Youth Services
in the City of
Somerville, Massachusetts:
Assessment and Recommendations


June 23, 2004


Submitted by


The Center for Teen Empowerment
48 Rutland Street • Boston, MA 02118 • 617-536-4266

Acknowledgements


Teen Empowerment wishes to thank the following organizations for their contributions to this project and their support for making the project a reality:


Contents


I. Executive Summary of Findings and Recommendations
II. Project Background, Purpose, and Design
III. Needs of Somerville Youth
IV. General Recommendations for Somerville's Adolescent Service Delivery System
V. Specific Recommendations for City-Funded Programs and Youth Service Resources
Appendices    
  A. Organizations and Individuals that Participated in the Assessment
  B. After School Programs and Services Currently Available to Teens in Somerville
  C. Focus Group Agenda  
  D. Program Description and History of Teen Empowerment


I. Executive Summary of Findings and Recommendations
Assessment conducted by The Center for Teen Empowerment


The Need and Assessment Findings
Somerville is currently experiencing serious problems among the city's large low-income and immigrant adolescent population with drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, gang violence, and racial tensions and isolation, and there has been a substantial increase in these behaviors in the past year. As an indicator of these problems, the Board of Health estimates that there have been 20-30 suicide/overdose-related deaths of Somerville young people in the last 12 months (recognizing that the exact cause of death in many cases is hard to determine). In the past three months alone, two teen suicides and five suicide attempts have been reported, as well as 14 recorded drug overdoses, including one that resulted in the death of a teenager.

The assessment revealed a youth service system that has suffered from a series of severe budget cutbacks on the state and local levels and has lost much of its past capacity to reach and engage high-risk youth. Furthermore, among the teen services available at this time, there is a lack of connection between the needs of adolescents and the limited programs provided. While these efforts vary in quality, few are structured to intentionally address the issue of drugs, gangs, suicide, and racial tension that characterize the patterns of behavior among far too many Somerville youth. Youth and adults both cited that among many teens in Somerville there is a sense of hopelessness about the future, and that many youth need and want jobs and leadership opportunities. In addition, many youth report a lack of connection with police, leaving police with the tendency to be suspicious of all youth. Many youth expressed interest in participating in projects that would engage them in theater, art, and music-based activities, but such programs are currently available on an extremely limited basis. Youth and adults also reported that issues of transportation and safety hindered teens' involvement in programs and services. Finally, many youth programs reported that there is no clear way for community-based programs to coordinate their efforts with the intervention and prevention programming taking place within the schools, and these school-based programs are, in any case, very limited.

However, Somerville has a significant infrastructure on which to build an effective youth intervention/prevention strategy. The YMCA, CASPAR, the Fire Station community center, the Boys and Girls Club, Community Schools, programs operated through the Mystic Learning Center, and the members of the Youth Workers' Network all constitute a strong foundation on which to build effective programming that can meet the needs of Somerville's adolescents. These resources, together with the commitment of the mayor's office, provide a reason to be optimistic that Somerville can be successful in addressing the serious issues presently facing the city's young people.

General Recommendations for Somerville's Adolescent Service Delivery System

Specific Recommendations for City-Funded Programs and Youth Service Resources
II. Project Background, Purpose, and Design


At the request of the Mayor's Office of the City of Somerville, Massachusetts, this assessment was conducted by the Center for Teen Empowerment, Inc. to identify strengths, weakness, and gaps in Somerville's adolescent service systems and to develop recommendations concerning ways to increase the effectiveness of the system. (See Appendix D for a program description and history of Teen Empowerment.) The assessment consisted of the following activities:

  1. Reviewing materials documenting the present service delivery system.
  2. Interviewing 25 adult service providers who work for the City or work with private non-profit providers. (See Appendix A for a complete list information sources.)
  3. Conducting a series of four 2-hour focus groups with 10-15 youth each, held at the Mystic Learning Center, Full Circle Alternative High School, the Somerville Community Youth Program, and the Matignon High School. (See Appendix C for an outline of the focus group agenda.)
  4. Observing present youth program activities, including programs at the Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, and the Somerville Community Youth Program.

