, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYBODY. WELCOME. I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE ALMOST A FULL CHAMBERS HERE. THIS IS GREAT. THANK YOU EVERYBODY SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND YOUR
PARTICIPATION. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS GABRIELA COLETTE ZAPATA DISTRICT ONE CITY COUNCILOR AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS. TODAY IS OCTOBER 27TH, 2025 AND
THE EXACT TIME IS 205. THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED. IT IS ALSO BEING LIVESTREAMED AT BOSTON DARK OF FORWARD SLASH CITY DASH COUNCIL DASH TV AND
BROADCAST ON OXFORD ANY CHANNEL EIGHT RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FILES CHANNEL 964. WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO THE COMMITTEE EMAIL AT CC DOT
GEO AT BOSTON OF AND WILL BE MADE A PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNCILORS. PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. INDIVIDUALS WILL BE CALLED ON
IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE 2 MINUTES TO TESTIFY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING IN PERSON PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN UP SHEET NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE CHAMBER AND IF YOU'RE LOOKING
TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY PLEASE EMAIL OUR CENTRAL STAFF LIAISON MEGAN KAVANAUGH AT MEG AND DOT CV AND AG H AT BOSTON DOT GOV
FOR THE LINK IN HER NAME WILL BE ADDED. TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET ONE FOR THREE FOUR. ORDINANCE CODIFYING THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT.
OH MY GOD. OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. THE MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILORS HENRY SANTANA, JOHN FITZGERALD AND BEN WEBER AND WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON AUGUST 6TH, 2025.
TODAY I AM JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF THEIR ARRIVAL LEAD SPONSOR COUNCILOR SANTANA, COUNCILOR FLYNN AND COUNCILOR FITZGERALD.
I'LL NOW GO TO MY COLLEAGUES IN THAT ORDER FOR ANY OPENING REMARKS. COUNCILOR SANTANA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU CHAIR CLARA SUPPORTER. IT'S JUST GREAT TO SEE THE
CHAMBER TODAY AND FILLED WITH, YOU KNOW, MANY YOUTH ADVOCATES, LEADERS AND YOUTH THEMSELVES HERE. I THINK IT'S JUST A TESTAMENT OF HOW IMPORTANT THIS OFFICE
HAS BEEN SINCE ITS ESTABLISHMENT AND JUST HONORED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION TODAY. SINCE OIRA WAS ESTABLISHED
THREE YEARS AGO, IT'S BECOME CORNERSTONE OF OUR COMMUNITY UPLIFTING OUR YOUTH, ENGAGING THEM IN CITYWIDE POLICY ISSUES AND CONNECTING THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES.
OUR BUSINESSES AND PARTNERS ARE CONNECTING THEM WITH OUR BUSINESSES AND PARTNERS ARE COLLABORATING WITH ALL YEAH AND INCREASING NUMBERS WHILE OUR YOUTH ARE RELYING ON IT FOR
CONNECTION TO AVAILABLE SERVICES AND OPPORTUNITIES. THE OFFICE IS A STAPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND CODIFYING IT WOULD ENSURE THAT OUR YOUTH WILL HAVE LONG TERM ACCESS TO THESE IMPORTANT RESOURCES WHILE
ALL YET DOES MORE THAN JUST CONNECT OUR YOUTH TO JOBS AND OFFER CIVIC CIVIC PLATFORMS, IT SHOWS OUR YOUTH THAT THEY
BELONG HERE IN BOSTON THAT WE WANT THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AND THAT WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE A VALUABLE PART OF THE CITY'S FABRIC AND A WORLD IN WHICH ALL YOUTH ARE OFTEN KEPT OUT OF THE
ROOMS WHERE DECISIONS ARE MADE. RESOURCES LIKE OIA ARE CRITICALLY NECESSARY THAT GIVE YOUTH ACCESS TO RESOURCES SPECIFIC WE DESIGNED FOR THEM GIVE THEM FORMS WHERE THEY THEY
CAN BE SPOKEN OVER AND CONNECT THEM WITH EMPLOYERS THAT WANT TO UPLIFT THEIR VOICES AND CULTIVATE THEIR TALENTS. CODIFYING OH YEAH WILL GIVE THE YOUTH THE ASSURANCE THAT THE RESOURCES THEY RELY WILL
CONTINUE TO BE THERE WHEN THEY NEED THEM AND YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO MY CO-SPONSORS HOUSE OR FITZGERALD AND COUNCILOR WEBER
BUT WHEN I INTRODUCED THIS OVER A MONTH AGO, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP FROM MY YOUTH COUNCIL SANTANA'S YOUTH FORCE. THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO CREATE POLICY AND THEY WANTED TO INTRODUCE SOMETHING ON MY
BEHALF AND I GAVE THEM THE FREE RANGE TO TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND THIS IS THE TOPIC THAT THEY CHOSE. RIGHT. AND THIS DIRECTLY CAME FROM THE 15 YOUTH THAT I HAD WORKING
THIS PAST SUMMER. IT JUST GOES TO SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN OFFICE THAT OUR YOUTH ARE CONNECTED TO AND THAT THEY WANT TO SEE IT HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE CONVERSATION.
SOCIAL SHOUT OUT TO BOTH CHIEF AND DIRECTOR HERE TO INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR AND YOU KNOW HAVE JUST BEEN DOING SO MUCH WORK FOR OUR YOUTH ON
BEHALF OF OUR YOUTH AND I CAN'T THINK OF TWO BETTER INDIVIDUALS TO TO LEAD THIS WORK. SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND THANK YOU COUNSELOR. I'M GLAD I CALL THAT A SUPPORTER.
THANK YOU, COUNSELOR SANTANA COUNSELOR FLYNN THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. COUNSELOR SANTANA.
COUNSELOR FITZGERALD. COUNSELOR WEBER ALSO COUNSELOR SANTANA MENTIONED I WANT TO MENTION PEDRO CRUZ WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
OF THE OFFICE. BUT PRIOR TO THAT I WORKED WITH PEDRO WITH VILLA VICTORIA AND SAW THE IMPORTANT WORK AND LEADERSHIP YOU PROVIDED NOT JUST IN VILLA VICTORIA OR
THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH END BUT REALLY THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF BOSTON AND CONTINUE THAT WORK AS A PROFESSIONAL AND DEDICATED CITY EMPLOYEE.
AND IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU START STARTING OUT AS A AS A YOUNG PERSON BUT MAKING SURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WERE PART OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS IN
VILLA VICTORIA THE IMPORTANT WORK YOU ARE DOING THERE. BUT I SEE A LOT OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY THEY DO A TREMENDOUS JOB AND THEY HAVE AN INVALUABLE VOICE. THEY THE LEADERS OF THE CITY
AND THEY NEED TO BE PART OF THE FUTURE OF BOSTON. HONORED TO WORK WITH YOU AND SO MANY OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY. I MIGHT BE A LITTLE OLDER THAN
A LOT OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE BUT AT ONE TIME I WAS A YOUNG PERSON BUT JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE IMPORTANT WORK THIS OFFICE DOES EVERY DAY. IT'S ABOUT BRINGING PEOPLE
TOGETHER. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR FLYNN COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. THANK YOU, CHAIR. YOU KNOW, WITHOUT THIS OFFICE THE REALITY IS AND EVEN THOUGH
THAT YOU KNOW IT WAS ONLY CREATED ITS MISSION HAS BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND THAT THE MISSION THAT YOU CARRY ON THE BOTH OF YOU AND I CONSIDER MYSELF A PRODUCT OF THAT MISSION HAVING BEEN ON
THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL BACK AND NOT TO DATE MYSELF LIKE COUNCILOR FLYNN BUT BACK IN THE LATE NINETIES RIGHT WHEN I WAS HIGH SCHOOL AND REPRESENTING MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND AND SEEING WHERE IT IS TODAY TO GO FROM
THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL TO THE ACTUAL CITY COUNCIL I MEAN THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT, RIGHT? I MEAN IT'S IT'S HAVING THAT ENGAGEMENT AT A YOUNG AGE AND I THINK IT'S NOT HYPERBOLE TO SAY
IT IS A COULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK THAT IS DONE BECAUSE EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS DONE AT OUR LEVEL IF WE DO NOT ENGAGE THE NEXT GENERATION THEN WHAT IS IT FOR AND WHO IS
CARRYING IT FORWARD FOR US FROM HERE? AND SO NOT TO PUT ANY PRESSURE ON YOU PEDRO RIGHT. JUST THE YOUTH OF THE CITY OF BOSTON IS YOU KNOW THE
FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS BUT IT'S BUT IT'S THE TRUTH BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT KEEPING THE YOUTH BUSY AND SAYING LET'S MAKE SURE THEY'RE ACTIVE AND THEY'RE NOT GETTING INTO ANY OTHER SITUATIONS AND JUST
MAKING SURE WHERE YOU KNOW, WE'RE KEEPING WE'RE NOT HAVING IDLE HANDS. IT'S ABOUT TEACHING THEM THE IMPORTANCE THAT EVERY DECISION AND EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK. GROWING UP AS AN ADULT, AS A
YOUTH NO MATTER WHAT POLITICS PLAYS A ROLE IN WHAT YOU WERE DOING. EVERY STOP SIGN YOU STOP AT THERE WAS A CALL TO MAKE THAT STOP SIGN GET THERE RIGHT. AND SO FOR FOR THE YOUTH TO
UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE AND THE CAPABILITY THAT THEY HAVE AT THEIR FINGERTIPS TO GO FORWARD AND THEN PUT IT INTO USE AGAIN, I DON'T REALLY THINK THERE'S ANYTHING MORE
IMPORTANT. I KNOW COUNCIL SANTANA IS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO BIG FOR OUR YOUTH AS A COUNCIL IS ABOUT IN FLYNN AS WELL. WE ARE ALL PRODUCTS OF BEING ENGAGED IN OUR YOUTH THAT HAVE
BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT NOW WHERE WE SAID OKAY LET'S PUT OUR NAME ON A BALLOT RIGHT AND THAT'S IT. THAT'S A HUGE STEP. BUT WE UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE AND SO I JUST COMMEND YOU GUYS FOR WHAT YOU DO AND I THINK THIS IS A
FANTASTIC HEARING TO HAVE TO HEAR PEDRO WITH YOU AND ALL YOU'VE DONE IN CHIEF AND LINDSAY AS WELL AND OH YEAH, IT'S IN THE RIGHT HANDS. I'M PROUD OF IT. PROUD TO BE A PRODUCT OF IT AND
HOPE THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE TO COME. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. AND THAT'S A REALLY POWERFUL THING. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT BUT EVERYBODY SITTING ON THE FLOOR RIGHT NOW I THINK IS A PRODUCT OF BOSTON YOUTH PROGRAMING HERE
AND I THINK THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE DEMONSTRATION. SO THANK YOU FOR CALLING THAT OUT. WE HAVE TWO ABSENCE LETTERS, ONE FROM ONE OF THE SPONSORS BEN WEBER, COUNCILOR BEN WEBER
WHO WANTED ME TO READ THIS FULLY INTO THE RECORD. DEAR CHAIR CLAUDIA ZAPATA I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND TODAY'S HEARING ON THIS DOCKET AS THE HEARING IS AT THE SAME TIME AS THE GRAND OPENING
OF THE YOUTH CENTER AT THE MILDRED HAYLEY APARTMENTS IN JAMAICA PLAIN. PLEASE NOTE THAT MY STAFF WILL BE IN ATTENDANCE AND WILL TAKE NOTES DURING TODAY'S HEARING. I WILL ALSO FOLLOW UP WITH ANY QUESTIONS I MAY HAVE.
