Here is the segment that aired nationally on MTV last week, along with a 30 second cut down that will continue to air with the station’s advertisements:

You can also see more of the media attention the group received here:

A shout out to Essex ATI on the White House Blog

An audio segment with interviews from the event by Vermont Public Radio

Video coverage of the event from Fox 44

A story by WPTZ on the event

Essex ATI members Erika Quakenbush and Kari Lavalette on the WCAX Morning Show

And a WPTZ story just after the group found out they won the contest

A big thank you to the Essex Community for supporting this message and this group of youth. Keep your eyes out for the Above the Influence arrow as these teens continue to spread the message! To keep up with this group and see a bit of what they have already done, check out their facebook page at facebook.com/EssexATI

Feel free to contact Adriane@Essexchips.org or 878-6982 ext. 104 with any questions!

CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION!

To make a donation by mail, send a check payable to Essex CHIPS or make a secure pledge online instead.

Better yet, make your donation social by joining our Facebook Cause and encourage your friends to get involved!

The past six months have been huge for Essex CHIPS. We helped organize an “Above the Influence” youth group which brought MTV to town and raised $2,000 for the Unified Sports team. We’ve launched a mentoring program, FriendCHIPS, which already has 17 mentor/mentee pairs in Essex Town. Our MLK Day of Service connected 120 volunteers with local service projects, contributing 400+ hours of service. In addition, the Teen and Tween Center Programs are more popular than ever, and remain free for all area 4th-8th grade students.

We are dedicated to providing the area with free and low cost programming in 2012, but we can’t do that without your help.

We thank you for your support, and our volunteers look forward to speaking with you.

Where in the world is the Essex CHIPS Teen Center? We’re going to find out as we celebrate Around the World in February, as Mischa teaches us how to make sushi and we dare one another try escargot. We’ve got a world map to track our heritage and we’re going to practice for Tween and Teen Center Olympics. Recently, the kids have been learning about cyber-bullying and appropriate websites to visit, as well as getting better at picking up after themselves. The staff has been impressed with the groups’ willingness to understand what’s safe and what’s not. We encourage the conversations to go beyond Teen Center and to continue as we all learn how to be safe and polite at school and online.

Guys’ Night: Wednesday 2/15, (ironically Susan B. Anthony Day), from 5:30-7:00pm we invite the dudes to stick around or come on over for Guys’ Night.  We’re grilling up Philly cheese steaks, playing indoor baseball, and playing some old school baseball video games. This is a chance for the guys to get together without the girls, relax, talk shop, and just be themselves.

Family Dinner Night: Wednesday 2/22, during Teen Center hours, we are having Family Dinner night, where those at the Teen Center will help cook up a delicious dinner and eat it together, family-style. Although this is for the Teen Center family, we highly encourage parents and guardians to come and help cook and eat!

Random Acts of Kindness Week (2/12-2/18): To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, discuss small acts that your tween or teen might be able to do, whether a kind note to a teacher, or holding the door open for the person behind them.  Whatever the act, kindness is something we promote every day at the Teen Center, and we’re glad there’s a week to recognize its power.

FEBRUARY TWEEN AND TEEN CENTER CALENDAR CLICK HERE!

Teen and Tween Center Student(s) of the Month:

Bridget Maher: Bridget is downright awesome. She has great Teen Center attendance, always listens to peers and adults, has never gotten in trouble, and is always friendly. This doesn’t make her a “goodie two-shoes”, however. She’s definitely got her own style, speaks her mind, and isn’t afraid to be herself. She’ll always take the opportunity to bust a dance move or pose for a photo, but she also plays on the computer and sometimes PlayStation. She’s all around a fun person to know because she’s down for anything, and never complains, never shouts, never hurts anyone’s feelings. Look up “Cool” in a dictionary and you’ll see a photo of Bridget.

Jacob Jones: Everyone is eccentric a word meaning they have unique personalities, and Jacob is curious, thoughtful, and fun-loving, but he’s also incredibly conscious of others. In the past two months, Jacob has grown up immensely, understanding how behavior affects other people, and has taken strides to be one of the most respectful, honest, and helpful Teen Center Attendees. He’s also dedicated to the Teen Center; he came to our fundraiser on a Friday night and takes part in every activity. We appreciate Jacob’s constant efforts to make others happy without losing any sense of self. Thoughtfulness, honesty, and being humble go a long way. Thanks, Jacob.

Essex CHIPS is launching a new series of video shorts to help community members get to know our programs better.
Check out this year’s Essex Junction Train Hop and Tree Lighting Ceremony. CHIPS partnered with an all-volunteer planning committee to bring a bit of holiday cheer and history to the downtown area. It was the most successful year to date, with nearly 2,300 people! Have a safe and happy 2012, everyone!
Video filmed and edited by EHS student volunteer Ashlyn Nuckols.

-Featured Artists:

Phil Yates

Patrick Fitzsimmons

Garrett Brown

and one more!
-Sliding scale donation $5-$20

-POTLUCK

Hope you can join us!

Essex CHIPS is launching a new series of video shorts to help community members get to know our programs better.

Here’s an introduction to our Teen and Tween Centers, filmed and edited by EHS student volunteer Ashlyn Nuckols. Enjoy!