Humans of SSYP (Week 6)
/Hi everyone! It’s hard to believe that this is already the sixth iteration of the Humans of SSYP blog. Doing this project has been one of the greatest joys. The fact that so many of you are enjoying it as much as I am makes me happy. Enjoy this blog post!
Kasey
Tell me your story with SSYP.
I was about to graduate with my Master's in May of 2013, and I needed a job to stay in the city through August. I found SSYP through Craigslist. I applied, and met Liz. I'm confident that she only gave me an interview because my last name is Boston and she thought it was funny. Nevertheless, I won her over with my charm and education in this area. I worked for the summer and then left to travel around. I lived in New Zealand for most of that year. When I came back, I needed a summer job again. Liz hired me again. From there, I stayed on and kept growing in my leadership. I got excited to have more autonomy over my own programs, budget and to make certain parts of the program my own. SSYP trusted me to do that. Now it’s been eight years which is a long time. I thought I was just coming for the summer, but it’s been really good.
Can you summarize SSYP in one word or phrase?
The first thing that comes to my mind is family. We are a family in so many senses of the word. People come and grow close. They go and do their own things, but you're still very connected. The people at SSYP always know when to come home when they need to. You accept that people are always spinning. You go off, you come back when you need to. You’re always a part of this family. I think we do a really good job of supporting each other. We make this a welcoming place for all parts of the community.
How do you feel about SSYP now compared to when you started?
A lot of it is very much the same. The most important parts about connecting with others and showing people that you care and support one another really haven't changed. What drew me in initially was the restorative justice approach to behavior management which was fairly new at the time. SSYP strives to be a place of restorative culture. We are obviously far from perfect, but we make an effort to be different from what happens in most of the country. Obviously the buildings have physically changed, and who comes and goes has changed. We have a lot more SSYP swag now which I am fully responsible for.
What has been your biggest challenge at SSYP that you've had to face?
My biggest challenge has probably been how to grow in my personal life alongside my growth in leadership here. When I first started, I was young and single. Now I have a wife and two young daughters. I’ve been at SSYP through all of those major life changes and very much supported through all of them. In fact, Liz (Senior Director of Community Engagement) was the officiant at my wedding and many of my closest friends are from here. That being said, it can be a challenge to balance being the best mom I can be and the best boss I can be simultaneously.
What are you most proud of during your time at SSYP?
I think that I've helped to reshape the workplace culture. Over the last eight years, SSYP has become more of a relaxed, inclusive and team oriented place to work and intern. A lot of staff and fellows are only here for one or two years, and I hope that this experience leaves a mark on them. This is how work can feel and it doesn't have to be scary. It doesn't have to feel like you're going to get in trouble if you're five minutes late. If we extend restorative grace and empathy to our youth we have to start with each other, it’s a trickle down.
The other thing I’m proud of is that I started the service learning program (BRIDGE), which we haven't done the last two years because of COVID. This program helped get students out of Boston and into new communities and see and experience how others live. We would engage in service-learning projects in the community and gain experience through volunteering, and in addition try new things like white water rafting, hiking, and local foods. Those trips have been really influential and powerful for people. I think getting those off the ground was great. It’s almost time to relaunch them, but we did it for six years before COVID hit. I think a lot of teens looked forward to it and It was a big part of their high school experience. We expanded from service trips to doing college trips as well which were very valuable.
What has been your favorite memory at SYYP?
Being here for so long I have had the privilege of watching people grow and see them step into their leadership. Youth that were in middle school when I started became JCITS and then CITS and then Lead Counselors, it’s so cool to watch. Becoming coworkers and friends with someone who grew up in the program is the dream.
What do you think the future holds for SSYP in ten years?
I want for us to get into early education and launch a B-BABY program. That would be so cool for SSYP to help support infants through five year olds AND young parents. I'd love to launch it in the next couple of years. The hope is that as our alumni start their own families, we would be here to support them through that process. The childcare system is so expensive and a huge barrier to juggling careers and parenthood. Being able to help our alumni and their babies is a win-win. I will manifest it into reality.
Briahna
Tell me about your story with the program.
I was very fortunate to find SSYP through a program called College for Social Innovation. They run a program called Semester in the City where college students do a full-time internship. We run a special project through the course of the semester where they come up with organizational needs and how to satisfy them through their project. My position is the Academic Fellow and my role is teaching students.
Can you summarize SSYP in one word or phrase?
In one phrase, I'd say they're very passionate and supportive about their work.
Is there a group that you connect with SSYP, is there a specific person or group that you really gravitate towards?
I would say I gravitate towards YLC the most. The middle schoolers are easier to connect with than LEARN because they have begun to fully form at this point. They give more thoughtful meaning to questions. On top of that, the leads and volunteers that support YLC. I enjoy being around everyone in general, but the LEARN youth are awesome too.