I ASK THAT YOU READ THIS ABSENCE LETTER INTO THE RECORD AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE AN ABSENCE LETTER FROM COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROUTE C LOUIJEUNE AS WELL. WE'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU FOLKS IN JUST A SECOND BUT I JUST
WANT TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO SAY AND PROVIDE MY OWN OPENING COMMENTS. I THINK AT A 32 I'M NO LONGER A YOUTH BUT I DO CATEGORIZE MYSELF AS YOUTH ADJACENT AND SO NOW IN MY YOUTH OR IN MY ALLIES
SHIP I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT THE YOUTH IN THE CITY HAVE EVERY RESOURCE THEY COULD GET TO REACH THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL. WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT TRYING TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN TALENT HERE
IN BOSTON WE HAVE A TALENT HERE WE ARE SO RICH IN THAT WAY WHERE OUR TALENT POOL AND OUR KIDS ARE. I THINK IT THEY ARE OBVIOUSLY
OUR FUTURE BUT THEY ARE OUR FUTURE CITY COUNCILORS, FUTURE CHIEFS DIRECTORS AND I THINK THAT THE CODIFICATION OF THIS OFFICE ENSURES THAT IT IS IN LAW AND THIS WILL BE A PRIORITY
MOVING FORWARD. SO WITH THAT I'LL PASS IT OVER TO CHIEF FOR ANY OPENING REMARKS YOU MAY HAVE A WONDERFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH AND GOOD AFTERNOON. COUNCILOR COLETTE THE SUPPORT OF KANSAS STATE SANTA COUNCILOR FLYNN COUNCILOR FITZGERALD IT'S AN
ABSOLUTE PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU ALL THIS AFTERNOON. FOR THE RECORD MY NAME IS ALWAYS A MILESTONE. I AM THE CHIEF OF HUMAN SERVICES HERE FOR THE CITY OF BOSTON. I'M JOINED TODAY BY MY COLLEAGUE PEDRO CRUZ WHO'S EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND
ADVANCEMENT. PEDRO WILL FOLLOW ME TO A PROVIDE A DEEP DIVE ON THE IMPRESSIVE WORK THAT THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT ADVANCEMENT HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN JUST A SHORT FEW YEARS. THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT SPRANG FROM THE
DECISION BACK IN 2022 TO TRANSITION TO THE YOUTH JOBS PROGRAMS THE NEWLY FORMED WORKING EMPOWERMENT CABINET AT THE TIME THAT PROGRAM ONCE KNOWN AS SUCCESS WAS PART
OF THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN EMPLOYMENT OR WE DURING THAT TRANSITION I ADVOCATED FOR OUR CABINET TO RETAIN THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS THAT WE INCLUDING THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL AND THE YOUTH LEAGUE
THE CHAIN PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROGRAM THANKS TO THE MAYOR'S LEADERSHIP AND HER FORTHRIGHT COMMITMENT TO ENGAGING YOUTH IN THE CITY GOVERNMENT, WE WERE ABLE TO KEEP THOSE PROGRAMS AND BUILD THE OFFICE. YOUTH ENGAGEMENT MOVING HAS
BEEN AROUND THESE CORE LEGACY PROGRAMS. MY VISION FOR A YEAR WAS TO HAVE A DEPARTMENT THAT WAS FOCUSED ON FOSTERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH IN BOSTON THE DEPARTMENT THAT WOULD REPRESENT YOUTH YOUTH WORKERS IN THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
ECOSYSTEM AT CITY HALL WHERE YOU COULD CALL IF THEY NEEDED TO BE CONNECTED RESOURCES AND WHERE THEY WOULD BE HEARD IF THEY HAD A CONCERN. WE ENVISION IN THE OFFICE THAT WOULD HOST WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE EVENTS FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE INCLUDING THE ANNUAL MAYOR'S SUMMIT. WE WANTED THE DEPARTMENT TO NOT ONLY REPRESENT TO YOU HAVE CONCERNS BUT TO PROACTIVELY REACH OUT TO YOU TO FIND OUT
HOW THE CITY COULD BETTER SERVE THEM TO LEAD THIS DEPARTMENT AS ITS INAUGURAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, I CHOSE A LONGTIME COLLEAGUE HE MANZI, A MENTEE OF MINE AND CLOSE FRIEND PEDRO CRUZ WHO HAS SPENT HIS ENTIRE
CAREER IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT. WELL, PEDRO AND HIS TEAM HAVE DONE IN THE SHORT THREE YEARS SINCE OH EIGHT WAS CREATED EXCEEDS MY WILDEST DREAMS. HE IS A VISIONARY LEADER WHO COMMANDS THE RESPECT OF OTHER LEADERS IN THE YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT SPACE AS WELL AS THE FUTURE LEADERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN HIS PROGRAMS. HE'S SOMEBODY WHO I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING FOR THE PAST 24 YEARS AND WHAT I WOULD SAY PEDRO BACK AT THE AGE OF 12
WAS JUST A GLIMPSE OF THE PEDRO WHO HE IS NOW AND I'M JUST HONORED TO SEE HIM LEADING AT THIS CAPACITY AND AT THIS TIME HE HAS BUILT A HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL TEAM THAT MEETS YOUNG PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND PROACTIVELY SEEKS OUT
OPPORTUNITIES TO FILL GAPS TO IDENTIFY IT. AND HE'S ALWAYS INNOVATING FINDING WAYS TO GET THE WORK DONE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS COLLABORATION. I FEEL TRULY BLESSED TO BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND I SEE ALMOST INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
FOR WELL YOU CAN AND WILL DO IN THE FUTURE. I AM GRATEFUL THAT THIS COUNCIL WAS SIMILARLY IMPRESSED BY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CRUZ AND HIS TEAM. THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO WAS WITH US TODAY IN THE CHAMBERS.
I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE PEDRO CRUZ TO SHARE HIS OPENING STATEMENT . APPRECIATE YOU CHIEF. FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO START OFF JUST WANT TO DO SOME MYSELF FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT KNOW ME MY NAME IS PEDRO CRUZ.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. IT'S BEEN NOTHING SHORT OF AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO SERVE ON THIS CAPACITY FOR THE CITY ON BEHALF OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE, I WANT TO THANK ALL THE
COUNCILORS PRESENT HERE TODAY FOR SUPPORTING THIS WORK. I THINK WE ALL AGREE AND WE ALL SHARE THAT WE ALL ARE A PRODUCT OF THIS WORK AS MENTIONED EARLIER. SO I WANT TO THANK EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FOR THE SUPPORT NOT
JUST TODAY BUT THROUGHOUT THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. I FEEL LIKE I WORKED WITH YOU GUYS ONE WAY OR ANOTHER TO SUPPORT ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE CITY. I WANT TO THANK CHIEF JOSE MANSOOR FOR YOUR TRUST AND YOUR
SUPPORT AND YOUR LEADERSHIP. I WANT TO THANK MY TEAM WHO'S HERE TODAY FOR ALL THE WORK AND THE DEDICATION AND ALL THE HOURS. DEFINITELY NOTHING THAT I COULD HAVE DONE BY MYSELF TO BE HONEST. I WANT TO THANK ALL THE
COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT ARE PRESENT TODAY THAT ARE ALSO PART OF THE WORK AND REALLY ARE OUT THERE LIKE I ALWAYS SAY IN THE MUD DOING THE REAL WORK AND AGAIN IT'S BEEN NOTHING BUT AN HONOR TO SERVE ON THIS CAPACITY
. I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE THESE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THE NEXT SLIDE JUST REALLY TO KIND OF PUT IT IN TERMS
OF WHERE DO WE LIVE IN THE CITY SO WHERE UNDERACHIEVE JOSE MARCEAU'S LEADERSHIP AND HUMAN SERVICES ALONG WITH OUR SIBLING OFFICES A STRONG BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY'S B C Y OF CENTERS
OFFICE FOR VETERAN SERVICES AND RETURNING CITIZENS AND TO QUOTE MY MENTOR HIM AND THE CHIEF. YOU KNOW WE ALWAYS SAY THAT WE WE LIKE TO MEET YOUNG PEOPLE
WHERE THEY'RE AT, WHETHER IT'S PHYSICALLY WE'RE IN THE CITY OR IN THEIR JOURNEY IN LIFE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
NEXT OVER THERE I DON'T SWITCH MINDS. THAT'S WHY I WENT WITH THAT. I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY THE WE ARE FULL STAFF MAN. I THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY BIGGEST THINGS THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF. MAN LITERALLY TWO AND A HALF
YEARS AGO I WAS THE FIRST AND THE ONLY EMPLOYEE UNDER OFFICER YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND OBVIOUSLY I REMEMBER HAVING THE MEMO THAT WAS SHARED WITH ME AND I WAS LIKE I DON'T KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO MAKE ANY OF THIS HAPPEN BUT
BUT WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. BUT I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY THAT TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER WE'RE FOUR TEAM OF 11 THERE'S SEVEN FULL TIME EMPLOYEES FOR 12 MONTH FELLOWSHIPS AND EVEN
THAT I THINK IS A TESTAMENT TO THE WORK BECAUSE ONE OF THE MODELS REALLY THAT I ADOPTED THROUGH THE OFFICE WAS THERE'S A LOT OF PART TIME WORK OR SEASONAL WORK AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE WANTED TO DO
WAS USHER THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE WORK. SO WE WITH ADVOCACY AND WITH THE SUPPORT OF EVEN THIS COUNCIL AND CHIEF AND THE TEAM WE'VE BEEN ABLE AGAIN TO BUILD THAT UP TO SEVEN FULL TIME
EMPLOYEES AND FOR 12 MORE FELLOWSHIPS AND THOSE 12 MONTHS FELLOWSHIP IS ALSO PART OF THE WORKMAN. THAT'S OPPORTUNITIES WE GIVE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO BE ABLE TO STEP IN, GET THEIR FEET INTO THE CITY, GET TO KNOW THE WORK
AND HOPEFULLY ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. OUR MISSION YOU KNOW, AS CHIEF SAID, I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST HAD THIS CONVERSATION AND THIS
WAS NOTHING BUT WORDS ON PAPER THE GOAL WAS REALLY TO ANSWER WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE WHEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT GETS INVOLVED AND WHAT DOES UPWORK LOOK LIKE WHEN CITY HALL GETS INVOLVED AND IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF
YEARS REALLY EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS TO SERVE THE 14 TO 25 YEAR OLD POPULATION BY SUPPORTING WHAT WE'VE COINED THE THREE LEVELS OF EUPHORIC WHICH IS YOUTH PROGRAMS AND SPACES CREATED FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE. SO WHETHER THAT'S A SCHOOL, WHETHER IT'S A LIBRARY, WHETHER IT'S A BASKETBALL COURT OUT OF VHA SO WHETHER IT'S A COMMUNITY CENTER, WHETHER IT'S A YOUTH PROGRAM AGAIN ALL
SPACES AND PROGRAMS CREATED FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. THE SECOND LEVEL IS THE ADULTS THAT WORK IN THOSE SPACES AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS SO YOUNG PEOPLE SO WHETHER IT'S A LIBRARIAN, WHETHER IT'S A TEACHER, A PROGRAM COORDINATOR,
A SPORTS TEAM COACH, THE SECURITY GUARD AT A SCHOOL THAT DAY, THEY KNOW WHO'S GOING TO BE WORKING WITH KIDS WHEN HE SIGNED UP AGAIN, THESE ARE ADULTS THAT WORK IN THOSE SPACES AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE THEMSELVES.
SO ALL THE WORK WE DO SUPPORTS THAT THE PROGRAMS, THE SPACES, THE ADULTS IN THOSE SPACES AND YOUNG PEOPLE THEMSELVES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. THIS SLIDE I'M REALLY PROUD
OF HONESTLY JUST BECAUSE YOU KNOW LIKE HOW CHIEF MENTIONED WHEN I FIRST TOOK OVER THE OFFICE THERE WERE ONLY TWO ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS UNDER MY LEADERSHIP WHICH WAS THE MASSIVE COUNCIL THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR 30 YEARS AND THEN
YOU LEAD THE CHANGE WHICH IS THE CITYWIDE PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROGRAM WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH $1,000,000 EVERY YEAR THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS. THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO PROGRAMS
THAT I TOOK ON THAT WERE ALREADY EXIST AND THE OTHER SIX WE CREATED FROM SCRATCH AND THEY'VE BECOME PILLARS IN THE COMMUNITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT AS WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDES.
WE'LL START OFF WITH THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL. SHOUT OUT TO COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. I LOVE THE FACT THAT HE WAS ON THE COUNCIL AND IT'S A GREAT HONESTY, JUST A TESTAMENT AS TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THE MAYOR'S YOU
COUNCIL IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS. REALLY MY GOAL HONESTLY WHEN I TOOK OVER THE PROGRAM WAS THAT I ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW WHEN I GREW UP I REMEMBER WHEN MY OLDER BROTHER USED TO
GIVE ME THE PLAYSTATION CONTROLLER BUT IT WAS NEVER PLUGGED IN AND JUST KIND OF HAD TO PLAY WITH THIS. THAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL. I REALLY WANTED THEM TO GET
INTO THE WORK AND ACTUALLY BE PART OF THE WORK ESPECIALLY WORK THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT THEIR LIVES DIRECTLY. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY RESHAPE THE ENTIRE PROGRAM TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S EQUITY.
ALL YOUNG PEOPLE NOW ON THE COUNCIL GET PAID. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. WE WENT FROM A FEW TIMES A MOM TO 4 TO 5 DAYS A WEEK THAT THEY'RE WITH US FROM OCTOBER TO NOW TO ME. SO IT HAS BECOME REALLY A FULL
TIME JOB FOR THESE YOUNG PEOPLE . AND YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE EXCITING POINTS THAT I WANT TO SHARE IN THESE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS IS THAT THE NYC TEAM, THE YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE COUNCIL HAVE BEEN ALL THE WAY
AS FAR AS TO GERMANY AND WE SAID WE SEND THEM ON A TRIP TO MEET WITH THEIR YOUTH COUNCIL OVER THERE AND REALLY STRENGTHEN AND RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND EVEN INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE
ICA MFA SPA, EXTREME CABINET AND WE AND EVEN THE MASS COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY GET THEM INVOLVED IN ACTUAL WORK THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY THIS YEAR. EXCITINGLY WE ADDED TWO
ADDITIONAL SEATS FOR UNDOCUMENTED YOUNG PEOPLE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF IMMIGRANT ADVANCEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE INCLUDING THE VOICES ON THE COUNCIL OF THOSE THAT FEEL THE LESS HEARD.
