2019 IN REVIEW
Connect-Us Academy Advisory Council
In February, we formed the Connect-Us Academy Advisory Council – a group of business owners and leaders from Fairfield County who are advocates of the program and support and inform the development of our work. Members include Connect-Us Board of Directors members Charlie Adams, Arlene Doherty, Chris Kundhardt, and Frances Rowland, John-Oliver Beirne (President, Beirne Wealth Consulting), Mindee Blanco (COO, Barnum Financial Group), Rich Eldh (Co-CEO and Co-Founder [Retired], SiriusDecisions, Inc.), Sam Gault (President, Gault Family Companies), Chris Sawch (Partner, Shearwater Creek Wealth Advisors LLC), and Jeff Wieser (President, Homes With Hope).
CONNECT-US ACADEMY
We began 2019 with well over 100 new applications for the Connect-Us Academy from young people who want to get involved. We formed the Connect-Us Academy Advisory Council to help guide our efforts and provide direction as we strategically plan and scale the program.
24 Internships. 23 PARTNERS. 18 WORKSHOPS. 10 MENTORS.
The Connect-Us Academy had a banner year. In partnership with 23 companies and organizations from across Fairfield County – and with the help of 10 professional mentors who coached our students throughout the program – we ran 18 professional job training workshops and placed 24 young people in paid internships this summer. Thank you all of our partners!
"Each and every part of this internship was a learning experience. it was never boring, and the environment was always welcoming. The assignments were challenging, but I grew from it and I’m glad I was given this chance. Those six weeks feel more like a few days."
– Julian, placed at Beirne Wealth Consulting
"I have taken away more than I could ever give back. From beginning to end, I have been spoiled with all sorts of experiences I could have never dreamed of... I will miss walking into a room and being bombarded by smiles every morning. I never had a bad day at Homes with Hope."
– Hailey, placed at Homes with Hope
2019 Graduating Class of Connect-Us Academy
YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM
Our Youth Leadership Team (YLT) is the heart of Connect-Us – and the team continues to grow! We had over 25 young people involved in the Youth Leadership Team this year. The students meet every week during the spring and fall semesters and cover a variety of topics. Workshops and conversations this year included The 1619 Project, Poverty and Inequality, Climate Change, Wellness and Nutrition, Food Insecurity, Mental Health and much more. The team also travelled to Westport Country Playhouse to see In the Heights, and to New York City to see the Broadway musical, The Prom.
New workshops this year included: a Coding Workshop led by Bridgewater Associates technology team members Kristopher Singleton and Rohit Ganguli – they created an animated game using python code on a Raspberry Pi! – and a Professional Writing Workshop with Dr. Deb Sawch, who worked with the students to develop their Linked-In pages.
The YLT members are also the lead producers on all C-U Onstage! events, including our annual Talent Show audition, workshop, and show. They serve as the box office team, stage team, ushers and greeters, and they lead improv games and exercises with the performers who are in the show. The YLT also plays a leading role in producing the annual MLK Day Show. A portion of the YLT curriculum is dedicated to learning about the history of the Civil Rights Movement, and the YLT members create performances to honor Dr. King that become the foundation of the show.
In addition, the YLT leads training sessions for all incoming students to the Connect-Us Academy. The YLT helps introduce new students to Connect-Us’ performance-based approach to youth and community development, they lead breakout sessions, and they help the CUA students develop their remarks for Orientation and Graduation.
C-U Onstage!
Between our MLK Day Show in January and our C-U Onstage! audition, workshop, and show in the Fall, we engaged over 700 young people, their families, and community members in developmental performance activity this year!
All of our onstage productions are supplemented with workshops, conversations, and exercises that introduce our young producers and performers to the principles of improvisation, and draw connections between producing and performing to application in everyday life. This framework of applied improvisation and applied theatre opens up new possibilities and ways of thinking, and sets up the young producers and performers with ways to use their talents to enhance and improve their communities and their lives.
Each performance also includes a significant community engagement component, where the shows’ young producers and performers are responsible for organizing an audience for the show and leading the audience in creating a supportive environment where all performers are celebrated and everyone who is involved is shown deep appreciation for the role they played in making the event a success.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Berry M. Gordy Artistic Award
Connect-Us was proud to be honored by the Greater Bridgeport NAACP this year. Executive Director Pam Lewis was presented with the Berry M. Gordy Artistic Award. This award is presented to an individual who has shared their talents and resources in the community to help motivate and inspire others, and who serves as a role-model and mentor to young and emerging community artists.
Community Impact Award
Connect-Us was proud to be honored by Fairfield County's Community Foundation and Moffly Media with the 2019 "Light a Fire" Community Impact Award.
Our work was featured in the November issue of Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan/Darien, Westport and Fairfield Living magazines. The 2019 Light a Fire Awards Ceremony was on December 5 at the Westport Country Playhouse. Read the full article »
American Alliance for Theatre and Education National Conference
On August 3, Connect-Us Executive Director Pam Lewis presented with theatre artist and PhD student Olivia Hartle at the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s National Conference in New York City. In their session, titled “Performative Practices and Pedagogies for Youth and Community Engagement,” Pam and Olivia shared the work of Connect-Us with over 45 artists, educators, and scholars from all over the country.
[webinar] Connecting Bridgeport Youth to Opportunities with the Fairfield County Business Community
In March, Connect-Us Executive Director Pam Lewis led a Community Conversations Webinar for Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
In the webinar, Pam discussed the Connect-Us Academy and the work we are doing to build bridges between Fairfield County’s business community and young people in Bridgeport. She also answered questions from the webinar attendees.
VISIT FROM COMMISSIONER LEHMAN
We were honored this year to meet David Lehman, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development. Commissioner Lehman attended the Internship Supervisor Appreciation Celebration, met our young people and their families, and spoke about the importance of programs like Connect-Us. He sent out this email where he publicly vocalized his support of our work. We look forward to deepening our partnership with Commissioner Lehman in 2020!
Internship supervisor appreciation Celebration
The Connect-Us Academy hosted an Internship Supervisor Appreciation Celebration on August 14 to honor all of our partners who made the 2019 internship program a success.
Donor Appreciation Celebration
In April, we hosted our first Donor Appreciation Celebration, with over 70 attendees. The event was organized by our dedicated Board of Directors, hosted by the Youth Leadership Team, and the Westport Country Playhouse graciously welcomed us into their space.
Bridgeport Young Leaders Fellows
The Bridgeport Young Leaders Fellows spent five weeks this summer learning the practice and history of community organizing, and engaging in direct person-to-person community outreach.
Team Captains and Connect-Us alum Karl Gregory and Emmanuel Vereen led the group in weekly outreach shifts, and they had close to 600 conversations and registered 200 participants for Connect-Us programs!
