Our Values, Mission, & Legacy
OUR VALUES
01.
BUILDING ON STRENGTH
We focus on what’s right with children, youth, and families instead of what’s wrong with them.
02.
DOING WHAT IT TAKES
We meet children, youth, and families “where they’re at.” Our youth-serving programs include “24/7” availability; after-hours mediation in a family conflict can prevent a youth being removed from their home.
03.
SCHOOL SUCCESS
Where schooling is the most reliable route out of poverty, we focus on school enrollment (keeping youth in regular schools whenever possible), consistent attendance, more positive attitudes toward school, higher grades, grade promotion, and educational goal-setting beyond high school.
04.
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE
We bring the special challenges facing children, youth, and families of color to the policy tables—such as disproportionate minority representation in juvenile justice, special education, school discipline, and foster care. Beyond ethnicity, cultural competency includes recognizing the strengths of youth culture.
05.
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
Recognizing that the multiple issues disadvantaged children, youth, and families face cross professional, bureaucratic, and agency boundaries, we have has long been committed to teaming up with other organizations to expand, improve, and integrate services and supports.
06.
CREATING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL
In addition to providing community-based programs, we work with families, government agencies, and other organizations to remove historic barriers to educational and economic opportunity, to increase our society’s investment in children, and to open pathways for all children and families to achieve a better life.
Our Board
Wayne Ramos
President
RETIRED ADMINISTRATOR
University of Massachusetts
John F. DeMello
TREASURER
Susan Nielsen
JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICER
Rhoda Purcell
RETIRED ADMINISTRATOR
New Bedford Public Schools
Damon Chaplin
HEALTH DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR
New Bedford, Massachusetts
Frank Muller-Karger
PROFESSOR
Institute for Marine Remote Sensing
College of Marine Science
OUR MISSION
NorthStar’s mission is “to help young people overcome poverty, discrimination, educational disadvantage, violence, and other adversity through learning essential competencies and hopefulness with which they can transform their lives and communities. In advocacy and public policy, we as a minority-led nonprofit organization advance diversity as a strength and resource to open pathways to create a better life.”
Get Involved
Your support helps local families thrive. There are so many ways to create a positive impact in the lives of children, young adults, and the families that support them. Donations, volunteering, and business alliances, all help us toward the common goal of lifting each other up.
Support NorthStar
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NorthStar Learning Centers
53 Linden Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
80 Rivet Street
New Bedford, MA 02746
725 Shawmut Ave.
New Bedford, MA 02746