AND THEN WE JUST LAUNCHED NYC ALUMNI NETWORK BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF NYC MEMBERS OUT THERE THAT HAVE BEEN DOING AMAZING STUFF SINCE THEY WERE ON THE COUNCIL AND WE'RE BUILDING THAT NETWORK TO MAKE SURE WE CONNECT THEM TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND
WE'VE LAUNCHED WE'RE LAUNCHING A COALITION OF YOUTH COUNCIL SO THERE'S A LOT OF YOUTH COUNCILS HAPPENING AROUND THE CITY AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM TO CONTINUE BUILDING THOSE PARTNERSHIPS EVEN AMONGST THE
YOUNG PEOPLE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. USUALLY THE CHANGE OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS SINCE MOVING UNDER THE LEADERSHIP AGAIN WE'VE HAD THE HIGHEST HIGHEST
IDEAS SUBMITTED AND THE MOST VOTES COUNTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SOME OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT IS THE WICKED PHI PHI EXPANSION. THEY'RE LITERALLY IN THE
PROCESS OF FINISHING A TOTAL THE MEDIA CENTER AT THE TOBIN COMMUNITY CENTER THAT WAS FUNDED BY THAT WE RENOVATED BASKETBALL COURTS. WE'RE IN CONVERSATIONS TO IMPLEMENT EACH VAC SYSTEMS AND
BPI HAS TO MAKE THEM BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE WANTED THOSE SPACES TO BE COOLER. SO AGAIN, I'M LITERALLY CALLING IN OFFICIALLY BUT WITH REALLY THE GOAL HAS BEEN THAT ONE
OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT I WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT WITH THIS IN TERMS OF UNDER MY LEADERSHIP IS THAT WHEN I TOOK OVER THIS PROGRAM THERE ARE 15 PROJECTS THAT WERE PENDING THAT THAT WAS REALLY THE WAY I'M
MOVING IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE THREE OF THEM SIX TIME PROGRESS. AND WE HAVE ABOUT A FEW OTHER ONES THAT ARE JUST IN CONVERSATION. SO ALL THE PROJECTS ARE IN
CONVERSATIONS ARE REALLY MOVING FORWARD IF NOT COMPLETED IN THERE AND ON TRACK TO BE COMPLETED AND MONEY BEING SPENT AND EVERYTHING BEING IMPLEMENTED. SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO AS YOU SAW ME I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT THIS DURING OUR BUDGET HEARINGS BUT YOU KNOW, THE FIRST ONE WAS BACK IN 94 WENT ON FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS TO ABOUT 2004. THEN THERE WAS A 20 YEAR
HIATUS. WE BROUGHT IT BACK WITH THIS OFFICE WE'VE DONE TWO ALREADY. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF HOSTING THE THIRD ONE NOW IN FEBRUARY WE WANT IT TO BECOME SOMETHING THAT YOUNG PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY YEAR WE'VE SEEN
TREMENDOUS GROWTH. YOU KNOW WE HAD 300 ATTENDEES THE FIRST YEAR 500 ATTENDEES THE SECOND YEAR WE'VE GIVEN OUT AWARDS TO YOUTHS FOR THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'VE GIVEN OUR AWARDS
ORGANIZATIONS AND WE REALLY DO THAT BY EVEN UPLIFT AND VOICES. THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE GIVE OUR AWARDS TO ARE NOMINATED BY YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WE GIVE OUR AWARDS TO ARE NOMINATED BY THE ORGANIZATIONS AND AGAIN
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE INCLUDE YOUNG PEOPLE'S VOICES IN EVEN LEADING UP TO THE PLANNING STAGES. WE WE DO A LOT OF WE ARE WE DO
FOCUS GROUPS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ASK YOUNG PEOPLE WHAT IT IS THAT THEY WANT TO SEE. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EAT, WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK, WHAT TIME OF THE WEEK? SO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, EVERY PROGRAM WE ALWAYS ASK OURSELVES WHERE DO YOU VOICES LIVE IN THIS PROCESS?
NEXT ONE PLEASE. YOUTHLINE IS ONE THAT I'M ALSO EXCITED ABOUT. THIS ONE WAS REALLY SIMPLE AS WHEN I STARTED THIS OFFICE I ASKED ABOUT RESOURCES THAT ARE OUT THERE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. I REMEMBER ONE OF MY STAFF
MEMBERS BROUGHT ME AN EXCEL SHEET AND I JUST ASK THE SIMPLE QUESTION IS THIS PUBLIC? AND IT WASN'T. SO WE TOOK LEAD ON THAT AND WE CREATED THE YOUTHLINE WHICH IS A RESOURCE HUB FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE. WE'RE UP TO OVER 500 RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES ON THIS ONLINE DASHBOARD. THE WHOLE GOAL IS TO MAKE THEM MORE ACCESSIBLE AND IS REALLY INSTEAD OF NAVIGATING OVER 400
DIFFERENT WEBSITES WE WANT YOUNG PEOPLE TO JUST GO TO ONE CENTRAL LOCATION TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE RESOURCES THEY WANT. WE KNOW THAT NOT EVERYBODY WOULD BE TECHNOLOGY SAVVY AND
OR COMFORTABLE NAVIGATING THE TECHNOLOGY SO WE ALSO CREATED AN INTAKE FORM AND WE HAVE FULL TIME MEMBERS WHO ARE HERE. SO IF THE YOUNG PERSON NEEDS HELP NAVIGATING THAT DASHBOARD THEY CAN FILL OUT AN INTAKE FORM.
MAYBE IT CREATES A REFERRAL PROGRAM. IT'S NOT A CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BUT A REFERRAL PROGRAM AND MY STAFF TAKES THAT INTAKE FORM AND WE FOLLOW UP WITH EMAILS OR PHONE OR A WALK IN TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE GET
THE ACCESS TO WHATEVER RESOURCES THEY ARE LOOKING FOR AND WE ALSO HOST A COMMUNITY CALENDAR ON OUR WEBSITE. SO MY MY STAFF IS IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE THAT THEY IDENTIFY ANY AND EVERY YOUTH
EVENT THAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY. WE SHARE OVER 100 FREE EVENTS EVERY SINGLE MONTH AND IS AS EASY AS GOING TO OUR CALENDAR AND CHECKING IT OUT AND THAT'S INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EVENTS
NOT JUST WITH THE CITY AND AGAIN IT'S ALL ABOUT MAKING WHAT'S OUT THERE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE ACCESSIBLE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. BOSTON AFTER DARK TO FREE I IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE ONES I THINK
JUST BECAUSE IT'S A FUN ONE YOU KNOW THIS IS WE JUST DID IT FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS LAST SUMMER AND IT WAS REALLY ABOUT CREATING SPACES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. WE REALIZED DURING THE SUMMER
OF 24 THAT YOUNG PEOPLE OR 23 DURING THE SUMMER 23 THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WERE ALREADY CONNECTED TO YOUTH PROGRAMS EXCUSE ME INTO YOUTH JOBS BUT THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO AFTER THE 5 P.M. TIME. SO ONCE THEY FINISHED THEIR
JOBS THEY REALLY HAD NOT MUCH TO DO. SO WE WE WERE PROACTIVE AND WE CREATED WE REALIZED TOO IT WAS MOSTLY ON FRIDAYS ON THE EVENING HOURS I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO. SO THE FIRST YEAR 2024 THAT
SUMMER WE COLLABORATE IT WOULD BE CYF AND YMCA AND WE HOSTED OVER 18 EVENTS ACROSS NINE NEIGHBORHOODS AND SERVED OVER A THOUSAND YOUNG PEOPLE AND ALL THE EVENTS LOOKED DIFFERENT BOTH SUMMERS IT WAS EVERYTHING
FROM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS TO POOL PARTIES TO TALENT SHOWCASE IS TO DANCE PARTIES, MOVIE NIGHTS ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF. AND IT WAS AGAIN IT WAS ABOUT GIVING YOUNG PEOPLE OPTIONS AROUND THE COMMUNITY.
WE JUST EXPANDED THIS LAST SUMMER WITH AN NBA SITE. WE WANTED TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE ON VHA SITES AND WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH THEM AND WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND
THAT FROM TO 23 EVENTS ACROSS 15 NEIGHBORHOODS AND WE STARTED OVER 1500 YOUNG PEOPLE AND WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF THINKING OF WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE DURING THE VACATION
WEEKS AND WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE EXPANDING THE PROGRAM AND PASS THE SUMMER AND SINCE WE SERVE 14 TO 25 YEAR OLDS NOW WE'RE EVEN THINKING OF WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE FOR THE 19 OR 25 YEAR
OLD POPULATION AS WELL TO TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO AS WELL AFTER THE WORK HOURS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. YOU SPEAKS BOSTON IS ONE THAT
I'M VERY PROUD OF AND THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WAS PUT ON THE MEMO THAT CHIEF SHARED WITH ME WHEN WE LAUNCHED THE OFFICE. WE WANTED TO GET DATA AROUND WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE NEED WHEN THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL, WHEN THEY'RE NOT AT WORK.
SO WE LAUNCHED YOUTH SPEAKS BOSTON SURVEY AND IT WAS GATHERING INFORMATION FROM YOUNG PEOPLE OF AGAIN WHAT IT IS THAT THEY NEED WHEN THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL, WHEN THEY'RE NOT AT WORK. WE'VE GOT OVER 1600 RESPONSES
WE CALL WE COLLABORATED WITH THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL AND NORTHEASTERN'S RESEARCH LAB ,THE CHANGE LAB IN ORDER TO PUT THIS TOGETHER WE JUST LAUNCHED RECENTLY A STORY MAP
THAT SHARES OUR TOP FINDINGS. WE HAVE A DATA DASHBOARD THAT PARTNERS CAN ALSO USE BE WERE DEMOGRAPHIC HEAVY ON THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE WANT PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE DATA AND FILTER IT BASED
OFF WHAT THEY NEED SO WE KNOW THAT A YOUNG PERSON IN DORCHESTER, 14 YEARS OLD IS GOING TO NEED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN A 14 ON THE EAST BOSTON THE SAME WAY THAT WE KNOW THAT A 14 AND IN DORCHESTER IS GOING TO NEED
SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN A 25 YEAR OLD AND DORCHESTER. SO AGAIN WE WANTED TO PARTNERS NOT JUST TO USE OUR FINDINGS BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE DASHBOARD TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS ON WHAT DEMOGRAPHIC
THEY SERVE SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF YOUTH PROGRAMS IN THE CITY BUT THEY ALSO ARE DIFFERENT KIND OF POCKETS OF YOUNG PEOPLE. AND NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE WANTED TO DO WAS BREAK DOWN THE SILOS AND I'M SEEING THIS AS A LONG TIME EUPHORIA. WE KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES AND YOUTH WORK IS THE SILOS THAT EXIST SO WE
ALL STARTED THIS SAME YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEY GO TO BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THEY GO TO A, B, C I'VE SEEN AS THEY GO TO COMMUNITY PROGRAMS THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE OF PLAY BASKETBALL AND WE DON'T TALK TO EACH OTHER AS ADULTS. THE LACK OF COMMUNICATION IS
AMONGST US SO WE TOOK ON THE THE WORK TO REALLY BUILD A NETWORK AND THIS WAS TRUE FULLY TRANSPARENTLY IT WAS INSPIRED BY WHAT A LOT OF US MIGHT KNOW AS A YOUTH WORKERS ALLIANCE AS SOMEONE THAT GREW UP IN THAT I
WANTED TO REALLY TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. WE HAVE OVER 1900 YOUTH SERVING PROFESSIONALS REPRESENTING OVER 500 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS OUR NETWORK. WE COMMUNICATE WITH THEM VIA A
NEWSLETTER BUT ALSO MEET WITH THEM ON A BI MONTHLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HOST 2013 BI MONTHLY MEETINGS. WE GET ANYWHERE FROM 80 TO 100 PEOPLE AT THESE MEETINGS
CONSISTENTLY IT'S BEEN AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION EVERY SINGLE TIME THE LAST MEETING AND WE JUST HAD LAST MONTH HAD 120 PEOPLE IN IT AND AGAIN IT'S ABOUT BRINGING OUR PARTNERS TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL SERVING THE SAME
YOUNG PEOPLE OUR FULL CAPACITY AND AS PARTNERS BECAUSE YOU FERGUS COLLABORATIVE WORK I SAY IT ALL THE TIME AND IT'S ONLY DONE WELL WHEN WE'RE DOING A COLLABORATIVE MANNER AND WE
KNOW THAT THAT WAS AN ISSUE TOO AS YOU FARGO'S WE WOULD NOT KNOW NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO RUN PROGRAMING BUT THEN WE GOT TO BUILD THE CONNECTIONS, WE GOT TO BUILD THE SPACES. WE WANT TO MAKE THE JOB EASIER FOR YOU FOR OUR KIDS WHICH IS WHY WE TOOK ON THE
RESPONSIBILITY TO HOLD THESE SPACES WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO BUILD PARTNERSHIP. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AS A LONGTIME YOUTH WORKER, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS REALLY WHAT GAVE ME THE THE
KNOWLEDGE AND THE LANGUAGE TO BE ABLE TO SIT AT THESE TABLES SO WE KNOW THAT THERE'S NOT REALLY A COLLEGE DEGREE FOR YOUTH WORK. SO THESE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WAS REALLY CRUCIAL FOR ME AND THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I WANTED TO BRING
AND OFFER TO THE ADULTS THAT WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITY. IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO OFFER A 5055 FREE TRAINING SESSIONS
COURSES SINCE OCTOBER 2023 292 UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN TRAINED THROUGH OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WE'VE PARTNERED UP WITH OVER 20 PLUS TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS.
I KNOW ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS FOR ME AS A YOUTH WORKER WAS ONE FINDING THEM. SECOND WAS CONVINCING YOUR ORGANIZATION TO EVEN PAY FOR THEM AND THEN IF YOU DO CONVINCE THEM IT'S USUALLY ONE PERSON THAT CAN GO NOT EVERYBODY.
SO WE WANTED TO TACKLE ALL THREE OF THOSE HURDLES AND AGAIN THEY'RE ALL COMPLETELY FREE. WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SEND THEIR ENTIRE TEAMS TO THESE. WE HAVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SEND SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS BUT IT'S AS EASY AS FINDING THE TRAINING
THAT YOU WANT AND JUST SHOWING UP AND GETTING TRAINING THAT HOPEFULLY IS HELPING THE ADULTS IN THEIR FIELD ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS AS WELL. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO IN TERMS OF MY CLOSING
REMARKS AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT AND I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE IS THAT YOU KNOW, I'M A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU WELCOME A FAMILY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY AND YOU GIVE THEM RESOURCES. I'M ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS, THE
ONLY ONE THAT'S STILL LIVING HERE BUT THAT'S KIND OF MIGRATED TO FLORIDA. BUT I'M A DIE HARD BOSTONIAN AND IT'S BEEN AN HONOR FOR ME TO SERVE ON THIS CAPACITY.
