Humans of SSYP (Week 1)
/My name is Edina Alix. I have the honor and privilege of being the SSYP Communications and Development fellow through the College for Social Innovation for the Fall 2021 semester. My Special Project for CfSI is a social media campaign titled “Humans of SSYP.” The purpose of these posts is to spotlight members of the SSYP community that are not typically highlighted on our social media. These include staff members, community leaders, and members of our parent-mentor program. I hope with these anecdotes you can gain a greater understanding of the many individuals that put their hard work and dedication into making St Stephen’s Youth Programs the place we’ve come to know and love.
Latasha
How do you feel about SSYP now compared to when you started?
“I felt like before it was just a job. Now, it’s a lifestyle for me. It kind of goes home with you, even if it’s not on a deep level or a topic that is detrimental to youth development. It’s just the fact that they put a smile on your face or you go home and you think about all the highlights that happened in the program.”
Have you had to overcome any significant obstacles that SSYP was able to help you overcome?
“I’m a young black woman living in poverty trying to still survive. I think that SSYP gave me the opportunity to do more than just survive and do it in my own way. They definitely helped me with the guidance and understanding of what I needed to do for self-sustainability. They also pointed me in the right direction of helping me professionally grow. So, shout out to St Stephens.”
What are you most proud of during your time at SSYP?
“I’m most proud of watching my youth develop from JCIT’S to CIT’S and really see them take full accountability of the program and what it offers. Just to see them grow through it is to see them transition through it is dope.”
What is your favorite memory at SSYP?
“My favorite memory would be celebrating black excellence month. We actually turned black history month into black excellence month. We definitely talk about prior things that have happened that shape who we are as an African-American society, but we’ve also found a way to hone in on black excellence.”
Is there anything else you would like to say?
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to grow the YLC program and to grow myself and to actually grow my teens, my leads and my volunteers to everybody that I encounter. Keep giving me the encouragement to be a better youth worker.”
Erin
What made you choose to be involved with the Boston College Pulse Program?
“I really liked how [the PULSE program] was both a service learning program and also academics. It was cool to learn philosophy and theology in class and then be able to take those ideas and put them into action by serving. I really had been wanting to get involved with service at Boston College, and I thought it would be a good way to do it.”
Can you summarize SSYP in one word or phrase?
“I would definitely say my first impressions were accurate. When I came in, it just felt super welcoming, like a great community. Everyone had such good energy and it was super positive and energetic, and I think that's exactly how I've felt since I've started working here.”
What is your biggest challenge at SSYP?
“I think my biggest challenge has probably been working on being patient with the kids. They're the best, they're such nice kids, super funny, but they're also second graders and I'm a college student. So our energy is very different. It's been good learning how to do that.”
What are you most proud of during your time at SSYP?
“I think I’m most proud of the relationships I've already built with some of the students. Being able to see them recognize me and know who I am and see me as someone that they want to talk to when I'm here is really nice.”
What’s your favorite memory at SSYP so far?
“I think my favorite memory so far was my first day and I was reading books with one of the students in my group. We were reading a Star Wars book, and he just pointed to Ray in the book and he was like, ‘that's you?’ And I said, that is the nicest compliment. It was so sweet.”
What do you think the future holds for SSYP?
“I think in the future that students are still going to love coming here. Everyone I've ever talked to has said how much they love it. I think that it's a really good opportunity to get more involved with the city of Boston and the next generation of students here.”
Yrmaris
What made you decide to be involved in the SSYP parent-mentor program?
“When the parent-mentor program was presented to me, I was unemployed and I thought okay, this is another option for me. I'm already involved in the school. I was part of the parent council and it was another opportunity for me to be included and have employment. So I thought ok we'll see. And I was chosen.”
Can you summarize SSYP in one word or phrase?
“In one phrase, the parent-mentor program is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
How did you find out about SSYP?
“I remember when I first heard about the parent-mentor program when Raphaela went to present the program to the parent council. And I thought, oh, okay. This is really fascinating because it's trying to get parents to be more involved in what is happening in the schools. This was a perfect opportunity for me to be more involved. All the parents were like, we want in on this. It's awesome.”
How do you feel about SSYP now compared to when you started?
“I feel way much better now compared to when I started the parent-mentor program. When I started it, I had my insecurities, like, I'm kind of afraid to be speaking, be outspoken and speak in public and things like that. But now since I'm in the parent-mentor program, I can be more focused and more inspired to be speaking my mind on things I care about. I advocate for the schools. I do testimonies once in a while. Now I'm part of the parent organizers here, so I was able to grow in my role here.”
What are you most proud of during your time at SSYP?
“Last year I was proud that I accomplished a lot. I was doing the parent-mentors and I also was doing the ambassador program through Project Hope and graduated from that too. There were still things that I was like, ‘Okay, I need to focus and get this done.’ I got it done. I also do catering on the side. People were hiring me for catering once they opened their doors. I was like, that was really nice.”
What’s your favorite memory of the parent-mentor program?
“For the parent-mentor program, my favorite memory was one time that I was with the kids one-on-one in our breakout room. She was getting really frustrated and almost started crying. I go like, ‘don't you cry, just keep trying, don't give up your sunshine. Don't you cry’? Now I sometimes speak with her mom and the mom said that she's so independent now She's independent on her own. When they tried at first, she was not trying at all. I was like, you need to ask questions for you to understand what is happening. So I told her, I would like her to never feel shy about asking any questions, because practice will make the master. So since then, she's been really focused. I talk to her mom once in a while, so that's good.”
What do you think the future holds for the SSYP parent-mentor program?
“I will say for the future of the parent-mentor program, there are a lot of schools in Boston that I know like having parents involved in their kids' education. In the school district to be able to help improve academics because you know when a kid you like is working hard, they feel so proud when one tries to do their best to make the parents proud. I will say my goal is to expand the parent-mentor program to at least 30 more schools.”
Is there anything else you would like to speak about?
“I will say for parents out there, don't feel shy about trying something new. If you are interested, try it. You don't know the experience you can have with it and how much love you will experience. It is something that will wake inside you, that will make you say ‘oh my God. how come I never thought about doing this before’. Being involved in your kid's life, especially in an emotional way at school helps them beyond measure.”