Invest in Boston Teens! Jobs + Leadership Training

What a great spring we have had here at Youth Enrichment Services (YES)! Everyone at YES is pleased to share the report on our activities in April, May and June 2016. Youth enjoyed the spring months with job shadow visits and college tours as well as opportunities to engage in leadership programming and the outdoors. The Tier 3/High-Impact YES Academy programs - Junior Volunteer Leadership (JRV), Career Exploration, College Preparation, and Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders (GOAL) - have remained very active!

Junior Volunteer Leaders (JRV): 70 students have been enrolled in the JRV program throughout the school year. On Tuesdays JRV veterans, students who have completed a year of JRV, meet for guest speakers, workshops, and leadership activities. Wednesdays are for first year JRV students, freshman and sophomores, and Thursdays are when the juniors and seniors meet. JRV youth Aaliyah Yarde, 18, was chosen to speak at YES’s 2016 Black Diamond Gala fundraiser on April 7 to a crowd of 400 people. At the event, Aaliyah spoke about the positive impact that YES has had on her life. “The inclusion and sense of community I experience at YES is something I’ve never experienced anywhere else,” Yarde told the crowd (see photo). The JRV group participated in a special end of year rock-climbing event at Ramblewide in April 2016 (see photo).

Career Exploration: 10 YES youth participated in a special Youth Philanthropy Initiative workshop, funded by YES partner Highland Street Foundation, April 19 – 22, 2016. Teens participated in philanthropy workshops, designed their own non-profits, and then selected five non-profits from the community to interview for the grant. The Highland Street Foundation provided $5,000 to the teens, which the group could grant to the non-profits of their choosing. Zoe Petty, a YES teen who had completed this program last year served as the workshop leader. Zoe said, “The YES teens that participated in this year’s Youth Philanthropy Initiative left the workshop feeling like they could make a difference in the world. … if you find a cause that matters to you, you have the power to help them at any age and at any economic level.” (see photo)

College Prep Program continued our support of 33 high school Juniors and Seniors one-on-one, 25 Freshmen in a 9^th grade targeted track, and 11 Sophomores participate in weekly workshops. This spring, 12 YES teens had the opportunity to participate in a week-long, multi-state college tour. Teens visited six colleges and universities during April break: Champlain College, New York University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Michael's College, UMass Amherst, and Yale University. For many YES teens, college tours are a financial burden and a time constraint for their families, and the YES College Tour is their only opportunity to tour schools (see photo).

Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders (GOAL) continued supporting 30 middle school girls this spring. Fifteen 11-12 year olds met on Friday afternoons and fifteen 13-15 year olds met on Saturdays. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, GOAL girls took a hike in Blue Hills Reservation in early May and spoke about the mental health benefits of getting outdoors (see photo). In late May the GOAL school-year program wrapped up with a trip to Quincy Quarries Reservation. GOAL girls rock climbed and showcased the outdoor skills and ‎confidence they have built during the year (see photo).

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 best wishes for a safe summer in the outdoors!