III. Needs of Somerville Youth


Somerville has a large low-income and immigrant population and is experiencing serious problems with very high incidence of suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, and crime among the city's adolescent population. During the first 40 days of 2004, one teen suicide and five suicide attempts were reported in Somerville, as well as 14 recorded drug overdoses, including one that resulted in death of a teenager. A 2002 survey showed that 23% of high school girls and 19% of boys in Somerville had contemplated suicide in the last year, while 10% of boys and 6% of girls reported attempting suicide in the last year. The 2003 Somerville Middle School Health Survey reported that 21% of middle school girls and 8% of middle school boys seriously considered suicide, and that 8% of middle school students had planned and 4% had attempted suicide. Both adult service providers and youth focus group participants stated that drugs were one of the most serious issues for youth in Somerville, and youth reported that "everyone uses them" and "everyone can get ahold of them." Despite rising use of the highly addictive drug OxyContin, two city funded youth drug prevention programs were closed last year and slots in detox programs were severely cut back when the local Program for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse lost $3 million of its $7 million state budget.

In addition, the demographic changes that have transformed the city from the largely mono-racial makeup of previous decades into a multiracial, multiethnic community have led to isolation, fear, and tension between youth of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. The 2003 Somerville Middle School Health Survey found that 11% of middle school students worried about being treated differently because of race or ethnicity. These tensions, along with a lack of opportunities for constructive involvement, and the absence of jobs and other leadership opportunities for youth, have led many local teens to become involved with drugs, alcohol, violence, and gangs. The Middle School Survey also showed that 38% of middle school students reported being in a physical fight the previous year, and 33% reported having property stolen or damaged on school property. Thirteen percent reported being bullied either in school or on their way to or from school. Youth in the focus groups reported that they felt unsafe walking and taking public transportation because of fear of gang violence, and they felt that gang violence could happen "anywhere, at any time." The frequency of these and other criminal and self-destructive behaviors has become a fundamental barrier to establishing healthy peer and community relationships in Somerville.
To compound these issues, Somerville's youth service delivery system has lost over the last five years much of its past capacity to reach and engage high-risk youth. Both the City of Somerville and the other nonprofit providers who service Somerville adolescents have experienced cuts in funding, staff, programs, and resources over the past several years. The YMCA's teen center was closed in May 2000. The Somerville Recreation Commission has gone from 124 to 24 staff in the last 10 years. In the last three years, Somerville High School has lost a counselor each year (including the director of the guidance department), a building master, and several teachers. The City's Youth Program lost 65% of its budget and three full-time and two part-time staff – the Youth Program is now down to two full-time and two part-time staff. There is a waiting list for beds in the psych department at the Cambridge Health Alliance. And while there seem to be adequate programs and services for younger children, there is a very limited amount of services available for teens. Many of the after school programs service youth up to ages 13 or 14, but after this point teens "age out" of services.

At the same time, the assessment made clear that most of the teen programs are being run by competent staff who care deeply about the welfare of the youth they serve. The passion with which service providers talked about the youth they work with and the issues youth face came across strongly. Many youth focus group participants commented on how important it is to have staff who are understanding and reliable and who can relate to young people. And during each of the site visits, it was noted that staff were able to connect well with the youth in their projects.

Furthermore, most of the after school programs for teens in Somerville are of good quality—that is to say, they provide well structured opportunities where youth can learn skills, have fun, meet people, and feel safe. Youth in the focus groups mentioned that the after school programs they attended kept them "off the streets and out of trouble." They also described positive program experiences as places that help teens "find your passion" and "enhance your skills" and that "build self-esteem" and "give kids motivation." (See Appendix B for a listing of programs available to teens.)

