DREAM Program, Inc.

The DREAM Program, Inc. (www.dreamprogram.org) is setting a mentoring standard for lower-income youth who live in HUD subsidized housing developments in Vermont. DREAM stands for "Directing through Recreation, Education and Mentoring."

The DREAM Program started in 1999 through two Dartmouth College students working with lower-income youth at Templeton Court Apartments in White River Junction, Vermont, a Section 8 project-based facility. In 2001, 22 youths from Templeton were invited to a White House celebration where they got to meet the President of the United States.

In its third year of operation, DREAM branched out with a non-profit 501(c)3 mentoring program that included college students from the University of Vermont working with youth at Elm Street apartments in Winooski and discussed possible actions with other housing sites. The DREAM program is designed to provide youth with the skills and resources they need to break the cycle of poverty.

A future goal of the DREAM program is to partner with Public Housing Authorities across Vermont with mentoring programs for lower-income youth who come from a variety of life's risk factors.

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