LYNN— The School Committee unanimously voted to give members of the city’s SkillsUSA chapter approval to attend the National SkillsUSA Competition and Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 24, after members presented their project to the committee at a recent meeting.
The Family Project, created and executed by Jhostin Barboza, Ryan Aguilar and Jared Munguia of the Lynn Vocational Technical Institute brought the community together, the team said.
According to the team, the first phase of their project was a curated Christmas party for 50 families. At the December event, each parent received a Christmas sack containing at least 10 toys tailored to their child’s wishes.
Barboza explained that the second phase was painting and staining coffee tables. At this event, the team also created 10 family-related activities to enhance family bonds, which include activities such as making cookies and putting together a family portrait.
Aguilar said their research shows that there’s “an abundance of studies that suggest that with strong bonds and ties in home – young people learn to socialize, influence a child’s brain development, inspire future relationships and improve overall life satisfaction.”
“If we wanted to see a change in violence witnessed in our community, we thought that a connection to family bonding would be one way to make that difference,” Barboza said.
The team said they were successfully able to bring approximately 100 different families to the school at the events.
“We thought about our school and community during a difficult time, and we worked hard to bring the two of them together in a meaningful way,” Barboza said. “As a result, we believe that we’ve successfully helped our school and community.”
Mayor Jared Nicholson then made a motion to approve SkillsUSA’s request to attend the National SkillsUSA Competition and Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 24. The motion passed unanimously at the School Committee meeting on Thursday.
“I can’t tell you how meaningful it is to see your energy and positivity,” Nicholson said.