Finally, Somerville has a significant infrastructure on which to build an effective youth intervention and prevention strategy. The YMCA, CASPAR, the Fire Station community center, the Boys and Girls Club, Community Schools, programs operated through the Mystic Learning Center, and the members of the Youth Workers' Network all constitute a strong foundation on which to build effective programming that can meet the needs of Somerville's adolescents. These resources, together with the commitment of the mayor's office, provide a reason to be optimistic that Somerville can be successful in addressing the serious issues presently facing the city's young people.
IV. General Recommendations for Somerville's
Adolescent Service Delivery System


  1. Base all programs for adolescents on a rigorous analysis of the goals they are designed to reach. Specifically, the city needs many more teen programs that are intentionally designed to address the issues of drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, gang violence, and racial tensions and isolation.

    • Most of the teen services and programs, while of good quality, are not intentionally designed to have a direct impact on the issues that youth in the community are currently facing. Overwhelmingly, adults and youth stated that drugs, suicide, gangs, violence, safety, jobs and youth voice were the most prevalent issues. However, while a number of Somerville programs provide a safe space for young people, too often there is not a direct and intentional connection between the specific goals, activities, and target population of the programs and the problematic issues that are occurring among youth living in Somerville neighborhoods.

  2. Expand services for adolescents and make it a priority to develop programs for adolescents that involve paid employment, job training, and leadership opportunities.

    • Both adult service providers and youth focus group participants felt that there were not enough services and programming for teens. Some adults also felt that what was available was not being fully utilized. In some cases it was reported that teens don't know about what is available and in other cases it was reported that youth are not interested in the programs that are being offered.

    • When asked what was the biggest issue youth faced in Somerville, in all the youth focus groups the answer "nothing to do" came up. However, when given a list of programs that they could go to, their answers became more specific. Youth stated that many of the programs' equipment was "old or run down," and that the facilities were "in poor physical condition." Youth also reported that some of the programs were "for little kids," and that there were few programs for older teens ages 14–18 besides sports. Professional staff agreed with this assertion, saying that primarily younger teens (12–14) tend to use existing after school programs.

    • Youth reported feeling a lack of power in the larger community, and adults agreed that "young people are not involved in developing or evaluating youth programs." Most programs in Somerville are developed from an adult perspective without a lot of youth input, and "maintain youth as recipients." Youth leadership is seen as being done on a "default" basis, rather than as a purposefully designed strategy of youth engagement. Youth are not planning programs, forums, and conferences for other Somerville youth, and when youth input is required, it is not done in a systematic or consistent way. Some of those interviewed felt that there is "a lack of a defined youth leadership agenda" and "a lack of a defined approach to youth development in Somerville." Some of the youth reported feeling like adults in the community did not care about youth voice. There was also a perception that adults don't really understand young people and don't really care about their education or other issues. As one young person stated, "When adults don't really care about their youth, that gets transferred to the young people."

    • Youth and adults reported that there was a significant need for both youth jobs and positions of youth leadership. Adult providers noted that many peer leadership jobs and job programs had been lost due to budget cuts. Organizations such as the Mystic Learning Center had to cut the number of teens that they hire, and the City's Youth Program recently lost its summer jobs program. The issue of youth employment needs to be understood in the context of the community of Somerville, where it has been hard for many adults to find jobs, and college students are now filling many former "teen jobs." With a breakdown approximately of 80% residential and 20% commercial use of property in Somerville, most adults have to travel outside the city for employment. Youth also state that most activities in Somerville cost money (that there are not a lot of free events and programs) and that many young people need to get jobs to support their families.

    • Youth in the focus groups emphasized the need for young people to work with other young people in teen leadership positions. Teens reported that they did not always feel comfortable talking to teachers and administrators about how they feel, and felt strongly that teens want to talk to someone who is "young and cool." They want to share their problems with people who can understand and be able to relate to what they are going through, and they felt that this role could be most effectively filled by other teens. Especially when talking about the issues of drugs, suicide, health, and depression, youth felt strongly that teens related best to teens, and that sometimes adults could be insensitive to these issues.

  3. Develop intentional strategies and clear protocols for the city's middle schools and high school to coordinate with community-based organizations to implement programs that address these issues (listed in #1 above) both during and after school.

