Salem Dream Center

Education:Since 2015, 100% of teens participating in Salem Dream Centers after school study programs have advanced with passing grades, and for seniors, have graduated. During the pandemic when Nationwide 50% of low income, and students of color failed academically, 100% of students involved in Study at the Edge passed. Study at the Edge provides after school study groups with access to computers, internet, school supplies and study help. Students from 1st grade through high school come after school to take advantage of tutoring. Most of these students come of their own volition. Very few are brought by a parent. They want to succeed in school and take advantage of the support offered at Salem Dream Centers community center. Since the establishment of Salem Dream Center, more than 400 first generation students have advanced to college. Salem Dream Center work closely with the school district to support the success of the students. In 2023, Salem Keizer School District named Salem Dream Center as a Top Tier Partner.Mentorship:The imposed isolation of the pandemic has had a lasting negative effect on youth nationwide, with many continuing to embrace isolation. A result has been a decline in social interaction, lowering academic success, and depression. As a result, Salem Dream Center created Video Game Night for male teens, and Dream Girls for female teens. Video Game Night began with four teens and now has 27 active teens who come to Salem Dream Centers community center to share a meal and play nonviolent video games in a tournament structure. In addition to Dream Center mentors, Police Officers who are part of Salem Police Department's Community Action Unit participate in gaming, and mentorship. This program has helped draw teens out of their bedrooms and basements and helped them relearn how to socialize. One example is Angel, a 15-year-old boy who wouldnt interact with any other teens at school, or at home. His grades were a D average. Through repeated invitations Angel began attending, and over time began to smile, joke and broke free from depression. Since then, Angels grades have improved to a B- average, but most qualifying is he is a happy well-adjusted teen who eagerly volunteers and interacts with others. Of the 27 regular attendees, 24 were considered self-isolating by their parents.Dream Girls has held the same basic focus. Weekly up to 21 teens come to the center to take part in Karaoke, movies, games, cooking, baking, making vision boards, having a spa day and more. The mentors include young women, and female Police Officers. The girls are learning life lessons, self-defense and much more, but most of all, they are relearning how to socialize and realizing their value. Samantha found talking to others to be scary. She kept to herself. She admitted that she didnt have any friends and believed that no one liked her. With her big sisters support Sam began reluctantly attending Dream Girls. Over time Sam has let the walls she created to keep others out, fall, and today Sam is happy. She leaves her apartment and joins the other girls to just hang out. Her life has changed, and she now sees that she has value, and friends.The success of mentorship is at times difficult to quantify. Since 2004 Salem Dream Center have helped hundreds of youth work through low self-esteem, depression, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders and more. Salem Dream Centers mentorship is most obvious in the decline of juvenal crime in the community. For the past seven years Polk County Juvenal have identified the Edgewater community as having a juvenal crime rate between 20 and 31% lower than similar communities. Another identifier of the positive outcome of mentorship is found in 79% of Salem Dream Center volunteers are Salem Dream Center teens and young adults. They have not just learned that giving back is vital to succeeding in life but is a key component. Food Security:With the increased cost for food, fuel, rent and more, food security has taken on a more urgent need in the community. During the pandemic Salem Dream Center created Neighborhood Market, where once a week residents could come to the center and leave with a shopping card full of food for their family. During the pandemic years Salem Dream Center distributed more than a half million dollars of food. With the increased need for support Salem Dream Center have reimplemented a version of Neighborhood Market. Children, youth and parents can come to the center daily to get a meal, or food to take home for their family. Additionally, every group, or function held at the center, or during our Saturday program at Walker Middle School begins with a meal. In 2023-24 Salem Dream Center provided 24,123 hot meals, and during the holiday break from school delivered 53,798 pounds of food to families.