Achieving Success

By Deborah Drew

When one thinks about local YMCAs, usually sports, swimming, childcare, summer camps, volunteerism and more come to mind.

At the Boston YMCA, there really is more at work though its YMCA Achievers college and career readiness program that supports first generation college-bound and lowincome youth and helps them establish and pursue post-secondary education and career goals. Through academic enrichment, career exploration and mentoring, youth raise their academic standards, explore diverse college and career options, and learn from adult role models.

The National Grid Foundation has been supporting the Y’s signature teen programs -- Achievers and Teen Employment -- for nearly three years. Under the Achiever program, students meet every other Saturday for three hours during the school year at Northeastern University in Boston. With the support of volunteer instructors from Boston’s leading companies, youth attend ACT/SAT prep classes, tutoring sessions, and also learn life skills such as leadership, communication, collaboration, and organization. They also attend workshops that explore career fields, choosing the right school, and navigating complex admission and financial assistance processes.

Achiever:

Someone who achieves success especially through effort; a successful person.

While many organizations focus on college attainment, few also are targeting youth not already on a path toward college. The Y works with high school guidance counselors to recruit youth with a GPA between 1.5 and 2.5 and who may not have post-secondary goals. During the 2022-2023 school year, 200 students are anticipated to participate in the program, including 25 seniors. The older youth will attend an out of state college tour during spring break.

The Y’s Teen Employment program provides full-time summer employment to parttime work during the school year with the Y providing “real world” work experience and structured professional development activities teens. During the summer of 2022, the YMCA hired 764 teens to work from July 6 until September 2, making the Y the largest employer of youth in the city. From full-time summer employment to part-time work during the school year, the Y provided “real world” work experience and structured professional development activities for the employed teens. During the summer, teens worked 25 hours a week for $13.50 an hour helping to staff the Y branches, camp and after school programs, as well as the Y’s food distribution efforts. Each youth had weekly supervisory sessions to ensure progress towards their employment goals and participated in weekly professional development workshops and activities. Topics included Work Ethic and Professionalism, Attendance and Punctuality, Accepting Direction and Constructive Criticism, Motivation and Taking Initiative, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Financial Literacy, and planning, among others. One hundred of the teens are continuing to work part-time during the 2022-2023 school year. Both programs prepare youth to set and achieve aspirational goals while understanding the difference they can make in the world around them. In the process, they learn important academic and life skills, they begin to envision college and career goals for themselves, and to understand the steps necessary to achieve these goals.

The Y’s core belief, informed by decades of research, supports that a college degree or other credentialed program is one of the best ways to move youth out of poverty. These programs encourage youth to see higher education and career success as realistic possibilities for their future. ❧