News

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).

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).

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.

Over 80 youth from various programs within the Boston Youth Service Network came together for a Higher Education event on Wed, Feb 25. They participated in a workshop on Why Higher Education? or Financing Higher Education.