I'M A BE KID A, B, C Y HAVE KID A HOLD MY KID BACKGROUND BEFORE THE SUCCESS THINK IT WAS IT WAS THE WHOLE BLAME ON THE WHOLE BLANKET I MET MY MENTOR OUT OF BC WHY I SAY HE'S BEEN MY MENTOR SINCE THEN AND I THINK
JUST ME SITTING HERE NEXT TO HIM TODAY IS A TO ME OF WHAT I ALWAYS SAY THAT SPACES AND RELATIONSHIPS AS WELL SAVED LIVES THE SPACES WE CREATE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY BUILD IN
THOSE SPACES IS WHAT SAVES LIVES. AND I THINK JUST ME BEING HERE NEXT TO MY MENTOR IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT AND WITH THEIR SUPPORT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE EVERY SINGLE YOUNG PERSON IN
THIS CITY WITH THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES THAT I WAS GIFTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY BECOME THRIVING YOUNG PEOPLE BUT ALSO THRIVING YOUNG ADULTS AS WELL TOO. SO I THANK YOU FOR THIS SPACE.
I THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE WORK AHEAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH DIRECTOR CRUZ THAT WAS TRULY AN INFORMATIVE AND INCREDIBLE PRESENTATION VERY ROBUST THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
I JUST LEARNED A LOT MYSELF JUST NOW SO REALLY THANK YOU. I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR BREADON AND COUNCILOR MURPHY BUT I'LL GO TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR ANY QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE.
WE'LL DO A SIX MINUTE ROUND FOR EVERYBODY COUNCILOR SANTANA, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU, CHAIR. LET US ABOUT A MINUTE. THANK YOU, CHIEF AND DIRECTOR
CRUZ FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I DON'T YOU KNOW NECESSARILY HAVE QUESTIONS WE YOU KNOW PEDRO YOU IN OUR TEAM WEARING CONTENT COMMUNICATION AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP YOU KNOW
THIS AUDIENCE BASE OF THAT RELATIONSHIP WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFORMATION I THINK THERE'S EVEN STUFF THERE THAT I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE ALL DOING. SO I REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE
IT AND WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO, YOU KNOW, YOUR AMAZING TEAM. I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A WORKHORSE OUT THERE OF JUST INCREDIBLE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE DOING SO MUCH FOR OUR CITY.
THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION FOR YOU OR FOR WHOEVER WANTS TO ANSWER IS WHAT IS CALLED DEFINED AS OFFICE MEAN. YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU TOUCHED ON YOUR PERSONAL STORIES BUT I
GUESS AS AN OFFICE WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR IF YOU DON'T FOR THE CITY FIVE, TEN, 20 YEARS FROM NOW AGAIN, I'M SURE THAT WE KNOW THAT THIS OFFICE WILL, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO LIVE OUT ITS FULL DREAM.
AND I THINK NOW NOW I'M ASKING QUESTIONS TIME I HAD YOU KNOW HOW HOW DO YOU SEE IT CHANGING OVER TIME RIGHT WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE GOALS THERE TO SO THE
FIRST THING I'LL SHARE IS FIRST I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT AND ALL OF THAT. I THINK THE WAY I WOULD ANSWER THAT IS THAT YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ALREADY A LOT OF OFFICES IN THE CITY THAT SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEY'RE DOING AMAZING WORK.
I KNOW THAT OUR COLLEAGUES FAMILIES ARE HERE TO SERVE LGBTQ YOUTH AND THEN YOU KNOW, WE KNOW BLACK MEN ADVANCEMENT SERVES YOUTH AS WELL TO THE IMMIGRANT ADVANCEMENT TO SERVE
YOUNG PEOPLE TOO. I THINK WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT AND WHAT MAKE IT WHAT MAKES US IMPORTANT IS THAT WE SERVE IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD DOESN'T MATTER WHAT LIFESTYLE IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH ALL THOSE
OTHER OFFICERS BUT I TWO BOXES TO CHECK I LITERALLY ARE YOU 14 AND 25 AND DO YOU LIVE IN THE CITY AND THAT'S OUR ENTIRE DEMOGRAPHIC RIGHT THERE TOO. AND I THINK THE IMPORTANT PART OF THAT AND I'M SPEAKING FROM SOMEONE WHO'S A LIFETIME
LIFELONG YOUTH WORKER LITERALLY WAS STARTED OFF AS A SUMMER JOB AND THE WHOLE THING HAS BECOME MY CAREER. IT'S ALL I'VE KNOWN TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. AND I THINK FOR ME THE IMPORTANT PART IS THAT I WANT TO BECOME THE I WANT THIS
OFFICE TO BE THE GO TO PLACE FOR ANYBODY THAT'S SERVING YOUNG PEOPLE AND WHETHER IT'S EYES CONNECTING YOU TO THE CORRECT OFFICES OR CONNECTING YOU TO THE RIGHT RESOURCES, IT'S ABOUT SUPPORTING EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR THAT'S OUT THERE THAT'S SERVING YOUNG PEOPLE AND
THAT'S WHAT THAT THAT'S WHAT THIS OFFICE IS REALLY LOOKING TO BECOME AND TO CONTINUE BEING IS THAT AS I GO TO PARTNER IN THE CITY IT'S OUR WAY WE WANT TO BE THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE
CITY AND THE AND THE COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING YOUNG PEOPLE. AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE FUTURE OF THIS OFFICE IS CONTINUING TO GROW AND EVERYTHING WE'VE SHARED TODAY IS WHAT WE'VE DONE TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT THIS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN TEN YEARS FROM NOW. YOU KNOW, AND I THINK WE HAVE A STRONG HOLD ON THAT 14 TO 1814 AND 19 YEAR OLD POPULATION STRATEGICALLY WE JUST MET WITH MY TEAM AND WE'RE GOING TO BE
FOCUSING ON THAT 19 TO 25 YEAR OLD POPULATION NOW BECAUSE I THINK TRADITIONALLY AND YOU FORGET IT'S ALL ABOUT IN THE PAST IS ALWAYS 1418. THAT'S THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO
LOOK AT AUGUST 14 TO 18 BUT I THINK NOT JUST FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS WHICH I'M SURE WE ALL KNOW BUT YOUNG PEOPLE NEED SUPPORT WAY PAST THAT IS NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING THEM OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GETTING THEM INTO COLLEGE OR WORKFORCE
BUT IT'S ABOUT SUPPORTING THEM THROUGHOUT THAT JOURNEY EVEN STILL SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DO IN THE FUTURE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SERVING NOT JUST A 1418 YEAR OLD POPULATION BUT THAT 19
AND 25 BECAUSE WE REALLY DO LOOK AT IT AS THOSE TWO SEPARATE BUCKETS RIGHT OFF FOR 24 YOU ALWAYS GOING TO NEED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN A 14 YEAR OLD AND THAT'S REALLY OUR GOAL. THAT'S REALLY OUR GOAL IS TO BE
THE GO TO PERSON, THE GO TO TEAM WHEN IT COMES TO YOUTH WORK AND TO BE THE ONES THAT ARE COORDINATED AND THEY'RE ON A QUARTERBACK LEVEL AND A COACH LEVEL. WE'RE ALONG WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS EXTERNAL
INTERNAL PARTNERS AND ALL THAT . I HOPE THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. NO, ABSOLUTELY NO. AGAIN, THANK YOU CHIEF MARSHALL, DIRECTOR CRUZ FOR BEING HERE. YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO GIVE
OUT ANOTHER SHOUT OUT TO MY CITYWIDE YOUTH COUNCIL AS WELL AS YOUTH FORCES FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER. I WOULD BE REMISS YOU KNOW I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT MENTORS. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SHOUT OUT ONE OF MY MENTORS,
MARIA DOMINGUEZ WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PHILLIPS BROOKS HOUSE ASSOCIATION WHICH I AM A PRODUCT OF AND WHERE I FIRST GOT MY FIRST JOB HERE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. SO I WANT TO GIVE HER AND THE ORGANIZATION A SHOUT OUT.
I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS CHAIR. YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR YOUTH DESERVE THIS AND EVERYTHING AND ALL THE INVESTMENTS THAT COME FROM THIS OFFICE. THANK YOU. NO MORE QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SANTANA, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP IN THIS. YOU'VE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB IN YOUR TIME AS AT LARGE AND JUST BE SO AGAIN THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP. I LOVE TALKING ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CHIEF AND
SEEING THAT THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT. I TOOK A PICTURE OF IT. I'M GOING TO SEND IT TO YOU ALL DOWN TO SANTANA SHOUT OUT HIS MENTOR JUST SPEAKS AGAIN TO THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP COUNSELOR FLYNN HAS LEFT US SO WE'LL GO TO COUNSELOR FITZGERALD AND
THEN COUNSELOR BREADON THANK YOU CHIEF. FIRST FANTASTIC PRESENTATION. RIGHT. AND JUST IN TERMS OF ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO IN THIS TOO MUCH, I WANT TO THANK YOU AND
ABILITY TO SELECT WONDERFUL INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THIS. PEDRO YOU KNOW I HOLD YOU IN HIGH REGARD BOTH PROFESSIONALLY AND PERSONALLY IN THE WORK THAT YOU AND DEPUTY CHIEF OR DEPUTY
DIRECTOR LINDSAY BOUCHER DOES AS WELL. THERE'S NO TWO BETTER PEOPLE TO LEAD THIS UP. SO YOU KNOW, CHIEF, I OWE YOU A THANKS FOR THAT AND YOU KNOW I
DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AGAIN, WE TALK A LOT AND WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS WORK IS. I THINK I SAID IT IN MY OPENING STATEMENT SO I HOPE THAT IN CODIFYING THIS OFFICE IT CAN
ONLY ENSURE THAT THE YOUTH OF THE CITY OF BOSTON FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES AS THE PERSON NEXT DOOR. RIGHT. AND THAT'S ALL WE'RE GOING TO ASK FOR AND AND I THINK THAT'S
HOW THAT'S FAIR AND HOW IT SHOULD BE AND SO JUST FANTASTIC WORK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO VOTING TO MAKE THIS AN ALL THAT'S THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU COUNCILOR FITZGERALD, COUNCILOR BRETON AND THEN COUNCILOR MURPHY, THANK YOU.
GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH. I I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS. ONE IS IN TERMS OF THE UNDER ON CHARGE, YOU KNOW, THE BOSTON
CENTERS FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES AND THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT HOW DID THOSE TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS ENTER INTO ENGAGE WITH EACH OTHER?
YES, I WOULD START OFF SO WE WORK CLOSELY. WE WE REALLY ARE UNDER CHIEF'S LEADERSHIP. WE REALLY ARE ENCOURAGED ALWAYS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH ALL OTHER OFFICERS ON THE HUMAN SERVICES
BUT SPECIFICALLY WILL BE CYF. I'LL GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE THE BOSTON AFTER DARK INITIATIVE THEY DON'T US TO HOSTED. THEY GAVE US THE SPACES AND WE PROVIDED THE PROGRAMING SO WE WORKED CLOSELY THROUGHOUT THE
SUMMERS IN TERMS OF BRINGING PROGRAMING TO ALL THESE DIFFERENT SITES. YOU KNOW WE MEET WITH THEIR THE SIDES KIND OF RAISE THEIR HANDS OR WHO WANTS TO BE A PARTNER AND WE HOST EVENTS ACROSS ALL THEIR OTHER SPACES.
WE ALSO WORK CLOSELY WITH THEM IN TERMS OF EVEN THE MAYOR'S YOUTH SUMMIT. WE INVITE THEM TO ALL OF OUR SUMMITS AND WE MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE SITES HAVE KNOW ABOUT THESE EVENTS AND RESOURCES THAT YOU FLY ON WHICH IS OUR RESOURCE HOW WE MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR STAFF ALL KNOW THAT THIS RESOURCE IS DUE TO REALIZE THEY'RE SERVING YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT THEY KNOW THEY CAN REFER THEM TO US IF THEY NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AND WE EVEN HOST FOCUS GROUPS
FOR THE MAYOR'S YOUTH SUMMIT AT SOME OF THESE SITES TOO. SO AGAIN, IT'S REALLY JUST WE CONTINUOUSLY ARE ASKING THE QUESTION WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TOGETHER? BUT THOSE ARE JUST SOME SOME EXAMPLES OF ON HOW WE WORK
TOGETHER AND EVEN WITH OUR PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROGRAM WE JUST FUNDED THE THE CREATION OF A MEDIA TECH CENTER AT THE TOBIN COMMUNITY CENTER TOO.
SO THEY'VE ALSO BEEN IMPACTED BY THAT PROGRAMING AS WELL. OKAY. I WAS JUST WONDERING BECAUSE WE SEEM TO BE IN A VERY DIFFICULT POSITION IN ALLSTON BRIGHTON FOR OUR YOUTH PROGRAMING.