    • Many nonprofit service providers reported that they have had a difficult time coordinating their service plans with Somerville High School and with some of the other schools. Some recounted incidents where an issue, such as racial conflict, would begin in school and then continue within the context of after school programs, with little or no communication or coordination between school-based and community-based service providers.

    • Issues that affect youth bridge school and out-of-school time, and nonprofits and the schools need to be able to work together to address these issues. Without clear protocols for how this communication can take place, schools and nonprofits are left to address these issues in isolation or to make sporadic, ad hoc connections to address specific issues in times of crisis, greatly reducing the potential effectiveness of both school-based and community-based efforts.

  4. Expand opportunities for youth and police to work together to build positive relationships and to develop strategies to address issues of violence, drugs, and other community concerns.

    • Youth reported that they wanted a stronger police presence to keep the streets safer; however they emphasized the need for "good cops" – police officers whom they could relate to and who treated teens with respect. With the rise in violence and gang incidents, teens are feeling even less safe in Somerville. While there was a mixture of opinions about what constitutes a "gang," there was agreement that the gang problem was just starting to grow, and many people felt that "Somerville has a golden opportunity to address this issue" and nip it in the bud. Many of the youth are convinced that "something big" will take place in the next few months, and as one young person stated "too often adults are waiting for an issue to happen before they do something, but we need more prevention."

    • There are several high quality programs, including the YMCA's Cops and Kids program and the City's Crime and Violence Prevention Initiative, which address police/youth relationships. However, more programs and program strategies need to be developed that move beyond building relationships to creating collaborations in which police officers and youth can take actions together to address problematic youth and police behaviors. Ideally, program strategies will be designed that help youth and police to see each other as allies who work together to address common problems.

  5. Expand opportunities in school and after school for youth to participate in art, music, and theater-based activities.

    • Most of the focus group participants felt strongly that there was a lack of programs and services that provide music, art, and theater-based activities for youth. In every focus group, when asked to brainstorm the ideal youth program, elements such as "a dance studio," "theater," "music" "drama," and "a place that's high tech where you can create" consistently came up. While after school clubs at Somerville High School were seen as one outlet for the arts, many youth felt strongly that the clubs should be expanded and supported by paying teachers to stay after school to lead clubs. The need for arts programming greatly exceeds the capacity of after school programs at the High School, and many of the arts programs that are available are targeted to younger youth. More programs need to be developed that incorporate the arts for teens, and more programs need to use the arts to address the issues that young people are facing in Somerville.

    • Many service providers cited the relative lack of activities outside of sports, and many felt that there was an increased need to provide opportunities for non-athletes and for adolescent girls, who were seen as less involved in Somerville sports programs.

    • There was strong agreement that there is "not much happening" in the parks or with recreation for older teens. Recreation staff reported that, due to cuts in staffing, there were fewer Recreation programs available for older teens, and that in any case the Recreation Commission had a difficult time attracting youth over the age of 14 for participation in the programs that are available.

  6. Expand transportation resources for youth to increase participation in after school programs and services.

    • The issues of safety and transportation came up frequently as barriers to participation in Somerville's teen programs and services. Many of the after school providers stated that if they had more resources, they would use them to buy vans and provide transportation to and from their programs. Providers also felt that it was important to expose youth to opportunities, experiences, and events outside of their neighborhoods to combat youths' sense of hopelessness and " not a great future ahead of them." Providers felt that it is important "to expand what they know exists" because many of them are "not exposed to much outside of Somerville" and "have not developed their passion or talent," and many cited a need for transportation to make this happen. Many of the providers reported that it was difficult for youth to get around the city, that the buses were unreliable, and that youth generally attend programs that are within walking distance from their schools and homes.