How do you feel about SSYP now compared to when you started two months ago?
I'd say I genuinely enjoy being here more than when I first came. This is because I have more connections with people now. It's easy for me to come in every day and connect with people more so than it was before. I have built relationships that hopefully will last.
What has been your biggest challenge at SSYP?
The academic team would like for rotations to be more based in academics. It's very hard for students to leave school, and then stay in the same mindset of learning math and science. The team feels the challenge of being in an afterschool program and having the students go straight back to academic topics. The hardest part is creating the lesson plans, implementing them and hoping that the youth enjoy them. That would be the biggest challenge of each lesson along with the additional challenge of identifying what their academic needs are. I think now, because we're changing the structure, the youth will be happier than before.
What are you most proud of during your time here?
Seeing the students happy to see me. Sometimes I'll miss a day, or I've been sick a few times. I’ll come in and they know my name immediately. The youth will run up to me and give me a big hug. They initially didn't seem like they were that interested in me during our one on one sessions. Knowing they actually are interested in me and that seeing me is exciting for them makes me feel good about my work.
What do you wish we did more of, or differently?
It's hard because I believe there's not a lot that SSYP needs to improve on. In terms of making youth more engaged in learning, that’s our main goal. I would say what we're actively doing now by changing the structure and identifying the needs of each student. Even though there's a lot of them, the students all need something different. I identify what each student's strengths and weaknesses are, and subsequently alternate the schedule to fit what they need. This is in order for them to be better at what they need to do to succeed.
What's been your favorite memory at SYYP?
There's not really a specific memory, but my favorite overall would be seeing the click of the students when they're in my rotation and they actually understand what it is we're teaching them. That would be the most memorable even though it’s not really a specific moment. It happens all the time, but seeing students get excited to learn is the biggest accomplishment I have here as an Academic Fellow.
What do you think the future holds for SSYP?
The mission is to have long lasting relationships and build community. Right now, half of the staff that works here came to the program when they were younger. I think that the lasting relationships portion is only going to continue. The students who are attending now will eventually do what the students who were here before are doing. They're going to become the staff, they're going to help everybody. The students who do that are going to bring more to the table because they have a fresher look of everything. They know what it was they didn't like when they were here, and what could change. They will create more positive change that brings everybody together.
Is there anything else you want to say and talk about in regards to your experience here?
I would say that SSYP has taught me a lot about different perspectives and understanding everybody's situation. This role taught me not to always assume that just because students go to the same school and are in the same grade means that they have the same level of learning or experience. Acknowledging that everybody has their own steps to get where they need to be is really important.
Xiomara
Is there anyone during your time at the parent mentor program that you've really bonded with or made a connection with?
I do have connections, definitely with Rafaela and also with Yrmaris. I’ve connected with everybody, but especially with Rafaela.
Can you summarize the parent mentor program in one word or phrase?
Growing.
How do you feel about it now compared to when you started?
When I started, we were virtual and remote. I also went to the school, and was a part of everything that was happening. The program has changed in a positive way, and I'm a part of all that.
What has been your biggest challenge at the parent mentor program?
One of the things that has been a challenge is directing people I work with to work on projects and giving them follow up instructions. That was my biggest challenge.
What are you most proud of during your time at the parent mentor?
One of the things I would say that I'm really proud of is all of the things that I've been working on inside and outside the school. Another thing I'm really proud of is being a part of the parent mentor program because it was a step for me to get a new position in the Boston Public Schools.
How do you feel about that new position?
I feel very excited. I’m super happy because back in Puerto Rico, I'm a teacher, but I cannot really be a teacher here. Now that I'm going to be working at the Boston Public Schools as a paraprofessional, it's like becoming a teacher again. I’m super excited about that.
What’s your favorite memory as a parent mentor?
One of the moments I had that was memorable for me is when I did my testimony at city hall. I was speaking in front of all these teachers, students and parents. The Boston Teachers Union was there, and I received so much support from them. I expressed that I was worried about the reopening of the schools, and what the safety protocols were going to look like. That was one of the things that was memorable for me because it wasn’t really in my comfort zone to be speaking with power in front of people. I have that little fear of public speaking right in front of the people who I do this for. When I received that support for them and they backed me up, that made me feel really good.
What do you think the future holds after you've left the parent mentor program?
For myself, I learned a lot and was educated a lot. I learned about every single one of the people that were in the program. For the future of the parent mentor program, I think it's going to keep doing good. As long as they show that leadership and follow up, and do what they need to do to keep that up. The parent mentor program, I would say, it’s going to do wonderful things.
Is there anything else you want to say about the parent mentor program or what you're doing next?
I will say that I'm very grateful for St Stephen’s Youth Programs staff. I’m also thankful for the parent mentor staff. I have received a lot of beneficial things from having been in the program. I'm very grateful for everything that I have received from them.