SO HOW MANY YOUTH WORKERS DO DO HAVE OUT AND ALLSTON BRIGHTON DISTRICT NINE ACCORDING FROM OBVIOUSLY ENGAGEMENT ADVANCEMENT OR YEAH YEAH YEAH
SO SO IN TERMS OF YOUTH WORKERS WE DON'T HAVE YOUTH WORKERS THAT ARE NECESSARILY OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE WORK WITH THE YOUTH WORKERS, THEY'RE ALL IN THE COMMUNITY SO WE DON'T HAVE WE VERY FEW LIKE
WE HAVE VERY FEW WE I THINK WE GOT BE HUGE TO HIRE SOMEBODY THIS SUMMER WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO WORKS PART TIME AT FANEUIL
GARDENS UM I YOUTH DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THESE SERVICES TO THE EXTENT THAT I WOULD EXPECTED THEY WERE SO I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT HOW HOW IS THAT HOW DOES
THAT WORK OUT AND IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF KIDS WHO AREN'T GETTING SERVICES YEAH BUT I MEAN I KNOW WESTERN HOUSE IS ALSO ACTIVELY ENGAGED LIKE A NETWORK PROGRAMING BUT I WOULD
ENCOURAGE COUNCILOR IT'S LIKE IF YOU DO HAVE ACCESS TO ANY OF THE YOUTH WORKERS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE COMMUNITY IF THEY ARE NOT ALREADY ENGAGED WITH THE NETWORK PROGRAMING THAT DIRECTOR CREWS HAVE
MENTIONED YOU KNOW THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU KNOW, SEND THEM THEIR WAY SO THEY AT LEAST HAVE SOME COHESION THERE. WHAT THEY'RE ALSO ABLE TO DO TOO WITH ALONG WITH THE NEWSLETTERS IS UPLIFT ANY
PROGRAMING OR EVENTS OR ACTIVITIES THAT DO TAKE PLACE AND THEY ALSO BRINGING IN NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THAT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO AMPLIFY IT, GET IT OUT TO THE YOUTH POPULATION. SO AT THESE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THAT COMMUNITY CAN ACTUALLY HAVE ACCESS TO IT OR
ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT IT AND WE COULD DEFINITELY BE MINDFUL I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DID THIS PAST SUMMER IN REGARDS TO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FOR BOSTON OUT TO DANCE BUT FOR FUTURE YEARS AND FUTURE SUMMERS WE COULD ACTUALLY BE MODEL IN COORDINATION WITH YOU AND YOUR
TEAM IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET SOME ACTIVATION PROGRAMING THERE AS WELL. YEAH WHAT I WOULD ADD IS THAT WE DID BRING BOSTON AFTER DARK PROGRAMING IN COLLABORATION WITH YMCA OVER THERE TOO AND
MOST RECENTLY I WILL SAY THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN I'VE BEEN ON OUR RADAR AND IT'S BEEN BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION AND COMMISSIONER RIVERA FROM B CYF AND MYSELF I ACTUALLY MOST RECENTLY MET WITH THE COMMUNITY COALITION THAT GOT PUT TOGETHER
TO BRING MORE YOUTH PROGRAMING OVER THERE. I CAN DEFINITELY GET BACK TO YOU WITH THE NAME OF THE COALITION JUST TO BE SPECIFIC BUT IT'S MADE UP OF A LOT OF COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ALSO I'M FAMILIAR WITH THAT THE
REASON WE HAD TO DO IT IS BECAUSE WE DON'T WE HAD WE HAD WE HAD KIDS DAY LAST SUMMER AND THAT'S THAT'S UNUSUAL FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH INCREASED GUN
VIOLENCE AND THINGS SO YEAH SO I'D REALLY BE INTERESTED IN ENGAGING MUCH MORE WITH WITH YOUR PROGRAM AND YOUR DEPARTMENT, YOUR OFFICE AND SEE
HOW WE CAN GET EVERYONE TO WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF SILOS THAT STILL DON'T SEEM TO BE TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND IN THE MEANTIME WE HAVE GOT I THINK THE YMCA DOES DOES A GOOD
I THINK ARE THE WEST END HOUSE DOES AN INCREDIBLE JOB BUT EVEN EVEN SO WE'RE STILL NOT SERVING ALL THE KIDS THAT NEED SERVICES AND HELP AND SUPPORT AND ENGAGEMENT IN ALLSTON.
BRIGHTON YEAH NO I DEFINITELY WELCOME MORE CONVERSATIONS. AS I MENTIONED I'M WE'VE STARTED THOSE CONVERSATIONS RECENTLY AND I'M DEFINITELY LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY ABOUT IT A FULL CAPACITY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU COUNSELOR BRENNAN COUNCILOR MURPHY THANK YOU. UM THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. PEDRO I JUST WANT TO START BY
SAYING I MUST THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BRINGING YOUR TRUE SELF, YOUR ENERGY, YOUR PASSION AND YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE AND IT
JUST SHOWS THAT YOU ARE PAYING IT FORWARD NOT THAT YOU NEEDED TO BUT YOU REMEMBER LIKE ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO YOU AND IT WAS MAKING ME REALIZE SOMETHING I OFTEN THINK ABOUT LIKE IF YOU
ARE LUCKY ENOUGH IN LIFE TO HAVE AN ADULT, A MENTOR, A COACH, SOMEONE WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU CHEERING, YOU ON A TEACHER, YOU KNOW SOMEONE MAYBE OUTSIDE OF YOUR FAMILY LIKE OUR
KIDS NEED A LOT MORE LIKE THAT WHOLE CLICHE ABOUT IT TAKES A VILLAGE. IT REALLY DOES AND YOU ARE THE CITY OF BOSTON DO BETTER FOR OUR YOUTH. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO.
AND THAT BEING SAID, THANK YOU ALSO FOR AND I READ IT COMES FROM YOUR LEADERSHIP YOU KNOW JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE REALLY FOCUS IN ON OUR 19 TO 25 YEAR
OLD KIDS. I KNOW AS A MOM, YOU KNOW A TEACHER WHERE OFTENTIMES IT'S THAT AGE GROUP, RIGHT? MAYBE HIGH SCHOOL WAS TOUGH. MAYBE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITIES OR YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST LIFE GOT IN THE WAY. THEY DIDN'T GO OFF TO COLLEGE. I KNOW PARENTS OFTEN FEEL THAT STRESS IF THEIR KIDS AREN'T ON THAT STRAIGHT TRAJECTORY THAT
WE OFTEN THINK MYSELF AS A MOM WITH MY CHILDREN SOME KIND OF WENT THAT STRAIGHT PATH THAT YOU ASSUME IS GOING TO HAPPEN. HIGH SCHOOL WAS FINE. THEY DID WELL. THEY WENT OFF TO COLLEGE, THEY GOT A JOB BUT I HAVE MY OWN
KIDS WHERE THAT WASN'T THE PATH AND I THINK THE FAMILIES AND I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE KIDS, IT'S THE FAMILIES THAT ALSO NEED THE SUPPORT. HOW DO WE CONTINUE RALLY AND
NOT GIVE UP RIGHT AND NOT KIND OF CUT IT OFF SAYING WELL, YOU'RE AN ADULT NOW FIGURE IT OUT BECAUSE WE ALWAYS NEED PEOPLE TO HELP US WHEN WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FIGURE IT OUT
OURSELVES. SO HOWEVER MYSELF, MY OFFICE ON ,THIS BODY CAN CONTINUE TO HELP EXPAND THOSE SUPPORTS. I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND JUST I KNOW
THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND WORKERS HERE BUT IT ALSO JUST SHOWS THAT YOU WORK WITH ALL DEPARTMENTS RIGHT ? IT'S ALMOST LIKE EVERY CITY DEPARTMENT IS AN ALLY AND YOU
DO SO WELL MAKING SURE THAT YOU WORK ALONGSIDE THEM TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SHOWING UP FOR OUR KIDS IF IT'S COMMUNITY POLICING ,YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. I WILL JUST KIND OF READ IN THE
STATEMENT THAT I HAVE JUST TO SAY HOW MUCH IN SUPPORT I AM OF THIS AND THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS WHO BROUGHT THIS FORWARD. I PROUDLY SUPPORT THE ORDINANCE CODIFYING THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT
SINCE ITS CREATION THIS OFFICE HAS BEEN A VITAL BRIDGE CONNECTING BOSTON'S YOUNG PEOPLE TO RESOURCES, LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AND PATHWAYS TO CIVIC ENGAGEMENT BY FORMALLY
ESTABLISHING IT IN A CITY CODE WE ARE MAKING A LONG TERM COMMITMENT TO ENSURE THAT YOUTH VOICES REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF OUR CITY'S DECISION MAKING. AS SOMEONE WHO SPENT 24 YEARS
AS A BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW POWERFUL IT IS WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE ARE EMPOWERED TO LEAD, TO ADVOCATE AND TO BELIEVE THEIR IDEAS MATTER. OUR YOUTH DESERVE A SEAT AT THE
TABLE NOT JUST TODAY BUT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. CODIFYING THIS OFFICE MEANS CREATING STABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT GIVE OUR YOUTH ACCESS TO MENTORSHIP, WORKFORCE TRAINING
AFTER HOURS PROGRAMING AND THE CHANCE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE OF THEIR CITY. I'LL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR EVERY INITIATIVE THAT INVESTS IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, BUILDS THEIR CONFIDENCE AND KEEPS THEM SAFE, ENGAGED AND INSPIRED TO
LEAD. SO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. AND NOW I CAN SAY MY CHILDREN ARE ADULTS BUT I HAVE A ONE WEEK OLD BOSTONIAN RESIDENT GRANDSON WHO I KNOW WILL
HOPEFULLY LIKE MYSELF WILL BE LEARNING HOW TO SWIM A COMMUNITY CENTER, GOING TO SUMMER CAMPS, PLAYING AT THE PARKS AND BEING A KID ONE DAY NOT TOO SOON. WELL LET HIM BE A BABY FIRST
BUT JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNSELOR MURPHY AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR GRANDCHILD. I'LL GIVE MYSELF 6 MINUTES JUST
ON THE OUTSET SUPPORT THIS. REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO DIVING INTO THE DETAILS. WE DID GET BACK SOME CHANGES WHICH ARE UNDERSTANDABLE. WE'RE GETTING LESS PRESCRIPTIVE ABOUT WHAT THE DUTIES ARE AND
WHAT THE OFFICE WILL DO TO SEEING THAT WITHIN THE LAST TWO YEARS YOU ALL HAVE DONE SO MUCH WE DON'T WANT TO CONSTRICT YOU IN ANY WAY ESPECIALLY IF YOU WANT TO KEEP GROWING IN THE WAY IN WHICH YOU HAVE.
SO I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND CASTING A WIDE NET HERE AND SUPPORT MY COLLEAGUE AND THE CO-SPONSORS AND PUSHING THIS FORWARD EXPEDITIOUSLY. GIVEN ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE IN THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS,
I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW YOUR BUDGET HAS CHANGED LIKE WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET NOW AND IT'S OKAY IF YOU HAVE THESE ANSWERS RIGHT NOW YOU CAN ALWAYS GET BACK TO US. BUT IN THE LAST TWO YEARS WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
FBI 23 BUDGET AND FBI 25 LIKE HOW HAVE YOU DONE ALL OF THIS WITH WHAT THE CITY HAS PROVIDED FOR YOU? YEAH, I'LL BE HONEST IT DIDN'T CHANGE PLAYING WITH YOU HASN'T CHANGED MUCH. MY I THINK WENT ON ONE OF THE
BIGGEST GIFTS IS THAT I WAS ABLE TO LEVERAGE RELATIONSHIPS REALLY AND I THINK IT'S ABOUT THAT. IT'S ABOUT REALLY WORKING TOGETHER. YOU KNOW OUR PARTNER NETWORK ALL WE PAY FOR IS THE BREAKFAST
AND THE PARTNERS SHOW UP. YOU KNOW THERE'S REALLY LOW COST AND WE GET 80 TO 100 INDIVIDUALS PER MEAT AND RIGHT IN TERMS OF THE MAYOR'S YOU SAW THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK WITH CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
CUMMINS FOUNDATION THIS YEAR AND HIGHLAND STREET FOUNDATION AND THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO SUPPORT A LOT OF WHAT WE DO WITH THAT. SO AND JUST TO PUT IT IN PLAIN ENGLISH REALLY I THINK IT'S
BEEN PARTNERSHIPS YOU KNOW OUTSIDE OF OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR ALONE THIS YEAR I'VE BEEN ABLE TO RAISE TWO RELATIONSHIP CLOSE TO $200,000 ON EXTERNAL FUNDING FOR THE FOR THE STUFF THAT WE
DO IN TERMS OF BCI WHEN WE COLLABORATE WITH THEM AROUND BOSTON AFTER DARK IT WAS ABOUT REALLY MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF OUT OF LINE, YOU KNOW AND I THINK YOU KNOW ME COMING FROM A
NONPROFIT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRAINED TO DO WAS ALWAYS DOING, YOU KNOW, HIGH IMPACT WITH LITTLE RESOURCES OR AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE. I BROUGHT THAT SAME MENTALITY
INTO THE CITY AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE BUDGET THAT WE GET AND WE STOP THERE. WE GET RIGHT TO WORK. I ALWAYS LOOK AT THAT BUDGET LIKE IT'S OUR STARTING POINT AND THEN IT'S ABOUT LEVERAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS YOU KNOW EVEN FOR BOSTON AFTER DARK WE'VE
WORKED CLOSELY WITH SHAKE SHACK WHO FUNDED SOME OF THE FOOD AND BROTH FREE BURGERS. SO I THINK IT'S THAT SPIRIT OF REALLY COLLABORATION THAT HAS HELPED US GET EVERYTHING WHERE WE ARE TODAY AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT, ALTHOUGH WE DO SET ASIDE SOME OF OUR OPERATIONS BUDGET ASIDE FOR THAT FUNDING, IT'S ALSO ABOUT PARTNERS WHO DO TRAININGS FOR FREE BECAUSE THEY KNOW HOW THE IMPACT THAT IT BRINGS.