    • The issue of transportation is related to youths' concerns for their own safety. Many of the young people felt unsafe walking or taking public transportation, especially at night. For one focus group, the condition of the teens' attendance was that they would receive rides home, since the focus group was to end at 8 pm. One young woman felt so strongly about the issue of safety that her answer to the question "If you had a million dollars to spend on youth programming in Somerville, how would you spend it and why?" was that she would use the money to install streetlights all over the city of Somerville because she and her friends feel so unsafe outside. Youth also cited that they felt that there was "no sense of community" and that "people don't watch out for each other anymore." Youth reported in brainstorms of "Issues Youth Face in Somerville" that the city needs safe houses where youth can go in times of crisis. Some youth stated that people should have barcodes, and that a metal dome should be constructed above housing projects to ensure that only those who are supposed to be there are there. While an exaggeration, these ideas suggest an intense feeling of youth feeling unsafe in their neighborhoods and community, as well as having a sense of extreme isolation from the larger society.

  7. Develop additional mechanisms at both the junior and senior high school levels to support the academic, social, and emotional growth of students and to provide more opportunities for students to voice their concerns about their education and the issues that they are struggling with on a day-to-day basis.

    • Repeatedly, when asked what they thought was the biggest issue that youth face in Somerville, adults mentioned hopelessness about the future, depression, and low expectations from many adults. "Somerville kids sell themselves short" and "don't see their own potential," and many Somerville youth are viewed as having low self-esteem and low levels of ambition.

    • While depression is a large issue for Somerville youth, there have been cuts in mental health services both at Somerville High School and in the city. Providers reported that there are "too few mental health counselors in the school," and that there have been cuts in beds for psychological and drug/alcohol rehabilitation services in the community.

    • Many youth expressed concern about the quality of their education, and shared a perception that many adults had low expectations of what Somerville young people are capable of achieving. As one young person put it, "Lots of teens think people don't care about their education, so they stop going to school and hit the streets." At the same time, many youth expressed the belief that "education is everything." In fact, in the focus groups' brainstorms of issues, education came up as one of the most important challenges that Somerville youth face. Furthermore, youth reported that "classes that people want to take don't exist" and "equipment is out-of-date and classes don't have enough supplies." Many youth reported a sense that they were not getting the education they need to insure a successful future.

  8. Continue the current valuable effort by the Somerville Youth Workers Network to develop a citywide Youth Council within the context of a comprehensive network of paid youth leaders, supported by youth-serving agencies from throughout the city. (See the specific recommendations in section IV for details about this strategy.)

    • In discussions facilitated by the Somerville Youth Workers Network, over 100 youth identified problems adults have been working to solve and challenged adults to hear young people's ideas and perspective. When asked what skills and ideas young people would bring to a group in which youth can meet to decide on what happens in their community, a group of Junior Girl Scouts at Clarendon Hill Towers responded, "A different perspective and sense of responsibility for the future."

    • Network members felt that a Youth Council would give Somerville youth an immediate opportunity to have a voice in community issues that affect their own lives. Their study indicated that many youth have valuable ideas about issues ranging from gang prevention to substance abuse and are concerned about the cuts in funding that support youth programs. Young people felt that a Youth Council would provide a structure where they can learn how their community makes decisions about these issues and would give them a way to participate in this process.

    • One of the problems youth have is that they are seen as lacking the skills that adults consider necessary for taking part in community development processes. Instead of being seen as resources on which a community can draw, youth are more often seen as passive recipients of services provided by adults. A Youth Council will allow youth to be active participants in issues in which they have a stake.

    • The Somerville Youth Workers Network, made up of over 50 individuals from more than 20 organizations across the city, is well placed to help advance the further development of this project. In February, members of the Youth Workers Network met with the Board of Aldermen's Youth Services Subcommittee to gain support for moving forward with the creation of a mechanism for youth voice to be heard in the city. In February, March, and April, more than 100 youth were consulted on their views on the establishment of a Youth Council, including possible role, structure, criteria for membership, and key issues of interest to Somerville youth. In May and June, a partnership of youth and adults continued to work together to finalize the structure of a Youth Council in Somerville. The Network is creating a blueprint for a group that will reflect the diversity of the young people living in the city. The group should serve as a first step towards creating an authentic opportunity for youth to be involved in city decision making processes, and should be integrated as part of a comprehensive strategy to integrate youth leadership and voice as a significant aspect of the city's adolescent service delivery system.

