Summer Opportunities for Youth
During the school year, teachers and school administrators, coaches and afterschool program staff collectively work with youth to help them make the right decisions and strive to reach their potential. Statistics show, however, that youth violence and other harmful behaviors tend to grow in the months when school is not in session. Many of United Way's partner agencies provide year-round programming to fill the gap in summer months and ensure youth stay on track. Last year 31,000 youth were served by our partner agencies in the summer months. To expand upon their efforts and ensure that even more youth are given opportunities to grow and develop when school is out, United Way is also investing in the following initiatives:
Boston Summer Safety Collaborative:
In collaboration with the City of Boston, The Boston Foundation and a number of other local funders, United Way is working to give Boston youth positive options and activities during the summer , when schools are closed and youth violence has traditionally spiked. Through the Summer Safety Collaborative, more than 70 organizations that provide safe, supervised programs for city youth after school during the summer will receive financial support enabling them to expand their hours of operation. Last summer, the Summer Safety program served an estimated 17,000 youth by making it possible for organizations with effective and popular programs to add days and hours to their schedules, especially on weekends, when concerns about the potential for violence was heightened. For more information and a list of the programs receiving Summer Safety Collaborative Funding, click here.
Summer Experiences in Greater Lowell:
Summer Experiences in Greater Lowell (SEGL), is a United Way initiative that provides Lowell area youth with quality summer programming to help them develop leadership, social and academic skills while school is not in session. Since its inception in 2000, SEGL has invested $770,000 to provide youth with enriching summer learning and recreational experiences when school is closed. Last year, the initiative enabled more than 3,000 children participated in quality summer programs, developing leadership, social and academic skills that will empower them for life. This year, $100,000 will fuel quality summer programs in the 16 organizations. For more information and a list of the programs receiving SEGL Funding, click here.
Summer Employment for Youth:
This summer a cohort of 24 students who had dropped out of Boston Public Schools but were reconnected over the past school year will have an opportunity for a summer job because of a new partnership between United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and Boston’s Private Industry Council (PIC). In the spring, PIC piloted a transitional employment program for over 20 young people who had been reconnected with schools and educational programs last year. United Way’s investment of $50,000 supports the summer component of this program, which includes mentoring, coaching, and discussions of life skills, job readiness and career exploration in addition to summer employment. For more information, click here
Out of Harm's Way in the Summer:
During the school year, United Way's Out of Harms Way initiative works within four middle schools in Boston to create a climate that eliminates violence as a barrier to learning and healthy development in students. The initiative has increased academic achievement among the target students at the Dearborn School and reduced suspensions and the number of bullying incidents at both the Dearborn and
Lila B. Frederick Schools. In recognition of the fact that these youth also need support during the summer when classes are out, the Department of Extended Learning Time, Afterschool and Services (DELTAS) and United Way are piloting a five-week summer program at the Martin Luther King Middle School in Dorchester for middle school youth from the Out of Harm's Way sites. For more information, click here
