The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild During COVID-19 premieres to the public this Wednesday, 3/16 at 1 pm! Each week, we’ve been featuring students, residents, staff, and parents interviewed in the film on our blog. This week, we sat down with Jessica Goodwin, Billerica House resident, and her mother, Janice:

The Guild for Human Services, which educates, encourages, and empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities, is premiering its documentary, The World Got Smaller: The Spirit of The Guild during COVID-19 on March 16th at 1 PM EST online. The short film provides a first-hand look at how the pandemic curtailed the community life of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The film is being released to commemorate the second anniversary of the State of Emergency declared in Massachusetts and the subsequent closing of schools.

Each Wednesday night last fall, a group of six Guild adult residents cleared out their schedules and logged onto Zoom at 5 p.m. sharp. They would spend the next hour in lively discussion talking about relationships with employers, family members, romantic partners, and themselves. The group was part of The Guild’s Healthy Relationships course, designed by Elevatus Training.

Whether we’re in the middle of the action, hanging out on the sidelines, or watching from home with friends, sports foster community-building and a healthy sense of competition. The connection between sports and positive life outcomes has been well documented.

Last month, four Guild staff shared their experiences as immigrants to the United States in Suitcase Stories: Voices of the Guild. One of those storytellers is Estella Ngufor, who currently works at The Guild as a Residential Manager. We recently caught up with Estella to learn more about her background.

Thank you for joining us on April 14th for Suitcase Stories: Voices of The Guild, as we heard four Guild staff share their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The feedback was heartwarming:

"Thank you for sharing such powerful stories. As a fellow African, I agree we need to share our stories for others to know and appreciate our differences."

International migration affects everyone whether you are a newcomer to the U.S. or a relative, friend or colleague of immigrants. How we view and understand diverse backgrounds is profoundly influenced by the stories we hear, as well as our own interactions with people from around the world.

It is easier to have your own bias, prejudice and categorize someone to an already defined box without hearing their side of the story. “You only know my name - which you even struggle to pronounce right sometimes – but you don’t know my story.”

Our 2019-2020 Annual Report is here!

You can read the report online  or download a PDF for printing and emailing.

In the report, you will find stories about The Guild and the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to social justice movements, how The Guild School is transforming, and employee achievement.

From jumping in the bouncy house to a competitive tug-of-war game, students, their families and staff celebrated the impending end of summer at The Guild’s 18th annual Field Day.

The pirates-themed day lightheartedly celebrated the summer curriculum topics of land and water. Along with a bouncy house, Field Day featured a dunk tank; lawn games; basketball; face-painting; arts and crafts; music; and swinging, sliding and spinning on the playground.

From The J.K. Rowling Award for increased use of a communication device to the Master Chef Award for planning and cooking dinner at the residence, The Guild School celebrated the accomplishments of our students at the annual Awards Day.