V. Specific Recommendations for City-Funded Programs
and Youth Service Resources
Appendix A: Organizations and Individuals that Participated
in the Assessment*


Agency Interviewee Interview Site Visit Focus Group
Cambridge Health Alliance Bernie Carty X    
Centro Presente, Inc. Cynthia Tschampl X X  
Cool People Peace Andre Smith X    
Community Action Agency of Somerville Aru Manrique X    
Eagle Eye Institute Amanda Gordon X    
Full Circle High School       X
Massachusetts State Police Domestic Violence Prevention Division Jeanie Ilello X    
Matignon High School       X
Mystic Learning Center Linda Kelley X   X
Somerville Board of Health Jack Vondras Stephani Almeida X    
Somerville Boys & Girls Club Liz Murray X X  
Somerville Cares About Prevention Vicente Sanabri X    
Somerville Community Access Television Karl Nazir X    
Somerville Community Schools Program Susan Gross X    
Somerville Community Youth Program Silvio Almanzar Jennifer Lawrence X X X
Somerville High School Tom Galigani Joe Vilaine X    
Somerville High School Peer Mediation Program Alice Comack X    
Somerville Housing Authority Vicki Wairi X    
Somerville Parent Information Center Regina Bertholdo X    
Somerville Police Department Sargent Jim Stanford X    
Somerville Recreation Commission John Pieroni X    
Somerville YMCA Bill Murphy Joe Pinto X X  
Teen Connection Lora Venesy X    

* Those who asked to remain anonymous are not listed above.
Appendix B: After School Programs and Services
Currently Available to Teens in Somerville



Centro Presente, Inc. Ages 11-15 Capacity: 15
     "Pintamos Nuestro Mundo"
     -Public Art Program for Spanish-speaking middle school students. Meets at Somerville Community Youth Program.

Community Action Agency of Somerville Ages 14-18 Capacity: 5
          "Jovenes Latinos"
          -Peer leadership program focused on teen issues including gang violence, drugs/smoking, and pregnancy prevention; provides homework help. Participants are paid $8/hour.

Eagle Eye Institute Ages 14-18 Capacity: 12
          "Rainbow Stewards Program"
          -Hands-on environmental education program at Somerville High School.

Massachusetts Alliance for Portuguese Speakers Ages 12-18 Capacity: Open
          "Youth Group"
          -Educational group for Portuguese speakers focused on HIV/AIDS, tobacco, and violence prevention.

Mystic Activity Center Ages 13-21 Capacity: Open
          "Teen Choice Club"
          -Monday nights "Books of Hope"
          -Wednesday nights "Educational Night"
          -Friday nights "Recreational and Social Activities"
          -Some teens hired as staff members

Somerville Arts Council Ages 15-18 Capacity: 10
          "Mystic Mural Project"
          -A summer youth opportunity to work with an artist and environmental educator to learn about the Mystic River and paint murals. Participants are paid $8/hour.

Somerville Community Youth Program
          "Drop-In Center" Ages 12-18 Capacity: Open
          -Drop-in center with pool tables, dances, educational workshops, computer games, movie nights, community gatherings. Open school year and summer.

          "Youth Leadership Development Program" Ages 12-18 Capacity: 10
          -Designed to empower young people by building leadership, public speaking, decision-making, and communication skills. Participants earn a stipend of $225.

          "Crime and Violence Prevention Initiative" Ages: 12-18 Capacity: 10
          -Collaboration between the Somerville Police Department and the Youth Program to reduce and to raise awareness about crime and violence issues among youth.        

          Other short-term programs include snow shoveling referral and vacation programming.

Somerville Police Department and YMCA Ages 10-14 Capacity: 20
          "Cops and Kids Program"
          -Designed to acquaint youth with police officers and provide mediation and substance abuse prevention training.