SO AGAIN I JUST REALLY WANT TO LEAN IN THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE'VE DONE IT'S ABOUT COLLABORATION, ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS AND THAT WAS REALLY ALLOWED US TO HAVE THE IMPACT THAT WE'VE HAD. THAT'S REALLY GREAT ENOUGH TO
SHARE THAT THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT YEAR AFTER YEAR AS IS DIRECTOR CRUZ THAT SHARED LIKE WHEN HE FIRST STARTED IT WAS HIM REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE THINGS OUT BUT WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE SOME INVESTMENTS IN TERMS OF AS FAR
AS EMPLOYEE GROWTH AND SO FORTH STAFF POPULATION CHANGING SOME OF THE THE PART TIME TO FULL TIME OR LIKE THE THE OTHER POSITIONS LIKE MORE FULL TIME
POSITIONS THAT ARE SEASONAL AS WELL WHATEVER SO LIKE THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE INVESTMENT FROM CITY SIDE AND THAT HAS ALLOWED HIM TO BE ABLE TO GROW TO WHERE HE IS TODAY AS WELL. SO ON TOP OF THE PARTNERSHIPS AND EVERYTHING ELSE LIKE YOU MENTIONED EXCELLENT AND SUPER CREATIVE WITH THE PARTNERSHIPS
THAT YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO TO SECURE AND WORKING WITH THE YMCA AND ALL OF THAT AND OBVIOUSLY WITH OUR B SO I F AND BPP'S COLLEAGUES WHAT ARE THE SO THE YOUTH Y AS YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT I LOOKED IT UP
MYSELF THE YOUTH LINE RESOURCE BOSTON SPEAKS ARE YOUTH SPEAKS RATHER INCREDIBLE. HOW ARE WE MAKING SURE I GUESS A WAY TO FRAME THIS IS HOW ARE YOU UTILIZING THE RELATIONSHIPS
THAT YOU HAVE IN THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU HAVE TO GET THIS OUT THERE TO KIDS LIKE HOW ARE HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS IF THEIR FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH UNFORTUNATELY AN EVICTION OR
THEY'RE GOING THROUGH AN IMMIGRATION STATUS CRISIS LIKE DO YOU HAVE LEGAL RESOURCES HERE FOR THEM AND THAT'S AWESOME. SO HOW ARE YOU JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING THIS IN FRONT OF OUR YOUTH AND SO YEAH, ONE OF OUR STRONGEST POINTS IS OUR PARTNER NETWORK.
TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO NOT ONLY BUILD THE ECOSYSTEM OUR BUT I FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A PLACE WHERE WE OWN IT RIGHT NOW TO BE HONEST WITH YOU AND I SAY THAT HUMBLY YOU KNOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH OUR PARTNERS CONSISTENTLY THROUGH
NEWSLETTERS DOWNSTAIRS 1900 PLUS INDIVIDUALS. WE HAD THEM ON A NEWSLETTER THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM. SO EVERYTHING WE SHARE IS RESOURCES, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES . WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS
OF EVEN RIGHT NOW BUILDING ALL YEAH A PARTNER TOOLKIT THAT HAS A LIST. MY MY TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY TO CREATE AN EXCEL SHEET OF ALL THE GRANTS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT WE'VE BEEN SEARCHING THROUGH TO MAKE SURE WE CENTRALIZE AND PUT THEM ALL
IN ONE PLACE. OUR PDS, THE YOUTHLINE RESOURCES AND REALLY CREATE IN THIS ONE GO TO TOOLKIT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO GIVE ALL TO OUR PARTNERS SO THAT AGAIN INSTEAD NAVIGATING 40 DIFFERENT WEBSITES IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT
OF THEM. IT'S ALL ABOUT VISIBILITY AND THEN WE MEET WITH THEM BI MONTHLY. SO WE PRESENTED THE U SPEAKS FINDINGS AT OUR LAST MEETING THAT WE HAD OVER 120 PEOPLE AND
SO THAT'S AS YOU TALK TO A ROOM 120 THEY GO BACK OUT TO THE COMMUNITIES AND SHARE WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES AND WE'RE SHARING IT. WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING PRESENTATIONS ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS SO WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING PRESENTATIONS.
WE'RE EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND IT'S REALLY ABOUT TAKING THE SHOW ON THE ROAD AND MAKING SURE THAT WE DO WHATEVER IT IS THAT WE NEED TO DO. WE SHARE IT ON OUR NEWSLETTERS. OUR COMMS TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING TREMENDOUSLY TO SHARE OUR
FINDINGS ON A WEEKLY BASIS SO IT'S ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO BE HONEST IT IS EVERYTHING FROM MY COMMS TO OUR PARTNER MEETINGS TO DOING PRESENTATIONS TO WORKING INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY. WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
GET OUT THERE AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP DOING THAT FOR THE NEXT HOWEVER LONG I'M IN THIS SEAT AND IT SHOULD REALLY BE MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW AND I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU THERE WAS LIKE EVEN WHEN I JOINED THE CITY THERE WAS RESOURCES I DIDN'T
KNOW EXISTED UNTIL I GOT HERE AND MY GOAL DAY ONE HAS BEEN HOW DO WE MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES IN THE CITY AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR PARTNERS KNOW THEY EXIST .
AND AGAIN, ONE OF OUR GOALS EVEN STRATEGICALLY WE JUST DID A STRATEGIC PLAN AND WITH MY TEAM AND ONE OF OUR GOALS FOR THE YOUTHLINE IS TO MAKE IT A HOUSEHOLD AND WE'VE SAID THAT VERBATIM AND WE WANT TO MAKE IT A HOUSEHOLD NAME AND WE WANT
NOT JUST PARTNERS BUT FAMILY MEMBERS YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THEMSELVES TO KNOW THAT IF THEY WANT RESOURCES IT'S AS EASY AS GOING TO OUR WEBSITE AND OR CALLING US SO THAT WE CAN YOU KNOW PUT A PUT PUTTING US TO WORK. SO THAT'S OUR GOAL MOVING
FORWARD IS TO CONTINUE DOING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AND TAKING UP AS MUCH SPACE AND WHATEVER ROOMS WE WALK INTO TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOW WE EXIST AND THAT WE'RE HERE TO SERVE THEM THAT'S GREAT. AND I HAVE I HAVE ONE LAST
QUESTION OR MAYBE A SUGGESTION MOVING FORWARD. I LOVE THE THE EXAMPLE THAT YOU GAVE OF GIVING SOMEONE A GAME CONTROL AND JUST SAYING PLAY WITH THIS AND IT'S NOT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, PLUGGED IN. IT'S NOT REALLY ANYTHING IT
DOESN'T FORMALIZE ANY SORT OF ROLE. WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE BUNKER HILL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND BACK IN CHARLESTOWN AND WE KNEW THAT THIS WOULD BE A PROJECT THAT WOULD LAST FOR
DECADES WE THERE'S A TURN IT AROUND GROUP THERE IN CHARLESTOWN AND SO WE HAD ASKED FOR THEN THE BOSTON PLANNING DEVELOPMENT AGENCY TO EMBED A YOUTH AGC THERE SO THAT THEY
HAVE OWNERSHIP OVER WHAT IS BEING BUILT IN WHERE THEY WOULD BE LIVING FOR THE NEXT YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY GENERATION AND EVEN GENERATIONS AFTER THAT. SO THERE'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER FORMALIZING THESE
ROLES, MAKING SURE THAT THEY ARE SITTING AT THE TABLES THAT THEY DESERVE TO BE SITTING OUT WITH ADULTS. THE MY LAST QUESTION JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ON THE GROUND YOU'RE HEARING FROM KIDS EVERY SINGLE DAY, WHAT IS THE NEXT
BIG CHALLENGE THAT THEY WANT US TO TACKLE LIKE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS OF YOU KNOW, WHERE TO PUT OUR RESOURCES AND WHAT WE SHOULD INVEST IN ACCORDING TO THEM WHAT IS THE NEXT BIG THING THAT WE ALL
SHOULD BE WORKING ON? THE HONESTLY I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU DEFINITELY TO LOOK DEEPER INTO THE YOUTH SPEAKS BY SAYING BECAUSE IT SHOWS OUR FINDINGS ARE REALLY THE MAIN THINGS BUT I THINK ONE OF THE ONES THAT WE THAT THE OUT AT LEAST TO ME IS
NOT GOING TO BE A SURPRISE TO ANYBODY HERE IS ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. THANK YOU VERY WELL.
OKAY THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR BEING HERE AND FOR YOUR WORK. I THINK WE ARE GOOD FOR THIS ROUND SO YOU ALL ARE FREE TO GO. WE'LL HAVE OUR NEXT PANEL AND JUST APPRECIATE YOUR WORK. WE'LL BE IN TOUCH ON THE EXACT
LANGUAGE BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD ON ANY SORT OF ORDINANCE. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. NEXT UP HAVE THE COMMUNITY PANEL WHICH THE LIST I DON'T
HAVE IN FRONT OF ME. I APOLOGIZE. OKAY. WE HAVE CAMILA ROJAS PINERO FROM BEAT THE ODDS. IF YOU WANT TO COME DOWN AND
TAKE A SEAT HERE IN THE CHAMBER, CAROLINE SCOTTO FROM THE SOCCER UNITY PROJECT AND MICHAEL DOWNEY CAREER PATHWAYS COACH AND YOU'VE GOT BOSTON BUT
ACTUALLY AS THEY ARE MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN IN THIS TRANSITION, WELL WE'LL PIVOT TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
WELCOME WELCOME. YEAH IS RIGHT NOW OKAY ACTUALLY
YEAH ALL RIGHT SO WE'LL START WITH TRACY I APOLOGIZE IF I SEE YOUR NAME WRONG LUNGELO FROM THE PHC AND THEN WE HAVE SHAUN
BROWN FROM YOUTH GOT INTO BECOMING A MAN KENDALL THEN ALLEN FROM BECOMING A MAN AND THEN WE'LL END WITH ANDRE BROWN FROM DA TRACY.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO APPROACH THE MIKE JUST STATE YOUR NAME AND THEN YOUR AFFILIATION YOUR 2 MINUTES. THANK YOU. HI EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS TRACY LUNGELO. I'M A YOUTH ELEMENT SPECIALIST FOR THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
I'M IN THE THE CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DIVISION BUREAU AND THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT NETWORK IS A PARTNER AT BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE ARE THREE SCHOOLS AND WE WORK WITH STUDENTS AROUND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST OFF THANK I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST OFF THANK EVERYBODY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK BEFORE YOU ABOUT OH YEAH AND THE VALUE OF THE OFFICE PROVIDES TO THE CITY OF BOSTON FIRST OH YEAH
HOSTED HOST A BI MONTHLY MEETINGS AND WITH PARTNERS THAT WE ACTUALLY ATTEND MY PROGRAM ACTUALLY ATTENDS THESE MONTHLY BI MONTHLY MEETINGS THEY HAVE CREATED A SPACE AND OPPORTUNITY
FOR FOR ANY AND ALL YOUTH SERVING CITY OF BOSTON DEPARTMENTS, AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS TO COME TOGETHER TO MEET NETWORK LEARN, HEAR ABOUT THE CITY, HEAR ABOUT WHAT
THEY HAVE DONE WITHIN THE CITY FOR THE YOUTH ALL THESE MEETINGS THEY THEY ALSO SHARE ABOUT NEW OPPORTUNITIES EVENTS FOR YOUTH HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT THEY ARE DOING THROUGHOUT
THE CITY, PROVIDE SPACE TO SPOTLIGHT AND UPLIFT THE WORK OF OUR PARTNERS ALSO ALSO ALL YEAR ALSO PROVIDES MONTHLY
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES SO ALL PARTNERS TO HELP SUPPORT ENHANCE THE SKILLS WE HAVE THE VITAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY PROVIDE
HAVE BEEN ESSENTIAL TO THE WORK THAT I CURRENTLY DO. FOR EXAMPLE EARLIER THIS YEAR WE WERE ALSO WE WERE ABLE TO BE CERTIFIED IN MENTAL HEALTH AND
YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TO HELP SUPPORT ANY CHILD WHO'S HAVING A WHO'S HAVING A CHALLENGING ISSUE AND TIME. SO THIS WAS VERY CRITICAL AND VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE WORK
THAT WE DO ALSO THEY FOSTER COLLABORATIONS AMONG CITY PARTNERS HAWAII HAS ALSO HAS ALSO TABLED AD BOS AS ALSO TABLED AT BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH
COMMISSION EVENTS. OUR PROGRAM HAS ALSO ABLE TO SUPPORT SOME OF SOME OF THEIR INITIATIVES AT PARTNERS AT OUR PARTNER SCHOOL SUCH AS YOUTH LEAD. THE CHANGE ALSO FINALLY OIC HAS
REVIVED ALLIES TO ME AS YOU SUMMIT WHICH I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT BECAUSE I REMEMBER PARTICIPATING IN THE SUMMIT WHEN I WAS A FORMER YOUTH WORKER FOR BOSTON FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES AND BEING ABLE TO
ENGAGE AND HAVE OUR STUDENTS ENGAGE AND OUR YOUTH ENGAGED IN THAT TYPE OF PROGRAMING WHICH THEY REALLY BENEFITED FROM AND OUR STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM THAT AS WELL MOVING FORWARD THEY'VE ALSO
CREATED SPACE OUR YOUTH AT THE NIGHT AT NIGHTLIFE THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THE YOUTH ARE THE YOUTH I CURRENTLY WORK WITH LOOK FORWARD TO THESE EVENTS WITHIN THE CITY THEY LOVE COMING OUT. THEY'VE ACTUALLY MET CITY
COUNCILOR FONTANA AT AT THE YOUTH AT THE MAYOR'S YOUTH SUMMIT AND CLOSING. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONVEY MY STRONG SUPPORT AND APPRECIATION FOR THIS OFFICE. I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH
THEM FOR MANY YEARS TO COME AND ALSO AS A FORMER WHEN IT WAS THE MAYOR'S YOUTH LEADERSHIP CORPS AS AN ALUMNI THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT.
