Voices from the Field: Our BoA Summer Leaders

Post from Anay as she finishes up her summer with us - 8/20/12 (keep reading below for other posts) 

I am currently in the second to last week of my internship, and I can not believe that it is almost done! As I have mentioned before, half of my day I am with the YLT program (Youth Literacy Theatre). I have been observing Matt’s (the YLT coordinator) approach to the youth to get them engaged with the literacy, which of course can be a handful. YLT have been playing a lot of improv games aside from reading and performing skits. The way Matt facilitates the games is different than what a normal teacher would do. I had to often remind myself that these are not icebreakers, but games to enhance their thinking on their feet and theatre skills. To encourage the YLT members to participate in these games, I often joined them as well.

On the last week of program I got the chance to facilitate a reading, in which I got the “Little Mermaid” script, assigned roles and had the youth read it once as a group, then read it again in character. It was great to see their reactions from reading the script and having a preview myself on how they're going to take real children's books and bring them to life during the school year. Even though this was a short assignment, the youth loved this activity and wanted to do it again but unfortunately we had so little time and had to get ready for SNO.

    The last SNO 2012 went great, it was wonderful to see everybody in the community from different backgrounds come together in front of the Blessed Sacrament Church and enjoying the work of the youth and enjoying each others company as well. Though it is sad that this will be the last time I see all the youth together because I will be away at college, I can’t wait to come back and see the work that they will be doing during the school year, especially excited to see the YLT in action.
     I have had the opportunity to attend a three-day training with the MIC youth about anti-racism. It was delightful to see the youth engage and stick to what they believe and also challenge the facilitators. One thing that I learned is that change begins with oneself.
   By being in the “back of the house” of a non profit organization, I've learned not everything is always fun and games as the youth may see it, there is some tough work in the background that the adults have to handle, especially when big funders come around. To be in the background and see how nonprofits really work gave me an insight in how things would be when I find myself in similar positions. The key is to be patient and things will run smoothly.
    Next week is my last week, and I'll be learning about how grants are written. This has been the fastest eight weeks of my life and I am very thankful for all of my hard work and passion for being where I am today, I thank Bank of America for giving me the opportunity to be closer to fulfilling my dream.

Post from Catherine as she finishes up her summer with us - 8/16/12 (keep reading below for other posts) 

In my final blog post, I’d like to highlight some of the wonderful work HSTF youth have been doing in order to improve the community around them. More specifically, I would like to highlight the youth in HCAP, who I have had the pleasure to work with for the past several weeks.

HCAP, or the Health Careers Ambassadors Program, teaches teens at HSTF effective communication skills and a comprehensive curriculum in nutrition and sex education. Youth in HCAP then use these skills to teach workshops to their peers in the community to make sure they stay healthy. 

This summer, the youth in HCAP began learning about what it means to be an effective communicator and leader. However, they also participated in several health-related activities in the Hyde Square community itself. One of these activities that stood out in particular was when the youth of HCAP helped hold an Olympic Games at Mount Pleasant Retirement Home. There, youth ran stations such as mini-golf, wii-bowling, the marshmallow challenge, shuffleboard, mini-basketball, and ping-pong for senior citizens on the day of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. It was wonderful to see the teens interact so well with the senior citizens, who had a great time. The H-AP youth did a great job of representing HSTF as an organization that truly cares about all the members of its community. 

HSTF youth Mohamed high-fives a resident of Mount Pleasant Homes after the basketball challenge.

HCAP youth brought the same spirit to work during a trip to Community Servings, a Jamaica Plain-based organization that provides free meals for the terminally ill. These HSTF teens worked for hours to package food in a professional kitchen environment while learning about a great way to volunteer in their community.

HCAP youth and HCAP Coordinator Cristina at Community Servings.

As the last week of the summer program for HCAP comes to a close, I marvel at how much the teens of HCAP have improved in their public speaking skills, confidence, and ability to make a persuasive presentation. I know they are all going to do wonderful things in the Hyde Square Community, and I’m going to miss them, and the tireless staff of HSTF, more than I can possibly say.

Sadly, as this week winds down, I come to the end of my summer experience with HSTF. I say “summer” because I fully intend to come back – to visit all the wonderful mentors and teens I have had an opportunity to work with. Even though I will no longer be at HSTF every day, as I venture out into the great unknown that is college, I know that I’ll keep up with everything this wonderful organization is doing so I can drop by at community events like Summer Nights Out (SNO) when I’m in the area.

Finally, I’d like to thank Bank of America and HSTF one more time for giving me such a wonderful opportunity; it’s been an incredible summer that I’ll always remember.

Post from Anay--8/7/12
(keep reading below for Catherine's post!)
     Hey! My name is Anay Baez and I am interning here at HSTF through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program. This is an amazing opportunity, because it is something in which I can take more responsibility, take from this experience and expand it in the long run with my future aspirations. Growing up in a family where very little success has happened is what first gave me an insight in that I have to somehow help out my Hispanic community. Going to a small pilot school, the Boston Community Leadership Academy, has provided me with that one-on-one time with teachers that I really needed, and if I had gone to a bigger school who knows what I would have been doing this summer. Through my school I became part of the West End House Boys and Girls club in Allston/Brighton. There is where I became educated about what a nonprofit organization is and how nonprofits are for the good of people; in my perspective it is more for the community. I have learned that nonprofits often target a specific community of people and targets certain areas like education, higher education, health and arts. I learned that helping in one area can impact someone's life in a very positive way. My goal in life is to help young adults, more specifically Hispanic young women to achieve and surpass the stereotypes of a young Hispanic female.

