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Hopeworks News: February 2006
Hopeworks Visits Colleges
 In February, Angel Rodriguez, Tiana Davis, Sade Coley, Sabrina Gomez, Klara George, and Jashua Gilchrist visited Cabrini College and St. Joseph University. The youth were given tours of the campus, an introduction to the college, met with the Diversity Directors of both schools, and even got a chance to sample the food from the Cabrini cafeteria. It was a wonderful experience for all, and got the youth excited about college!
Hopeworks Cheers on the 76ers
Thanks to Sam Dalembert, Jamie Connely, and the United Way,  Hopeworks sat in Sammy D's Swat Section during the 76ers win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Youth and staff attended the game, received t-shirts from Sammy and then got to go courtside after the game. Everyone had a great time. Very special thank yous to United Way, especially Katie Hahn, Sam Dalembert and his girlfriend Jamie Connely for a wonderful night!
Hopeworks To Attend GeoTech Conference
Tarren and Father Jeff will be attending the GeoTech 2006 Conference in Dallas, Texas. GeoTech is a great place for Hopeworks to learn about new developments in GIS and show others what we are doing with our own projects right here in Camden. Now in its 18th year the GeoTech Conference has provided a forum to inspire and motivate educators to teach about the Earth - its structure, societies, environments and their interplay - using a wide range of technologies. GeoTech brings together innovative presenters and teachers in all disciplines to share academic and technology innovations. Educators come to this conference seeking the latest in curriculum area content, technology information and training, and teaching ideas.
Bowl-A-Rama!
 The staff of Hopeworks has taken to bowling once a month, on staff days. They used to just play for fun, but now the youth have challenged them! Some of the youth at Hopeworks have joined the staff in this outing, and hope to keep it a monthly event. Check back soon to see who's been winning!
Hopeworks Welcomes New Web Director Todd Mariani
 Hopeworks has added a new staff member--Tood Mariani. Todd is the new Hopeworks Web Director. After five years working as an interactive designer in New York City, Todd and his wife moved to Philadelphia. He is originally from Buffalo, New York, where he earned an MFA in Painting from the University at Buffalo in 2000. He is looking forward to collaborating with the trainees to foster personal growth through the exploration of web design. Welcome, Todd!!
Hopeworks New Banking Project
 Hopeworks is excited to embark on a new project. Thanks to the Southern New Jersey Credit Union, all of the Hopeworks youth will have their own checking account. Any money that they earn at Hopeworks will be directly deposited into their account, and they will all have direct access to their personal account. The direct deposit will work as tool for teaching money management to the youth of Hopeworks. We are very excited about this project!
Zelka Martin Returns To Her Home Of St. Lucia
Zelka Martin has been an invaluable volunteer here at Hopeworks the last two years. Zelka has been a dependable presence and provided invaluable service to the youth and all here at Hopeworks. Zelka, who was here from her native St. Lucia to do volunteer work will be returning home at the end of this month. She writes of her time here...
Formation Director Kathleen Deitch To Make Thirty Day Retreat
Through generosity of St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, Formation Director, Kathleen Deitch will be going to Chatawa, Mississippi for a 30 day retreat on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius. Kathleen hopes to bring back to Hopeworks a sense of renewal and understanding of God's presence in the everyday life of the youth of Camden.
Father Jeff Continues His Professional Development
Father Jeff has continued his professional development training in group relations. He just finished working as the assistant administrator for the "Leadership For Change: An Integral Approach" in San Diego, CA. In late March, he will be attending a two week training in Leicester, England titled "Authority, Leadership and Organization." This training is part of a masters degree in Organizational Dynamics that Father Jeff is working on from the University of Pennsylvania.
Hopeworks Presented At Ethnography Forum at UPenn
The UPenn Ethnography Forum is an international conference in education held annually at the  University of Penn. Hopeworks youth presented along with Carol Thompson, a Ph.D. candidate at Penn doing research at Hopeworks. Their presentation entitled, "A Role of Their Own: Youth Perspectives on Participating on One Youth Organization" included presentations by Mario Arriola, Tiana Davis, Jovanni Hernandez, and Sade Coley.
Carol and the youth will discussed Hopeworks as a model for understanding the interaction of technology, role, and language in youth development. The youth and Carol used Hopeworks unique structure to look at the ways in which youth move from novice to expert and how becoming expert in new roles in which playing a variety of roles is linked to development. The group did a great job, and a lot of learning came from this project!
Literacy Director Attends San Francisco Conference
Literacy Directory Leigh Anne Purnell attended the Technology, Reading, and Learning Difficulty Conference in January in San Francisco, CA. The purpose of the conference was to expose educators to the numerous technology applications that are available to aid students with reading and/or learning disabilities. The workshops provided excellent information and instruction on tools and techniques that can be used to assist students and varying levels of ability. The trainees that participate in the Literacy Program at Hopeworks have many levels of ability, interests and learning styles. Leigh Anne attended workshops on the topics: Understanding Dyslexia, Creating Web Quests for Adult Learners, Reading Interventions, and Techniques for Teaching Adult Learners, to name a few. Leigh Anne was exposed to many dynamic and innovative instructional techniques, and she is looking forward to applying them all!
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| Najee Williams, Jackie Mojica, and Thomas Perez all began their first semester at Camden County College while Mario Arriola and Tiana Davis continued their college careers....Luis Rodriguez and Sabrina Gomez presented their personal web sites and will be working on their Production tests...Angel Rodriguez has sent in all of his college applications...Armando Martinez has been accepted to St. Joseph's Prep...
Kaya Ramirez has made the dean's list at the Philadelphia Art Institute. She is maintaining a 3.7 GPA, and is currently working on a project about Hopeworks for one of her classes. Way to go Kaya!...Yessinia Nieves will be attending Fairleigh Dickinson University in the fall, entering into their nursing program. Good Luck Yessinia!
Wendy Green, a PHD student at UPenn, for education, is currently observing Hopeworks for
her Introduction to Ethnographic Methods class
. Her focus is on how learning occurs in alternative educational settings. Welcome, Wendy!
- Hopeworks attends GeoTech conference in Dallas, TX
- Formation Director Kathleen Deitch goes on a 30 day retreat - Father Jeff goes to London for a Group Relations Conference
Cramer Hill CDC
Earth Share of NJ
Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers
Friends for Life Animal Sanctuary
Camden Diocese
Grace Lutheran Church
Camden Youth Drug Court
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