Community Service
Patricia W. DE Barbieri
Licensed Professional Counselor
Community Service
Dr. De Barbieri has been involved in numerous community service activities throughout her career, as is evident from the Service to the Community section of her Vita. Most of these activities have centered upon education and social service programs.
Since her retirement in 2014, Patti’s Community Service focus in education and social service has continued. Most recently her work has been in the following three (3) areas:
1- Volunteering as an English Language Tutor in Italy.
Working through a non-profit group called International Experience. (internationalexperience.eu). Patti and her husband, Roy spent a month this year tutoring Italian students in the everyday use of the English language. Patti worked in an Elementary School in Cipressa, Italy with an elementary school English teacher, named Anna Ellia. It is Anna who set up the program in this region. Roy was in a Middle School in San Lorenzo al Mare, Italy with a middle school teacher, named Cinzia Vassallo. Both of the towns these schools are in are part of the Valle del San Lorenzo region of Italy. This valley is located along the northern section of the Italian Riviera about one hour south of Monaco on the Mediterranean Sea. Patti worked with students in grades 1st thru 5th and Roy worked with 6th, 7th and 8th pre-adolescent middle schoolers.
2- Dr. De Barbieri is a member of the Board of Directors of Linens Of Love.
Linens Of Love is a non-profit social service project who’s mission is to provide linens and toiletries to those in need in the Greater New Haven area. Linens Of Love collects donations of used or new linens and toiletries which are distributed to shelters and service organizations dedicated to helping the homeless, veterans, and families in need. Monetary donations are used to purchase bed bug covers for the shelters and other requested necessities. Within a month’s time, a homeless shelter will have seen and helped hundreds of people. While many area individuals and businesses are generous enough to donate food and clothing to these organizations, other comforting items, like linens and toiletries often get overlooked. Linens Of Love was created to fulfill that need. Since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2015, the list of organizations that Linens Of Love offers assistance to has grown significantly. Linens Of Love now serves a total of six organizations in the Greater New Haven, Connecticut region. To find out more about this organization, or to make a donation, please visit the website at: linensofloveinc.org or contact them at: linensoflove@gmail.com
3- The North Star Program for School Age Girls.
North Star is a non-profit program for school-age girls designed to promote social and emotional learning, enhance resiliency, and improve self-confidence. North Star provides an opportunity for young girls:
- To express their feelings,
- Enhance their self-esteem,
- Develop their communication skills,
- Realize that others share their concerns, and
- Provide support for one another in a non-authoritative, safe environment while enjoying and creating art!
The North Star program consists of 22 art sessions, each linked with one of the 7 components of self-esteem upon which the program is based, and one or more quotes and questions to facilitate discussion. It is suggested that two adult facilitators provide initial guidelines, explain the rules, monitor each gathering, assure adherence to the principles and rules of North Star, provide backup, and assist each other in planning for and evaluating each session.
North Star may be incorporated as a school based or school linked program either as part of the school curriculum (perhaps as part of the health curriculum), or as an after school program or a club program. It may also be appropriate as part of the school counseling curriculum.
The North Star program can be implemented through a variety of formats:
- The short course would meet for 3 or 4 weeks of 1 to 1 ½ hour sessions per week.
- The longer course could meet for 8 weeks of 2 hour sessions per weeks.
- The third format would be to run the program for one week, meeting daily for 4-5 hour sessions.
Each session is carefully designed to integrate the question, the quote, and the art activity. There is always a theme to the session, and all themes connect with one of the 7 components of self-esteem.
The North Star Facilitators Manualis a ready to use curriculum guide that has been developed and piloted for over 15 years with school age girls. The manual begins with a detailed explanation of the seven components of self- esteem upon which the program is based and comes complete with step by step instructions for 22 separate art projects as well as a complete guide to the program implementation.
The manual includes; art projects, animal cards, sample questions and quotes, suggestions for music, reference materials, and patterns needed to complete some of the projects.
For additional information or to obtain your copy of the manual, please go to the following link: www.http://northstaryouthprogram.org . Each manual is available for a $79.00 donation which covers reprinting costs. Copyright @ 2004 by Nancy Manke, Karla Mathany and Patricia De Barbieri.