The Network
The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the system of services for high risk youth in the city of Boston. All youth deserve to have every opportunity needed to grow up to live holistically healthy lives and be productive citizens.
Place map of the area here
Who are youth at high risk?
For the purpose of this process, youth at high risk are between the ages of twelve (12) and twenty-one (21) and are court involved, truant, gang-involved, a chronic substance abuser, homeless, pregnant or a parent.
Why are these youth at high risk?
The network believes that it is the entire community’s responsibility to do our best work together to support youth who face these obstacles by creating avenues for success and helping them set and achieve positive goals. It is the appropriate role for the service agencies in the network to provide resources and strategies that develop the social, emotional and spiritual needs of our people. Our youth must to receive holistic support to develop their gifts and overcome life’s challenges. Without it, these youth are at high risk for continuing to live in a cycle of destructive behavior.
Overview of the Network
With the support of a three-year federal Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) grant, the Boston Capacity Tank (the Tank), a program of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, seeks to build the capacity of faith-based organizations (FBOs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to increase the scale and effectiveness of their services to at-risk youth and families, leading to better lives for our youth and to more vital communities.
This project is a partnership between the United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB), the Black Ministerial Alliance (BMA), the Emmanuel Gospel Center (EGC) and the Boston Ten Point Coalition (BTPC).
At the inception of the project, the partners convened community stakeholders at a Vision Meeting to address the question, “When the CCF project is completed, how should the landscape of available services for youth and children be different from today?” Participant responses addressed concerns such as:
FBOs, CBOs, and public and private agencies will develop new partnerships to promote nurturing, supportive communities for youth and families.
A model system of coordination of services will be in place such that families will be able to learn about available resources and duplication of services will be minimized.
Systems will be in place to identify the most at risk youth at the earliest possible moment so that the involvement with the natural support systems in the community (church, school, etc.) can be maximized and the involvement with the state agencies can be minimized.
While the Tank’s primary goal is to strengthen organizations and programs which serve youth, if all the members of the network come together to strengthen the connections between existing programs, those programs will provide better services for youth and will better help them achieve lasting results in their lives.
Click Here to view a map of our service area |
| |
|
|