Somerville Recreation Commission
          "Co-ed Open Gym Basketball Program" Ages 12-18 Capacity: Open
          -Pick-up basketball games for youth held at different gyms around Somerville.

          "Girls and Boys Youth Basketball Leagues" Ages 7-18 Capacity: Open
          -Leagues for both boys and girls.

          "Special Needs: Open Gym, Outdoor Park, and Summer Program" Ages 6-22 Capacity: Open
          -Gives special needs young people the opportunity to play sports and games once a week.

          "Early Release Flag Football League" Age 14-18 Capacity: Open
          -Flag football at Somerville High School held on early release days.

Somerville YMCA
          "YMCA Outreach Program – NYPUM" Ages 10-15 Capacity: 20
          -A year-round counseling/adventure activities program designed to meet the needs of at-risk youth.

          "YMCA High School Fitness Program" Ages 14-18 Capacity: Open
          -Youth have access to gym, weight room, track, and pool during scheduled hours.

Teen Connection
          "Teen Health Advisory" Ages 14-18 Capacity:10
          -Peer leadership group focused on teen health issues.

Appendix C: Focus Group Agenda


Note that this agenda was modified for many of the focus groups due to time and space constraints.

Since the purpose of the format was to capture as much information as possible, one staff member took notes while the other facilitated the agenda.

Introduction
The facilitator explains to the youth why the focus group is being held, and what information we are hoping to gain. Youth are told that the ideas and thoughts they share will help to make decisions about youth services and programs in Somerville.

Name Chant and Motion
The group stands in a circle. Each person says their name and does a motion that reflects how they are feeling. The group (as a whole) then repeats the name and motion of the person three times before moving on to the next person.

This first interactive exercise is designed to help participants get to know one another and to relieve some of the nervousness and tension of being in a new group.

Warm-up Question
Participants are asked to say their name and to answer the question, "If you had a million dollars to spend on Somerville's youth services and programs, how would you spend it?"

This exercise continues to create an environment where youth become comfortable with one another. The purpose behind the question is to focus the youth onto thinking about Somerville—what is going well and what needs to be improved, and to assess what the youth think are priority issues for Somerville to address.

The Wind Blows with Words
Participants sit in a circle, with one less chair than there are people. The person in the front says, "The wind blows for people whoÉ" and then says a characteristic that applies to people in the room. Examples include: "Éwho like pizza" "Éwho listen to rap" "Éwho have more than one brother or sister." If the characteristic applies to them, the youth move to another seat in the circle. The person without a seat says the next "Wind blows" statement. After a few rounds, the facilitator explains that from now one when someone gets up in front, they have to speak on a word from the list for about 30 seconds before saying the "Wind blows" statement.

The words people speak about are Teens, Fun, Learning, School, Free Time, Sports, Jobs.

The purpose of this exercise is to mix people up, get people moving, and bring energy into the room. It also highlights to the participants what it feels like to be in front of a group of people, to make a statement and be heard. The goal is to get the youth to feel comfortable speaking out to help inform the facilitators about youth issues and services in Somerville.

Pairings
The facilitator pairs up the participant and asks people to talk with their partners about what they think is the biggest issue youth face in Somerville, and what they think should be done to address that issue.

This activity has the youth think concretely about the issues youth face in Somerville and verbalize the positives and negatives. It lays the groundwork for the brainstorms to come.

Brainstorms
The group first brainstorms the issues youth face in Somerville. They are asked to think about not only their own experiences, but also experiences of those they know or have heard about.

The second brainstorm is of positives, negatives, and recommendations for youth services in Somerville. With this brainstorm, we hope to capture what is going well, what is not going well, and how to improve youth services in Somerville.

Youth discuss both brainstorms, and most of the information-gathering takes place during this time.

Summary and Evaluation
The facilitator summarizes the purpose of the meeting and reminds participants of the next steps in the project.

