Partnerships in Action

By Jackie Fischer

I welcome the Vermont Standard’s invitation to write a column to report on Ottauquechee Community Partnership’s (OCP) community contribution.  Because OCP is involved with so many community projects and initiatives, OCP may mean different things to different people.  OCP’s vision statement reflects our work:  Our welcoming communities thrive through strong partnerships and positive intergenerational relationships.

You may know of OCP through the Community Coalition, the WUMS Parent Network or through a parenting course.  Perhaps you know of OCP’s projects with young people through youth groups – the Community Dialogues, Generations Together, Vermont Kids Against Tobacco, Students Against Destructive Decisions or through the Youth Activists’ YRBS survey analysis. 

One of OCP’s most long lived programs, one that we think is critically important, is OCP’s mentoring program – the local mentoring program.  OCP’s Shining Light Mentoring Program has for over ten years connected local middle and high school youth to positive community adults.  New programs being launched this year include Lunch Buddies at Reading Elementary and Bridgewater Village School.

We are only one of multiple partners in many projects which are vital collaborations with schools and community organizations.  Projects like the Healthy Eating Active Living initiative, Trek to Taste, Farm to School, Walk Wednesdays, Prescription Walking and the Walking School Bus all focus on the common goal of promoting health through healthy eating and active living.  The Woodstock Healthy Teens project focuses on developing healthy relationships to prevent sexual violence.  OCP is one partner in the dynamic Youth Matter Community Collaborative that works to create and support opportunities for young people to build relationships through community and civic engagement.

OCP applies research and guidance from national best practices and the Vermont Department of Health in ways that best fit local culture, conditions, and applications.  A couple of examples of these include developing Smoke Free Zones and the Healthy Stores Initiative.

This wide array of projects may seem disparate and disconnected, but they all have common themes throughout that, taken together, are of critical importance to community health and well-being.   

These include:

·        Support young people as catalysts for change

·        Promote healthy choices

·        Empower youth and families

·        Support intergenerational communication

·        Increase community connectedness and

·        Engage in inclusive and diverse collaborations

Our work is only possible through strong community partnerships; as such, OCP builds relationships and bridges to work with community partners to realize these themes. To accurately reflect our community work, this column may also serve as an avenue to hear from some of our valued community Partners.

Our goal for Partnerships in Action is to explore with Vermont Standard readers why the work is important and how it all relates to creating strong, vital communities.  If you have comments or questions about OCP’s work, or would like to become involved in a particular project, I’d love to hear from you! You can call OCP at 457-2679, email me at jfischer@ocpvt.org or stop by our office on the river level of the Ottauquechee Health Center.