BUT THEY'VE POURED INTO ME. I'M POURING BACK INTO OUR CITY AND TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND THIS OFFICE HELPS US POUR BACK INTO THEM AS WELL BY PROVIDING THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDING THE NIGHTS FOR THE
YOUNG PEOPLE TO COME OUT TO GIVE THEM A SENSE OF GOING OF OWNERSHIP OF THEIR CITY BECAUSE THIS IS THEIR CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, TRACY. NEXT UP WE HAVE SEAN AND THEN
WE'LL GO TO KENDALL. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU COUNSELOR SANTANA AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR HAVING ME TODAY. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
MY NAME IS SEAN BROWN. I'M AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF YOUTH GUIDANCE BOSTON WHERE OVERSEE OUR TWO EVIDENCE BASED SCHOOL BASED COUNSELING PROGRAMS AND BECOMING A MAN BAM AND WORKING ON WOMANHOOD WHILE
BOTH BAM WHILE STRATEGICALLY DESIGNED TO CREATE SAFE AND STUDENTS INTO SUPPORTS THAT PROMOTE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CITY OF BOSTON IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS I'M HERE TODAY TO
ADVOCATE FOR THE OFFICE OF YOUTH YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OIC AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO OUR COMMUNITY AND YOUNG PEOPLE. I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT NO ONE INDIVIDUAL OR ORGANIZATION DOES
THIS WORK ALONE. IF WE WANT TO SEE THE POSITIVE RESULTS AND OUTCOMES WE HAVE FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THEN IT'S INCUMBENT UPON US TO WORK TOGETHER AND HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE A WAY THEY MEET YOUNG PEOPLE
WHERE THEY ARE. YOU HEARD THAT A LOT TODAY. THEY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE IF IT WASN'T FOR PROGRAMS LIKE SUCH AND LEADERS
LIKE PEDRO AND CHIEF MARSHALL. ONE THING I KNOW ABOUT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IS THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE WIRED TO BE CONNECTED TO SOMETHING. IF WE DON'T CONNECT THEM TO SOMETHING POSITIVE THERE IS A
WHOLE HOST OF THINGS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE CONNECTED TO ,RIGHT? AND HAWAII CREATES THOSE OPPORTUNITIES BY MEETING YOUNG PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE ON ALL LEVELS.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR OVER 30 YEARS. I'M A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF BOSTON. I'M A PRODUCT OF THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. I ONCE WAS ONE OF THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE AND I THINK ABOUT WHAT IF I HAD ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OIG WHEN I WAS GROWING UP I WOULD
HAVE TAKEN THE ROAD LESS TRAVEL . HAWAII OFFERS LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES JOBS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND ETC.. I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO GIVE
AFFIRMATIONS TO CHIEF MUSCLE IN PEDRO MARTINEZ. I LIKE TO SAY THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD AND YOU HAVE TWO MEN OF INTEGRITY WHO MODELS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MAN, A LEADER IN OUR COMMUNITY, YOUTH ADVOCATE FOR ALL YOUTH AND I
SAY ALL YOUTH. THEY ARE TRULY AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE WANT. WHAT WE WANT TO SEE IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WHO WE WANT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE. THANK YOU FOR MODELING.
THANK YOU KINGS FOR WALKING IN YOUR PURPOSE IN KINGDOM. IT'S BEEN AN ABSOLUTE HONOR TO HAVE YOU BOTH SPEAK TO MY STAFF AND YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH WORK AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND CLOSING WHAT WE SEE IN THEIR
RELATIONSHIP IS WHAT'S POSSIBLE FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND WE THINK ABOUT MENTORSHIP AND PAYING FORWARD. YOU HEARD CHIEF SPEAK ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND HOW IT PROPELLED PEDRO TO THE AMAZING
LEADER THAT HE TODAY. ALL IT TAKES IS FOR ONE PERSON TO BELIEVE IN YOU. IF YOU SEE IT YOU CAN ACHIEVE IT. WHEN I SEE THE RELATIONSHIP I THINK ABOUT WHO'S THE NEXT
PEDRO MARTINEZ THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IS CREATING MORE LEADERS LIKE PEDRO BY GIVING THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH JOBS, MENTORSHIP AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE
ORDINANCE FOR A WAY BECAUSE THEY ARE CRITICAL TO THE PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. I STAY IN CONTACT MANY OF OUR ALUMNI FROM BAMA WORLD WHO HAVE
GRADUATED AND MOVED INTO THE NEXT MOVED ON TO LIFE TO THE NEXT PHASE IN LIFE EITHER OR WORKFORCE AND THEY'RE DOING WELL. OFTEN OUR CONVERSATIONS I CAN REFLECT BACK TO HOW THE OPPORTUNITIES WITH A WIRE HAS
IMPACTED THEIR LIFE IN A POSITIVE WAY AND IS SHOWING UP FOR THEM NOW AS A PROFESSIONAL . THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SHOWCASE.
THANK YOU, SEAN. WE HAVE KENDALL VAN ALLEN AND THEN WE HAVE ANDRE BROWN. THEN WE'LL GO TO OUR PANELISTS . YES. YES. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE. GOOD AFTERNOON. PLEASURE TO BE HERE. MY NAME IS KENDALL VAN ALLEN, YOUTH SPECIALIST AT YOUTH GUIDANCE BOSTON WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE BECOMING A MAN
PROGRAM AND I AM STATIONED AT THE MORRIS J. TOBIN SCHOOL K THROUGH EIGHT SCHOOL IN MISSION HELP. AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN OF THE
MISSION HILL COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITIES ALIKE, I THINK ABOUT THE WORK AT OH YEAH, THE PROGRAMS, THE RESOURCES. OBVIOUSLY MANY THINGS THAT I COULD SAY I THINK MOST
IMPORTANT TO HIGHLIGHT I THINK ABOUT EXPOSURE. I THINK ABOUT PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPOSURE AND CREATE A CHANCE RIGHT CREATE A
CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT LIFE COULD BE LIKE OUTSIDE THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD LINES, WHAT LIFE COULD BE LIKE OUTSIDE OF THEIR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. AND I THINK PEDRO IS A GREAT
EXAMPLE OF THIS AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT JUST SPACE TO BE A KID, SPACE TO BE A YOUTH BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY MAY BE AROUND RIGHT THEIR OLDER
COUSINS OLDER PEOPLE. RIGHT. AND JUST IN SPACES THEY REALLY DON'T BELONG IN. AND I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE THAT REALLY DAWNED ON
ME JUST LAST THURSDAY. I'M WORKING WITH ONE OF MY SEVENTH GRADERS AND WE HAVE THIS THING STRUCTURED FREE PLAY AND SO YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU GUYS WANT TO DO? OH, LET'S PLAY CARDS. OKAY, LET'S PLAY CARDS.
AND MY SEVENTH GRADER JOHNNY SUGGESTED THAT WE PLAY 21 AND NOT ONLY DOES HE KNOW ABOUT GAMBLING AND ALL THIS YOU KNOW THE GAME 21 OR BLACKJACK HE'S
BEING THE DEALER AND I'M LIKE NOW EVEN KNOW HOW TO BE THE DEALER. YOU'RE OVER HERE FACILITATING THE GAME LIKE AND THIS IS A 12 YEAR OLD SO I JUST THINK ABOUT ,YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE
EXPOSED TO OUTSIDE OUR COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS AND SPACES THAT ALLOW THEM TO BE A KID AND GET A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND THINGS BEYOND THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, KENDALL. NEXT UP WE HAVE ANDRE. I APOLOGIZE FOR SAYING THAT WRONG IF THERE'S A WIRE AND I
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES. THANK YOU. FIRST FIRST I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND THANK THANK YOU FOR LETTING
ME SPEAK TO THE CITY COUNCIL. I LIKE TO THANK COUNSELOR SANTANA COUNSELOR FITZGERALD AND ALL THE HELP. FIRST TIME I CAME HERE WITH TO
SPEAK ABOUT A I AND THAT WAS BACK IN FEBRUARY AND I SPOKE HOW THE PRESIDENT WAS TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A $500 BILLION DATA CENTER AND THAT DEEP STATE
CAME OUT AND SAID THEY COULD DO THE SAME THING FOR 50 MILLION AND THEN MY RESEARCH SO THAT WE CAN DO THE EXACT SAME THING FOR 500,000.
SO LAST NIGHT NOW THE PRESIDENT'S DOING ONE THING BUT AS TECHNOLOGY GOALS THINGS GET CHEAPER. AND THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT THIS CAME BEFORE IT WAS I
THOUGHT THAT THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM AT THAT COST OF 500,000 SAID HAD THEIR OWN DATA CENTER. AND THE REASON WHY I'M SPEAKING ABOUT DATA CENTERS AND I THAT'S THE FUTURE.
THOSE ARE THE JOBS THAT PAY 100 GRAND PLUS A YEAR. I'M A VETERAN FROM THE AIR FORCE. I DID COMMUNICATIONS IN THE AIR FORCE. I'M A RETIREE FROM VERIZON.
MY OFFICE WAS RIGHT OVER HERE IN FRANKLIN STREET WHERE I BUILT THE INTERNET BACK IN THE DAY. NOW I'M A GUY THAT'S JUST INTERNET ON STEROIDS AND RIGHT NOW I STARTED AN ORGANIZATION
AND WE'RE TEACHING KIDS HOW TO DO CHAT BOTS AND IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT PAY 60 GRAND PLUS DATA SCIENTISTS THAT PAY 100 GRAND
EVEN WORKING IN DATA CENTERS THEY PAY 120 GRAND A YEAR. SO I'VE SAID IT AND ACTUALLY WE'VE GOT A CURRICULUM ALL LINED UP FROM THE FIRST GRADE
TO THE 12TH GRADE. WE GOT A PROPOSAL ON A BUDGET ABOUT TO GO TO THE PRESIDENT OF OUR CC SO WE CAN START TEACHING ROBOTICS A.I. ROBOTICS
AT OUR CC RIGHT IN OUR COMMUNITY. REASON WHY I'M DOING THIS. THAT'S THE FUTURE. THAT'S WHERE OUR KIDS NEED TO BE GOING. AND JUST LIKE PEDRO BEING ONE
RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE YOUTH, I WANT TO BE THE ONE RESOURCE CENTER FOR AIR AND ROBOTICS FOR THE CITY ALL AGES BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE FUTURE'S GOING .
AND LIKE COUNCILOR MURPHY, SHE JUST HAD A GRANDCHILD. I JUST HAD MY GRANDCHILD TO A YEAR AGO AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE FUTURE IS RIGHT FOR THEM GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. OKAY. WELL, WE'LL COME BACK TO PUBLIC PUBLIC TESTIMONY AFTER OUR COMMUNITY PANEL.
SO WE HAVE CAMILA AND WE HAVE CAROLINE AND MICHAEL. I GUESS WE'RE JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE FIRST ON MY LIST, CAMILLA YOU'LL GO FIRST AND THEN WE'LL GO TO CAROLINE AND THEN MICHAEL, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ALL RIGHT.
HI. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. MY NAME IS CAMILLA RAHA. I AM ONE OF THE CO-FOUNDERS AND CEO OF BEAT THE ODDS. WE ARE A CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM BASED AT
OAK GROVE HALL AND WE'RE DEDICATED TO PROVIDING SAFE SPACES TO HELP YOUTH HEAL, GROW THROUGH THE ARTS AND THROUGH MENTORSHIP REALLY HAVING A
TRAUMA INFORMED LENS SO THAT THEY CAN THRIVE AND WE SERVE AGES 14 TO 24. WE HAVE BEEN PARTNERING WITH OH YEAH SINCE THEY STARTED AND I'M
REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN BUILT FROM THAT WE GO TO THE MEETINGS, WE PARTICIPATE IN THE SUMMIT.
