Invest in Boston Teens! Jobs + Leadership Training

Happy Holidays from all of us here in Boston at Youth Enrichment Services (YES)!

The school year has started off strong for YES students. I am happy to be able to share this update with you about our Tier 3/High-Impact YES Academy programs with you. This includes our Junior Volunteer Leadership (JRV), Career Exploration, College Preparation, and Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders (GOAL) programs.

Junior Volunteer Leaders (JRV) are in refined grade-based cohorts this fall allowing for a structured curriculum that is aligned with their interests and age group. 70 students are enrolled in JRV this fall. On Tuesdays our JRV veterans, students who have completed a year of JRV, meet for guest speakers, workshops, and leadership activities. Wednesdays are for the newest JRV students, freshman and sophomores, and Thursdays are when the juniors and seniors meet. So far this year, the JRV have participated in shop orientation, as well as trainings on understanding ski fittings and bindings, teaching techniques, and ages and stages in youth development.

Career Exploration has begun with 10 students. Career Exploration hosted a career forum with 10 professionals from the technology, finance, and health care industries. This was a highlight of the fall program. Students were able to spend 15 minutes one on one with each professional to ask questions and understand their career paths. The program is running at the Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Dorchester.

College Prep Program is focusing on grade-level cohorts. At this time 33 high school Juniors and Seniors are receiving one-on-one supports in CPP, 25 Freshmen are enrolled in a new 9^th grade targeted track, and 11 Sophomores are participating in weekly CPP. Students have toured several schools including Brandeis University, Northeastern University, and Bay State College. The new 9^th grade track is led by a Massachusetts Promise Fellow from Northeastern University who has designed a freshman college prep program that will set these students up for success with support around study skills, work/life balance, and college expectations. Within the College Prep program, YES’s Massachusetts Promise Fellow is also meeting one-on-one with the high school seniors to help them with college applications, scholarship search, essays, and financial aid applications.

Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders (GOAL) has 30 middle school girls enrolled this fall. Fifteen 11-12 year olds meet on Friday afternoons and fifteen 13-15 year olds meet on Saturdays. Girls have participated in indoor rock climbing, ice skating, and discussion groups. They have discussed topics around women’s issues, strong female role models, role of women in other cultures, current events, body image, and healthy eating.

YES Youth Story: Varsha

One of YES’s current JRV students is Varsha, a 15-year-old high school sophomore. Varsha lives in Boston with her adopted parents. She was involved with YES as a GOAL girl for two years in middle school and returned to YES this past summer as teen staff for YES’s Outdoor Adventure Program. Varsha showed great maturity and was an asset to the team this summer.

This school year, Varsha is a Junior Volunteer and also holds a a teen staff role YES to support the Operation SnowSports and GOAL programs during the school year. For Operation SnowSports she will be helping with measuring the impact of the program by attending snow sports trips, facilitating the collect of feedback by managing surveys and small focus groups, and helping with morning check in activities. In GOAL she will be acting as a role model to girls ages 11-13, facilitating workshops on leadership and identity, and assisting the GOAL Coordinator with program activities and field trips.  

On behalf of everyone here at YES, I extend our sincerest thanks for your support of our programs through Global Giving. I would be pleased to speak with you any time about YES programs and can be reached via email at bvandorpe@yeskids.org. Thank you again and warm wishes for 2016.