About Boston Youth Service Network
The Boston Youth Service Network is a group of community-based organizations providing an integrated continuum of alternative education and career exploration programs for at-risk youth who have not found success in traditional systems.
Our mission is to improve the quality and diversity of services for youth at risk that allow them to develop the academic, work-readiness, life skills and support structure necessary to become productive adults. We do this by working collaboratively to deliver services and leverage resources.
View member organizations and programs.
As a group of youth service providers, members are committed to:
- Sharing and developing best practices,
- Prioritizing referrals within the network to provide a continuum of services,
- Increasing capacity to measure and account for quality services and outcomes.
How we work:
We offer a broad spectrum of programs to help at-risk youth develop the academic, work-readiness, life skills and support structure necessary to become productive adults.
- Outreach and Re-engagement that emphasizes strong relationships with consistent, caring adults and helps guide youth to the appropriate program for them.
- Alternative Education that includes community-based schools, GED preparation and testing, and basic skills remediation, college preparation and transition support.
- Career Exploration and skill development programs in which youth develop in-depth, relevant skills in a range of industry-based careers and prepare, plan and transition to next steps in employment, training or higher education.
- Youth Employment services that incorporate job readiness, skills training, academic remediation and financial literacy.
Who we serve:
Programs target low-income Boston youth, ages 16-24. Collectively, the network serves nearly 1,000 youth from all neighborhoods.
Members are united in their goal of engaging youth that are not effectively served in traditional education and youth development systems. The target population can be defined broadly as low-income youth that have dropped out of school or are chronically truant, youth that are deficient in basic skills of literacy and numeracy, and court-involved youth.
While encompassing distinct program models, members of the Boston Youth Service Network share core principles:
- Providing individualized services through an intensive case management approach.
- Conducting thorough assessments of academic, work readiness, and supportive service needs, which are documented in individual service strategies.
- Providing services within a school-to-career framework that emphasizes contextual learning and exposure to the workplace.
- Developing relationships with employers, training institutions, and post-secondary schools in order to enhance program curriculum and to generate involvement through the provision of mock interviews, workplace tours, job shadowing, mentor and internship opportunities.
- Providing follow-up support for youth to monitor progress and ensure that youth have access to necessary supportive services that will keep them on track to reaching their goals.