Connections’ mobile black history museum presentation at Walden Gardens Housing Development with ReIdren Business Group. Youth and adults were exposed to their great global history and shared their ideas to build community.
Co-sponsored a Black Family Technology Awareness (BFTA) night at the John D. O’Bryant Community Education Center (at full capacity). Families from the Roxbury community spent time navigating their family census on the Boston Public Library website and numerous prizes were given away for typing speed and internet scavenger hunts.

Objectives: looking to the Future, PMI would like to…

The Institute for Young Teachers inc. is in the planning stage for the next 6 months.
Acquire regular operational funding from diverse & progressive contributors.
Acquire regular program funding from diverse & progressive contributors.
Create employment for the families we serve.
Create scholarships for the youth we serve.
Staff PMI with young folks as outreach directors
Include youth members on the board of directors.
Work closely with project developers at the ReIdren Business Group to create genealogy/rootz programming for local families.