Each participant is asked to evaluate the meeting on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, and to comment if they wish.
Appendix D: Program Description and History of Teen Empowerment


Teen Empowerment at a Glance


Since 1992, Teen Empowerment has used its innovative model to engage youth ages 14-20 as catalysts of social and institutional change in their schools and communities. TE is based on the belief that urban youth are a valuable, untapped resource and that their efforts can significantly improve communities and institutions.









Mission: Teen Empowerment's mission is to empower youth and adults as catalysts of individual, institutional, and social change.
Goals:
  • Empower urban youth to be catalysts of institutional and social change through the implementation of youth-led initiatives involving over 4,000 youth and adults per year.
  • Build the self-esteem, develop the leadership, management, and communication skills, and expand the vision and reality of academic and vocational options of young people working as Teen Empowerment Youth Organizers.
  • Utilize each TE project as a learning laboratory that provides valuable insight into the further development of TE's methods and operational structures.
  • Consult with and train organizations to adapt the TE Model for use in a variety of settings for more effective, authentic youth engagement in each organization's structure and mission.
  • Provide consultation and training in the integration of TE group building, decision-making, planning, and communication methods into adult work settings to improve relationships and dramatically increase group productivity.
  • Create and broadly disseminate print and video publications as tools for increasing understanding of TE's philosophy and for effective implementation of TE methods.
History: The Teen Empowerment Model is the product of over 25 years of thoughtful experience in changing the values, beliefs, and behaviors of youth and adults, making institutions more effective, and developing mechanisms for people of all ages to work productively together toward achieving important goals. In July 1992, the Center for Teen Empowerment was founded to demonstrate both the power of the TE Model to generate solutions to difficult problems and its potential application in a variety of settings. The Center's first site was based in Boston's South End/ Lower Roxbury community and had the immediate goal of involving youth in finding solutions to the epidemic of gang violence plaguing the city. The group of youth hired and trained by TE that year organized the first Youth Peace Conference, which resulted in a lasting peace treaty between five rival factions.

TE built upon its initial success and began working with the Boston Public Schools in 1994, creating TE's first school-based site. TE now runs three high school based sites, bringing authentic student voice into efforts to improve the schools. TE methods are also used to enhance the effectiveness of classroom teaching.

In 2003, TE opened a youth organizing site in Rochester, NY, a city that is experiencing an explosion of gang violence that rivals the destructive proportions Boston saw in the 1990's.

In our first 12 years, Teen Empowerment has touched the lives of over 20,000 youth and adults and played a vital role in improving Boston's public high schools and neighborhoods. While initially focused primarily on youth organizing, TE has adapted its methods as successful tools for building relationships, increasing productivity in adult settings, and raising the effectiveness of youth agencies. In addition to youth organizing, TE provides consulting and training to help educational and social service providers to meet the needs of underserved populations. Most recently, TE is engaged in a comprehensive effort to disseminate our methods through the publication of instructional materials.
Program Sites: At each of Teen Empowerment's four sites, two adult program coordinators work with 10-12 youth organizers every day after school to identify pressing issues in their school or community and organize and implement a strategy to address those issues. TE's Boston sites include:
  • South End/Lower Roxbury Community-Based Site
  • The English High School
  • Dorchester Education Complex
  • Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
Teen Empowerment also runs a community-based site in Rochester, NY.
Youth Peace Conferences: In 1993, the first Youth Peace Conference helped broker a historic treaty among rival Boston gangs. Since then, the conference has evolved into an annual institution that brings together the powerful voices of over 800 Boston youth each year. More than 60 youth design the daylong, interactive event around the most pressing issues facing teens, and use their voices and artistic talents to influence both the value systems of their peers and the public policies that affect their lives.
Consulting: TE provides training and consulting services that integrate our methods into schools, social service and youth agencies, police departments, and other non-profits. From ivy-league graduate seminar rooms to lock-down juvenile facilities, TE youth and adult staff open communication, explore issues of educational quality and equity, and build strong and vibrant cross-generational relationships. We also work closely with faculty at our partner high schools to find effective ways to improve the learning environment.


Teen Empowerment Facts: