Opportunities

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Great Opportunities for Youth with The City School

What is the City School?

The City School develops the power of youth to work toward building a just society. We do this through: creative education and critical thinking, leadership development, action and service and promoting understanding and relation across difference.

Youth Outreach Weekends – learn about homelessness, do community service, and meet other teens doing the same.
Prison Empowerment Project – dialogue with teens and adults about crime and punishment, and hear from people inside Massachusetts’ prisons.
Rose from Concrete – a weekly leadership program for court-involved youth. Click here for the flyer.
Chill Nites – teens come together for dinner, games, movies and more… every Tuesday evening.
Graduates’ Program – opportunities for jobs, leadership and programming, for graduates of our other programs.
Summer Leadership Program – a life-changing summer of seminars, internships, action projects, fun, friends and more.

www.thecityschool.org

Access For All…

There are over 80,000 school-aged youth with disabilities in Massachusetts alone. * Too often, youth with disabilities are overlooked when programs are developing leadership opportunities for their members. Here, we highlight a handful of the organizations both locally and nationally that have opened up leadership opportunities for youth with disabilities. Some trailblazers include:

Leadership Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities (LOYD)
LOYD is leading the way in promoting access and equity in Boston’s after school field. Its mission is to increase after school access for children and youth with disabilities; to develop program provider skills to operate more effective inclusive programs; to advocate for inclusive opportunities; and to develop the skills of youth with disabilities and empower them to become leaders.

The LOYD project began as a collaborative effort to address concerns of many youth with disabilities and their parents about the lack of opportunities to participate in community activities. Originally affiliated with the Disability Law Center, LOYD moved to BOSTnet (formerly Parents United for Child Care) in 2002. Since it’s inception, LOYD has provided over $900,000 in grants and technical assistance to 46 programs around Boston, including community centers, school and faith-based programs, and community organizations citywide. See www.bostnet.org for more information.

The National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN)
This organization is committed to supporting "the next generation of disability leaders." With this mission, they focus on the education and development of future leaders, including employment and wellness issues. These leaders represent the nation’s ethnic and disability diversity. NYLN began with the first National Conference for Youth with Disabilities in 1997 and subsequently, sought to expand the focus towards youth-centered initiatives rather than merely trying to fit youth into the existing adult service system. The organization continues to serve as an advocate regarding critical issues impacting youth with disabilities. See http://nyln.org/ for more information.

Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD)
The Partners for Youth with Disabilities mission statement focuses on "empowering people with disabilities to reach their full potential" by pairing youth with disabilities with adult mentors for guidance and positive support. Furthermore, PYD offers programs focused on leadership, community service, self-advocacy and education. For example, youth involved in the Peer Leadership Program learn about leadership, conflict resolution, communication and advocacy skills. They also learn how their public service endeavors can make a significant impact on their community. Located in Boston, PYD is expanding to communities around the country. For more information, see www.pyd.org.

*According to the 2003 American Community Survey (ACS) available at http://factfinder.census.gov.

The above was reprinted from the Bostnet Buzz, Boston Out-of-School-Time Network www.bostnet.org

Enroll now in the SEED Academy! The Saturday Engineering Enrichment and Discovery (SEED) Academy is an academic enrichment and career exploration program for public high school students from Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our primary mission is to increase the number of traditionally underserved local students in the pipeline to the technical workforce. We provide participants with an interesting, hands-on curriculum that strengthens their foundational math, science and communication skills; a challenging learning environment with high expectations; and access to positive role models. Over the course of seven-semesters, SEED Academy students have the opportunity to see what engineering and technology are, how they are being used in our society, and what industry and educational leaders expect in those fields in the future. With exposure to compelling content and world-class resources at MIT, we are preparing students for academic and professional careers in the technical fields. The program is offered free of charge to participants through the generous support of our sponsors and MIT. We are accepting applications from current ninth and tenth graders who are enrolled in Boston, Cambridge and Lawrence public schools, and who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. http://web.mit.edu/seed/index.html

The University of Massachusetts Boston Urban Scholars Program
The Urban Scholars Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston, is a year-round program featuring advanced after-school classes, seminars, tutoring, and supervised study for middle school and high school students. The Urban Scholars community believes that education is at the core of a successful, enriching life. We offer gifted and academically talented students a comfortable environment promoting learning and educational exploration. The staff and teachers work with students building the skills and motivation necessary for achievement at the highest level of their potential. Urban Scholars works collaboratively with our partner high schools to enhance their capability to develop the talent and potential of all students. Our students possess the maturity and self-regard necessary to obtain their personal goals, and the staff is committed to their success. In the Urban Scholars Program, the students strengthen their skills, make friends, and do things they only dreamed of!!! Some statistics: 98% of all Urban Scholars grads are accepted by two or more colleges and 86% either have their bachelors degree or are still in college.
http://www.urbanscholars.umb.edu/index.shtml
 
FREE DENTAL CARE for abuse victims
Tufts New England School of Dentistry has created a program funded by Delta Dental, through which they provide free dental care to those who self-identify as survivors of intimate partner violence and their children.  The services available are quite comprehensive, and Tufts has taken a leading role industry-wide in training their dental students to recognize and be sensitive to victims and survivors of child, elder, and intimate partner abuse.  If you are an advocate who works with victims of intimate partner violence, or if you are in need of assistance, or know someone who is, please contact Toni Wiley at ToniBWiley@aol.com to arrange a time to meet.  Tufts has created a process to shield the identities of victims whose abusers may have access to their medical records.

STEPS-TO-SUCCESS
An Innovative Project to Promote Physical Activity and Friendship in Children with Down Syndrome (For Children with Down Syndrome ages 8-18), presented by Project Respite Care, Children’s Hospital Boston and the Boston Ballet. Steps-to-Success is a research study run by a pediatrician and a physical therapist from Children’s Hospital, Boston. It is designed to promote physical activity and social interaction in pre-teens and teens with Down syndrome. You and your child will receive:

• A free ten-week adaptive dance program at the Boston Ballet School (including dance clothes)
• Ten weeks of free respite care from a reliable, pre-screened, trained student respite volunteer for your family
• A chance for your child to socialize with other children with Down syndrome
• Opportunity for your child to increase his/her physical activity
• A chance to help educate a student about home life for children with Down syndrome
• $25 gift certificate for each study visit
• A free pedometer for your child

• Minimum 8 hours of in-home training/supervision of a student respite care provider
• Weekly observations regarding your child’s physical and social activities
• 3 visits to collect study information (questionnaires, measurements of your child’s weight, etc.)

For more information contact:
Donna Snover
617-355-2954
Donna.Snover@childrens.harvard.edu

Dr. Emily Jean Davidson, MD, MPH
617-355-4658
Emily.Davidson@childrens.harvard.edu

Scholarship Program for College Students with Disabilities

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars is pleased to announce it will continue to help increase employment for students with disabilities through an academic internship program. Through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, The Washington Center is working to help students develop leadership skills and gain valuable work experience in public service. The Washington Center will complement students’ professional experience with solid academic training for credit from highly qualified instructors. In addition, students will be exposed to community, national and international leaders through workshops, seminars, lectures, embassy visits and networking events held throughout the course of each semester. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) will offer technical guidance and support to the program. Please visit http://www.twc.edu/disability_services.shtml for more information.

THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS APPLYING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS!
Even if you do not have a college-aged child at home, please share this with some one who does, pass this scholarship information on to anyone and everyone that comes to mind. Though there are a number of companies and organizations that have donated money for scholarship use to African Americans a great deal of the money is being returned because of a lack of interest.
No one is going to knock on doors and ask if a scholarship is needed. Take the initiative to get young adults and teenagers involved. There is no need for money to be returned to donating companies because students fail to apply for it.
Please pass this information on to family members, nieces, nephews, friends with children etc. Get the word out that money is available. If you are a college student or getting ready to become one, you probably already know how useful additional money can be. Our youth really can use these scholarships. Thanks!!

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