Our Story
Maine Youth Thriving (MyT, pronounced “mighty”) was first conceived as a volunteer-only organization in 2012 under the name “Maine Resilience Building Network” (MRBN). MRBN was an instrumental leader of the movement in health care, social services, and education to recognize the health and community impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
MRBN built coalitions across sectors throughout Maine and collaborated with New England-region and national organizations to educate stakeholders on pioneering ACEs and Positive Youth Development research and engage them in building prevention solutions with protective factors. Through statewide conferences, research summits, and surveys, film screenings and media productions, and tireless relationship-building, MRBN created the foundation of awareness and education that has allowed Maine to move to action in support of youth thriving. Notably, MRBN was an early champion of the concept of youth mattering, which was introduced as a measurement in the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey.
In 2019, MRBN became a staffed nonprofit, which provided capacity needed to begin developing resources for communities to shift systems in support of youth thriving and youth mattering. In 2022, MRBN published “Maine Youth Thriving: A Guide for Community Action” in collaboration with the Maine CDC. The Guide became a tool for MRBN staff facilitating community conversations across Maine, building a shared vision and identifying locally-driven solutions.
In 2024, MRBN’s board of directors realized that the organization’s original strategic directives had been met, and the time had come to embark on a new direction. ACEs were now fairly common knowledge among youth-serving professionals, and new research increasingly demonstrated that positive childhood experiences were even more powerful than adverse experiences in shaping long-term health outcomes. It was time to emphasize the science of the positive and shift to building a suite of resources and tools for use in a variety of sectors.
In September 2024, the organization celebrated its 5th anniversary as a staffed nonprofit and announced a name and mission change. The organization would be known as Maine Youth Thriving (MyT), and its revamped mission reflects the new emphasis on the positive.
Our Milestones
- 2012-2019 – built a statewide network of professionals in public health, education, and social services which met quarterly to provide trainings, share learnings, catalyze systems-level change, and advocate for policy.
- 2019 – became a formal nonprofit and hired an executive director, one of the founding network members Kini-Ana Tinkham.
- 2019-2024 – the MRBN network grew to 2,000 organizations and individuals working together to advance trauma-informed strategies, resilience, and positive childhood experiences.
- 2024 – MRBN rebrands as Maine Youth Thriving to reflect an expanded mission that centers on the sciene of the positive, community engagement, and systems-level change. Our inaugural executive director, Kini, retired and Deputy Director Delvina Miremadi-Baldino stepped into the executive director role.
A MyT Impact
Since its transformation to MyT in 2024, MyT has engaged with over 3,000 youth-serving individuals across every county in Maine to promote youth mattering strategies. Our training participants include professionals from public health, education, nonprofits, as well as families and community members from diverse backgrounds. By equipping adults with interventions and strategies focused on positive experiences, environments, and relationships, we have witnessed substantial transformations.
Within education, our methods have helped teachers, administrators and staff foster environments where students feel valued and understood, leading to enhanced academic performance and emotional wellbeing.
This has been an amazing program to be a part of and has only strengthened my resolve for providing Positive Childhood Experiences for the children in my classroom. Becoming a trainer felt daunting at first, but by the end of the 4th night, I felt confident, empowered, and excited to share what I learned! Meg and Delvina made the whole experience very comfortable and I would definitely recommend this program to others! —Kate Rice, Boothbay Region Elementary School
Within healthcare, our trainings give providers information on how to best offer the kind of care and service that helps young people and their families feel able to ask for and receive what they need, even in difficult or sensitive situations.
The session with Michelle Fong was a fantastic learning opportunity that provided helpful insights into working with neurodivergent people which will help me think about community engagement in a richer and more inclusive way. The presentation was great and so were the contributions from attendees, who offered helpful perspectives and practical strategies. —Brendan Schauffler, MPPM, Healthy Oxford Hills
Community Health
Parents and caregivers who participate in our trainings possess the tools to create more supportive and nurturing home environments. This shift not only strengthens the family unit but also promotes resilience and positive development in young people, laying a solid foundation for their future success.
This training was so powerful and opened my eyes further to what trauma looks like, feels like and how to heal from it. I would recommend this training to anyone.” —Chelsea Landry, Rise and Shine Childcare
Our collaboration with partner organizations who serve youth has supported the development and implementation of programs aimed at enhancing youth mattering and resilience. These partnerships enable us to expand our reach, fostering a systemic culture of positivity and support.
I definitely recommend this training! The instructors were fantastic. It was unlike any training I can remember because it was full of content but never felt rushed. It incorporated various forms of engagement, and it felt like a therapeutic element was built in. The content was very informative, and all the tools and supplies provided make it easy to take home what we learned and put it right to use. —William MacComber, Accelerate Youth L3C; and Casa, Inc.
The Latest Chapters in Our Story
MyT IN THE NEWS
“Ending Ageism & Strengthening Communities” – Healthy Maine Talks
MyT's Executive Director, Dr. Delvina Miremadi-Baldino, was honored to be featured on the "Ending Ageism and Strengthening Communities" episode of Healthy Maine Talks by the Maine Public Health Association. We hope you enjoy the listen!
“Maine Youth Thriving works to empower Maine youth, support their mental health” – WMTW TV
Maine Youth Thriving was honored to be interviewed by WMTW TV's Jamie Azalay to share knowledge and stories about our impact. Our executive director Delvina explained, "We're working to help communities cultivate positive experiences, relationships and environments....
“Youth Mental Health” – Maine Public Radio
MyT was honored to be featured on a Maine Calling panel on youth mental health, hosted by Jennifer Rooks and produced by Cindy Han. Listen here!
MyT IN THE FIELD
July 2024 Newsletter: Let’s get awe-inspired in nature!
It's summertime! July is here, and it's the perfect time to get outside and bask in the vast beauty of our astounding state. Nature has an incredible ability to evoke awe, a profound emotion that brings a sense of interconnectedness, peace, harmony, calm, curiosity,...
3 Quick Practices to Boost Resilience Tenfold
If you're anything like me, August is when you find yourself repeating to all of your friends and colleagues, "Wow, this summer really flew by!" As we bid farewell to the long-anticipated, hot summer days, we may also feel a glimmer of hope for routine and normalcy....
The Healing Power of Community
A Journey to Resilience When we talk about healing and becoming strong again, being part of a community is very important. A community is a group of people who support each other, and this can be really helpful for those who are trying to get better from tough times...