News

Sociedad Latina's Initiative to Build Cultural Proficiency in Boston Public Schools was featured in the Aug. 23 Boston Globe. The campaign is designed to address the achievement gap in BPS by building cultural proficiency at the classroom, school, and district levels, making learning relevant for Boston's diverse student population. From the article:

The GED Plus Program this fall will include eight separate classes, three of which are new – and expansion from three to five class sites around the city. Thus the program expects to serve between 90 and 100 students at any one time in the year. All classes are available to 16-24 year old Boston residents.  See below for specific classes starting in September.

Over 300 youth gathered for a Teen Jobs Rally at Government Center on June 15.  See below for press coverage.  Passage of the Extenders Bill contains funding for youth jobs, extending unemployment benefits, and healthcare FMAP money.  Senator Scott Brown is an important swing vote - call his office June 16-17 (202-224-4543) and ask him to vote for the Extenders Bill.

Reminder that the 2010 Citizens Summer Enrichment Series RFP has been released.  The Boston Capacity Tank will award 5-6 café grants totaling $25,000 and about 5-10 jobs grants totaling $50,000.  The deadline to apply is June 16th at noon.  Agencies will be notified of award by June 30th.  The grant period will run from July 5th - September 12th.  The guidelines have been posted to the BMA's website at www.bmaboston.org.  Please contact Sharlene if you have any questions at sjohnson@bmaboston.org.

NDEC 2010 January Graduates:  

Congratulations to Molly Ingemi, accepted into Northeastern Foundation Year Program .

Congrats also goes out to Lillian Arroyo, accepted into Madison Culinary Arts Training Program.

Also to Corey Brooks, enrolled at UMASS Boston.

Stay tune for our June graduate updates.

The Verdict Vol 2 highlights youth unemployment and educational options for success.  Download the newsletter.

Local press coverage of the youth march and rally at the state house on Thurs, Feb 18.  Click here for details about the rally.

(Boston Globe photo)

The Youth Voices project, housed at ABCD, brings together a diverse group of youth from the community-based organizations that collaborate through the Boston Youth Service Network.  The project has a dual focus on literacy and digital media, focusing on youths' stories, their neighborhoods and issues of importance to them and their peers.  The first volume of their newsletter The Verdict highlights a narrative redemptive writing project done in partnership with WriteBoston.

Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses (FDNH) celebrated four decades of service to the community and announced its future as College Bound Dorchester!  Listen to College Prep students talking about the organization's new focus and mission on the Callie Crossley show on WGBH Feb 1 (35th minute).

New research paper by Andy Sum from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University paints the grim statistical picture of lack of jobs for teens and young adults aged 18-24.  Use this data to support advocacy efforts around increased funding for youth jobs.  Document attached - Dire Straits for Many American Workers: The Economic Case for New Job Creation for Strategies in 2010 for the Nation's Teens and Young Adults (20-24).

The recent publication of the Dropout Commission's report coincides with a huge opportunity, the preparation of the Commonwealth's Race to the Top application.  To view information on the RFP, application and public comment process, click here.  The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education has invited the Youth Transitions Task Force and other networks around the state to join in developing comments that provide a structured proposal for incorporating dropout reduction and the Commission's leading recommendations.  We ask that you submit comments, according to the structure suggested in the Power Point posted in the web link, and that you include the attached document, or your edited version of it by January 4th.  

On September 19, NEXUS hosted a Press Conference by the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters (MLEV) for Boston Mayor Menino. "NEXUS was chosen because it symbolizes the sustainable building practices that Mayor Menino has championed as part of his climate action agenda." The sustainable neighborhood model YouthBuild Boston Designery students designed and built this past summer is on display and highlighted in a photo of the event with the mayor.

A group of youth participated in a Multi-Media Production Workshop program, part of ABCD SummerWorks. They learned production and digital media skills through this process. Through the program, youth created an educational/ marketing video about the SummerWorks youth employment program and the skills developed. They also included a focus on financial literacy and job readiness, two core components of SummerWorks skills development. Click below to view the videos (two parts).

The Boston Youth Service Network generally meets on the 2nd Thurs of each month (*except where noted), 2:00-4:00 pm. Exact meeting dates are listed below. The network often meets at 555 Amory Street in Jamaica Plain (PIC conference room) although some meetings will be hosted by a member organization at their site - agenda and location details will be posted before each meeting at www.bysn.org.

At the urging of City Council President Mike Ross and Sociedad Latina Youth Community Organizers, City Council members approved an ordinance on July 8 that will effectively regulate storefront signage and reduce the impact of tobacco, alcohol and snack food advertisements on the public health of Boston’s youth. The ordinance is a culmination of four years of work by Sociedad Latina’s Youth Community Organizers, who recognized through a series of city-wide community assessments, the link between negative advertising, low-income areas, and health disparities in Boston.

212 students graduated from community-based alternative schools and young adult GED programs during the 2008-2009 academic year. 108 students received their BPS diploma and 104 students received their GED. The Boston Youth Service Network and partners join these students to celebrate their hard work and accomplishment!

This summer, Youth Health Educators from Sociedad Latina are working with Dana Farber’s Center for Community-Based Research on a series of in-depth interviews with Mission Hill residents. They will be assessing residents’ current health practices, as well as finding out what sorts of healthy changes residents would like to see in their communities. They will use the information they gather this summer to shape their programs and initiatives for the next school year. Youth will benefit from trainings from Dana Farber’s world-class researchers, learning valuable interview and research skills in the process.