I have been working at HSTF for three weeks, and spent one week in Washington DC. Washington DC was amazing for me, it was the first time I've ever left the state of Massachusetts. I have learned many great leadership skills at the BoA week long summit and one thing that I took from there is that change begins with oneself, and we  as individuals have to start small. I think that it is up to us in the nonprofit community to target what the problems are and bring it up to the government because we are the ones who experience these problems, the government and business cannot do everything themselves.

Being placed at the Hyde Square Task Force has been the perfect fit for me, Though I reside in Roxbury now, Jamaica Plain has always been home to me as a kid. HSTF's mission statement has taken all the words out of my mouth, and it is exactly what I want to accomplish in life. I want to get people to understand that community is important and if we better our community, we better our people in not only excelling in education but in life.

Since I have been back from Washington DC I have been working part-time in the office of HSTF with projects, grant meetings, and participating in as much as possible. This gives me a great experience in office work and also advice on how adults handle things in the nonprofit world. For the rest of my time I am with the youth, more specifically with Youth Literacy Theater (YLT). The YLT program is about how the youth can take literacy skills and turn them into plays, making it more appealing to the younger youth and showing that reading can be fun. Since  I am double majoring in college and my second major is English, I think that literacy is important and it is important to get the youth engaged in reading now, because it will be difficult for them in the future which can cause them to fall behind.

By the end of my internship and for my future, I hope to emulate the skills that the amazing staff here can offer, and for me to take it to a whole other level and help out my community. In the long run I hope to still be somehow involved with HSTF.

Post from Catherine - 8/8/12

Hi, my name’s Catherine Marris, and I am currently a Bank of America student leader interning with the Hyde Square Task Force. I am excited to be taking advantage of this wonderful opportunity because it allows me to further my passion for non-profit work.

I was fortunate enough to spend the last four years at an amazing place: Brookline High School. There, inspiring teachers encouraged me to give back to my community. Although Brookline High School provided the initial spark for my interest in community service, I decided it would be enriching to venture out into different neighborhoods of Boston that I had not explored. The City School of Boston provided me with this opportunity, and by interacting with other youth across barriers of race, gender, class, political belief and geography I gained a new set of eyes that helped me recognize the injustices present in our society.

 I came back to Brookline with new awareness, purpose, and a decision to dedicate my career to public service. To gain further experience, I became more involved with the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay, the Brookline Literacy Partnership, Sub/Urban Justice, and the Brookline Community Foundation, as well as some mentoring programs within my school.

By working with these organizations, I encountered some wonderful role models and mentors. I also realized that non-profits have a huge impact in the lives of youth and young adults in the areas of health, education, and artistic expression – a role that government and business sometimes struggle to fill.

The Hyde Square Task Force is one of those organizations: they spend an amazing amount of time and funds on enriching the lives of struggling youth. By working as a facilitator with H-CAP (Health Careers Ambassadors Program) over the past few weeks, I have seen youth undergo an extensive curriculum in leadership development that has vastly improved their communication skills. By offering opportunities in literacy, music, dance, and health, the Hyde Square Task Force is preparing these youth for a future that for many is uncertain. The teenagers in these program gain critical thinking skills and employment opportunities through strategic internships, in addition to receiving academic support. Through a series of tailored programs, the Hyde Square Task Force is ensuring that these youth graduate high school and continue onto college.

In addition to enriching the lives of these youth, the Hyde Square Task Force has already had a deep impact on my summer. HSTF has given me the opportunity to explore grant-writing, communications, fundraising, teaching, mentoring, and the culture of a vibrant community, Hyde-Jackson Square, which, although only ten minutes away from my house by car, I had spent very little time in. After this summer work experience, I know I will feel confident enough to keep exploring new cultures, communities and non-profits when I move to another country for college.

I also cannot thank Bank of America enough for this experience. As a part of the program, I had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. for an all-expenses paid week-long trip for a student leadership summit that I could never have attended without their support. There, I heard from inspirational leaders such as Barbara Bush (the younger), Melody Barnes, George Walker, and David Kennerly, and became life-long friends with teenagers from all across the country.  I hope to live up to the expectations of the student leaders program by positively contributing to the work of the Hyde Square Task Force, both now and in the future. 

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This spot is where information about our Bank of America Student Leaders will appear for the next eight weeks. Be sure to check back often to see what they are up to!  

Hyde Square Task Force is hosting two Bank of America Student Leaders this summer! They were chosen in a highly competitive process to spend eight-weeks in a  paid internship with us and spend one week at a Student Leadership Summit in Washington, DC to gain valuable civic, social and business leadership skills. The program takes place in 44 cities in the United States. 

Anay Baez recently graduated from Boston Community Leadership Academy (BCLA), will be heading to Bridgewater State College in the fall, and has been involved with the West End Boys and Girls Club in the past.

Catherine Marris recently graduated from Brookline High School, will be attending Columbia University in the fall, and has worked closely with the Red Cross in the past. 
Both bring valuable skills and new eyes to HSTF. They are working on a variety of projects and will be blogging about their experiences.

Welcome Anay and Catherine! We're glad to have you!