LITTLETON, Maine — The Houlton Band of Maliseet Boys and Girls Club has a new director for its youth programs.
Jon Solomon has been hired as the new unit director for the club, bringing many years of experience in youth activities. Solomon spent the past seven years working with RSU 29 as an education technician, a coach and spent the past two-and-a-half years as the district’s athletic director.
One of his biggest challenges, he said, will be instituting a more structuralized approach to the program.
“I am excited,” Solomon said. “This is an opportunity for me to be back in a classroom setting, working with kids. I will be working closely with our school districts to ensure we have an educational period. I am also looking forward to being a lot more involved in the community.”
With RSU 29, Solomon wore many hats. He served as a middle school basketball coach, assistant basketball coach for both the varsity boys and girls teams at different times, was the junior varsity baseball coach for four years and served as the junior varsity boys basketball coach as well as varsity football coach.
“My goal is to work on the Maliseet values that will be taught through our cultural programs,” Solomon said. “Another one of my goals is to find more space. We have really outgrown the building that we are in.
“Ideally, we want to be able to offer even more, provided we have a bigger space, so that we can offer even more activities for kids in the community,” Solomon added.
The Boys and Girls Club typically engages community youth daily in its after-school program. The club provides academic support, high yield learning activities, STEM, evidence based prevention activities while also ensuring activities are grounded in Maliseet tradition and culture for the youth — who are not limited to just Maliseet children.
The club is part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Border Towns, which also includes groups in Mi’kmaq (Presque Isle) and Sipayik (Perry) territories.
“At the Boys and Girls Clubs of Border Towns, we strive to make the biggest impact on Aroostook and Washington county community youth,” explained Fenton Jones, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Border Towns.
“Our staff across our three locations work continuously to meet the needs of our local youth and their families depend on us. Our youth and communities see local clubs as safe havens. Our programs are not just a distraction to pass the time. They are designed to provide all our communities’ youth with a safe place to play, grow, and learn; they encourage our kids to commit to their class work and development. Our educational programs help and focus them. Both fun and academics make for success for our youth.”