IT'S SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT IS CENTERED AROUND YOUTH VOICES AND THAT IS THAT'S
THAT ALIGNS SO PERFECTLY WITH OUR MISSION IBETO BEING ABLE TO SAY OKAY, WHAT DO YOU WANT? WHAT IS GOING TO HELP YOU THRIVE AND REALLY PROVIDING
THOSE RESOURCES IS AT ANY MOMENT LIKE IF THERE'S EVER A QUESTION IF THERE'S EVER LIKE OH WE'RE DOING THIS THING AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO NAVIGATE IT'S AS SIMPLE AS CALLING UP
JOE AND SAYING HEY CAN YOU HELP ME WITH X, Y, Z AND THEN HIM HAVING CERTAIN RESOURCES OR CONNECTING ME WITH OTHERS THAT WOULD HAVE THAT RESOURCE. SO I THINK YOU KNOW, THEY SPOKE
REALLY WELL ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO PARTNER AND COLLAB AND THEY REALLY HAVE CREATED THAT COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? WE REALLY HAVE BEEN GOING
TOWARDS A BOSTON THAT IS NOT LIVING IN SILOS THAT IS MORE COLLABORATIVE WHERE YOU SEE ORGANIZATION AND REALLY WORKING TOGETHER WHO ARE SERVING THOSE
SAME YOUTH AND JUST YOU KNOW, CREATING THESE RESOURCES IN THESE SPACES FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE THEIR BEST SELVES AND REALLY POURING INTO THEM. AND I THINK THAT'S THE KEY I'VE
HEARD FROM EVERYBODY I SEE FACES THAT I WORK WITH CLOSELY AND I LOVE THAT AND THAT REALLY DOESN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT AN OFFICE LIKE THAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WILL GO TO CAROLINE. GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. ESTEEMED COUNSELORS AND GUESTS, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK IN STRONG SUPPORT
OF BOSTON'S YOUTH AND THE CRITICAL AND GALVANIZING WORK OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. MY NAME IS CAROLINE PESCADO. I AM THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF SOCCER UNITY PROJECT, AN ORGANIZATION WHICH SERVES OVER
2000 YOUTH TEENS, ADULTS AND VOLUNTEERS THROUGH THREE PROGRAMS EACH YEAR FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE HONOR AND JOY OF WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE WAYS FOR
OUR YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE WELLNESS AND LIFE SKILLS BUILDING ASPECTS OF PLAYING SPORT. WE WORK TO NAVIGATE THE SYSTEMS AND BARRIERS THAT KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM HISTORICALLY OVERLOOKED AND
MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ON THE SIDELINES. AND INSTEAD WE CREATE A UNIFYING SPACE WHERE YOUTH OF ALL BACKGROUND CAN LEARN, GROW AND BUILD COMMUNITY THROUGH SPORT. 76% OF OUR YOUTH IDENTIFY AS
BIPOC AND REPRESENT MORE THAN 25 ZIP CODES AND 100 SCHOOLS ACROSS BOSTON. SO WE FEEL POSITIONED TO SPEAK REALLY ABOUT MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE'S. AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK
IS DEVELOPING TEEN AND YOUNG ADULTS THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AS LEADERS, COACHES AND REFEREES AND GIVING THEM THE MENTORSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO BUILD THEIR SUCCESS.
THIS IS ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH STRONG PARTNERSHIPS IN AREA HAS BEEN A VITAL PARTNER IN THIS WORK IN DEVELOPING THIS PROGRAM . THEIR COLLABORATIVE THEIR COLLABORATION HAS DEEPENED AND
EXPANDED OUR IMPACT IN SEVERAL WAYS INCLUDING PARTNERING TO RUN THE ANNUAL RESOURCE FAIR AT THE BOSTON UNITY CUP, THE CITY'S LARGEST SOCCER TOURNAMENT WHICH IS THE WORLD
CUP STYLE AND BRINGS TOGETHER ALL OF OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATIONS. THIS OPPORTUNITY CONNECTS RESIDENTS TO VALUABLE YOUTH AND FAMILY RESOURCES. THEY ALSO HELP TO BUILD BRIDGES
BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH THEIR NETWORK BREAKFAST COMMUNICATIONS AND THUS BREAKING DOWN THE SILOS AND IMPROVING ACCESS FOR THE SERVICES FOR YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. ALSO BY PROVIDING MENTORSHIP
AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO OUR YOUNG, OUR YOUTH WORKERS AND TEENS THUS STRENGTHENING OUR PROGRAMS, OUR IMPACT AND PROVIDING SUPPORT IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION.
THEY ALSO CREATE A CENTRALIZED SPACE OF CONNECTION AND RESOURCE FOR YOUTH FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT HISTORICALLY HAS NOT BEEN THERE. ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I KNOW HOW
TRANSFORMATIVE OHIO'S WORK IS. GROWING UP I FACED HOUSING INSTABILITY, FINANCIAL STRESS AND FAMILY CHALLENGES. HAVING A SPACE LIKE OJA WHERE SUPPORT, CONNECTION AND GUIDANCE ARE ACCESSIBLE,
ACCESSIBLE AND CONSISTENT. WOULD HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE. I URGE YOU TO CODIFY THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. DOING SO AFFIRMS BOSTON THAT
BOSTON STANDS WITH ITS YOUNG PEOPLE WALKING BESIDE THEM IN SUPPORT GUIDING THEM TO BE LEADERS OF THE NEXT GENERATION AND LIFTING THEM UP WHEN THEY NEED A SAFE SPACE TO TURN TO.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY. THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY'S YOUTH AND FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT UP WE HAVE MICHAEL.
HELLO. THANK. HELLO, EVERYBODY. THANK YOU COUNCILORS FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK. I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE
OF WORKING WITH CHIEF IN JOZI AT YOUTH GUIDANCE BUT WITH YOUTH GUIDANCE THIS IS MY FOURTH YEAR WITH THE PROGRAM. MY FIRST THREE YEARS I WAS A YOUTH SPECIALIST OVER AT
O'BRIEN HIGH SCHOOL THIS YEAR I'M A CAREER PATHWAYS COACH AND WE'VE HAD JOSE COME IN, SPEAK WITH OUR SCHOLARS DURING OUR APRIL BREAK CAREER WORKSHOP
WHERE HE CAME AND SPOKE TO OUR YOUTH AND THAT WAS THE FIRST ENCOUNTER I REALLY HAD WITH HIM WAS THROUGH THAT. AND THEN AS I GOT THIS POSITION THAT I'M IN NOW, HE WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO REACH OUT TO ME AND INVITED ME TO THE SUMMIT. THIS TOOK PLACE LAST MONTH AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND IT
WAS AN AMAZING EVENT WHERE I GOT TO NETWORK WITH A BUNCH OF INDIVIDUALS AND JUST CREATE THOSE CONNECTIONS AND HIM FOSTERING THOSE CONNECTIONS ALLOWING US TO JUST TO BE ABLE
TO CONNECT WITH OTHER PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND BE ABLE TO USE THOSE CONNECTIONS TO PARTNER WITH THE OIA OFFICE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO OUR
YOUTH. OUR SUMMER PROGRAM JOB FOR OUR YOUTH IS PROVIDED THROUGH THEM WITH OUR SCHOLARS WHO WILL COME IN WITH US FOR THE SUMMER AND THEY WORK THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER
AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS JUST THE WORK THAT HE DOES IS SO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL TO OUR YOUTH AND JUST
HAVING A SENSE OF CONNECTION THAT THE YOUTH GET WITH US AND HAVING THAT CONNECTION WITH HIM . IT'S IT'S A GREAT RELATIONSHIP
IN CONTINUING TO FOSTER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THOSE YOUTH AND OBVIOUSLY WITH HIM IF YOU NEED ANYTHING HE'S THE FIRST PERSON THAT YOU CAN REACH OUT TO AND HE'LL PROVIDE ANY ANY
ANY RESOURCES THAT HE MAY HAVE OR THAT OTHERS MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE. HE CAN GET YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THAT. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I THINK. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU ALL THREE OF YOU FOR YOUR WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY. EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL GO TO OUR COLLEAGUES FOR ANY QUESTIONS THEY MAY HAVE
STARTING WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR COUNCIL CENTER? YEAH. I DON'T KNOW. I'M SORRY.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES THIS HAPPENS NOW. NOW IT'S ALL GOING TO USE MY
MIND HERE. OH NO, IT'S TO SORRY ABOUT THAT. NO. THANK YOU ALL THREE FOR BEING HERE.
I THINK I MEAN JUST LIKE ALL THREE TESTIMONIES JUST SHOWS HOW CRITICAL THIS OFFICE IS. YOU KNOW, I ESPECIALLY LIKE I THINK WE ALL I MEAN THERE'S
MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS MULTIPLE DIFFERENT GROUPS THAT I THINK THAT CARE ABOUT OUR YOUTH WHO DO WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR YOUTH . BUT IT'S ABOUT ARE THEY SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER? AND I THINK THAT'S THE
REOCCURRING THEME THAT I KEEP HEARING IS LIKE WE'RE CONNECTED. WE KNOW LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT WE'RE YOU KNOW WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING AND IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS WE HAVE SOMEONE IN PEDRO THAT WE CAN RELY ON AND I THINK THAT'S EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT AND THAT'S BEAUTIFUL AND EXACTLY WHY I THINK MY YOUTH COUNCIL BROUGHT THIS UP FOR ME TO FILE. SO YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY WELL, ACTUALLY I'LL
ASK ONE QUESTION IN TERMS OF YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CAN CAN ONE OF YOU ARE MULTIPLE YOU YOU JUST YOU KNOW, GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
MEANT FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. SO WE ACTUALLY NEED MORE OF IT. YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHERE YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT BUDGET SEASON AND LOOKING AND ALL OF THAT. BUT WE'D LOVE TO HEAR MORE
ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THIS IS AN AREA WHERE I WAS ACTUALLY UNFAMILIAR THAT THIS OFFICE WAS DOING THIS AND I THINK IT'S AN AMAZING I THINK IT'S IT'S MADE IT SO WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM
MAYBE ONE OR TWO OF YOU ABOUT THAT. I CAN I CAN GO REAL QUICK I THINK YES. I THINK PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IS SO KEY. I LOVED WHEN PEOPLE TALKED
ABOUT REALLY MOVING FORWARD FOCUSING ON THAT 19 TO 24 YEAR OLD BECAUSE THEY REALLY ARE A GROUP THAT IS NEEDING THAT SUPPORT AND REALLY SOMETIMES
THEY'RE JUST LEFT OUT IN THE WIND. I AM GOING TO BE SELFISH AND ADVOCATE THAT WE NEED MORE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE CREATIVE FIELDS JUST BECAUSE THAT'S THE YOU KNOW, PTO AS A
CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. BUT WHEN I SAY THAT I SAY LIKE WHAT DOES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LOOK LIKE TO BE A TECH YOU KNOW, TO TO WORK IN SOUND TO WORK IN VIDEOGRAPHY SO
STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT I, I HAVE DEFINITELY SENT MY YOUTH ANYTHING THAT COMES THROUGH WE SEND THEM OUT. THERE WAS A PROFESSIONAL THERE WAS ONE OF OUR YOUTH WHO I
WORKED THROUGH AND DID A PROGRAM IN IN THE MEDICAL FIELD AND ENDED UP GOING THERE AND THEN THAT CONNECTED HER TO ANOTHER PROGRAM. I MEAN SHE'S NOW FULL ON
PHLEBOTOMY, MAKING MONEY, DOING GREAT AND THAT WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED IF THERE WASN'T THAT. SO THAT WAS A HUGE STEP FOR HER INTO BEING ABLE TO FINANCIALLY SUSTAIN HER HER LIFE AS A 19
YEAR OLD. SO I CAN SPEAK OUT OF IT TOO. SO YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S THE TIMING OF THIS OFFICE BEING DEVELOPED AND I WAS REALLY LEANING INTO THE WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT REALLY KIND OF HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME. IT WAS AMAZING TIMING BECAUSE WE'VE DOING THIS WORK FOR 18 YEARS. WE NOW HAVE ALUMNI COMING BACK TO COACH WITH US WANTING TO WORK WITH US AND NEEDING
SUPPORT FROM US AND SOMETIMES EITHER STARTING COLLEGE OR NOT GOING TO COLLEGE AND HOW CAN WE SUPPORT THEM AND WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THEM IN THAT THOSE REALLY CRITICAL YEARS OF THEIR YOUNG ADULTHOOD?
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN AMAZING BECAUSE IT'S THE PHONE CALL, YOU KNOW, TO TO THE CHIEF OR TO TO PEDRO OR BUT IT'S THEM SAYING THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU GO TO THAT CAN HELP THOSE
PEOPLE DO IT WHICH WOULD HAVE TAKEN LIKE 12 EMAILS IN THREE MONTHS AND LIKE CRITICAL TIME THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN'T WAIT. THEY NEED SOMETHING NOW LIKE HOW DO WE GET THEM TO THE IMMIGRATION SERVICES?
HOW DO WE GET THEM TO WHATEVER IT IS THEY NEED THEY CAN HELP THEM NOT GET CAUGHT IN THAT GAP OF NOT BEING ABLE TO REALLY LAUNCH THE WAY THEY WANT TO AND ALSO JUST PROVIDING RESOURCES
LIKE WE DID YOU KNOW WE DO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WE HAVE OUR TEENS AND YOUNG PEOPLE WORKING WITH US. WE DO IT ONCE A WEEK AND IT'S LIKE OKAY, THERE WAS A A LAWYER THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO COME AND SPEAK THIS WEEK. THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO COME.
I CAN CALL THEIR OFFICE. THEY CAN GIVE ME MATERIALS THAT WE CAN FILL THAT GAP AND WE CAN HELP DO THAT. WE'RE OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE SCRAMBLING AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY TO IS IT'S IT'S THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR THE YOUNG
PEOPLE THAT WE'RE SERVING THROUGH OUR PROGRAM BUT IT'S ALSO OUR YOUNG STAFF. SO IT'S GIVING THEM THE RESOURCES AND THE CONFIDENCE
EITHER THROUGH DIRECTLY THROUGH YOUR OFFICE OR THROUGH PARTNERS THAT THEY CAN CONNECT US TO THAT THEN THEY'RE REALLY GETTING THE RESOURCE THEY NEED SO THEY CAN BE THOSE EXCELLENT
YOUTH WORKERS AND MENTORS ALSO I LOVE IT. I LOVE IT ALL. I THINK WE NEED MORE OF IT. SO THIS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE APPROACHING THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, YOU
KNOW, WE'LL SEE HOW WE CAN AS A COUNCIL WITH MY CALL IT WAS WITH THE HELP AND SUPPORT OF MY COLLEAGUES SEE HOW WE CAN PUT IT MORE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. YOU YOU KNOW I'M GONNA ASK ANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE
SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND YOU KNOW, I DEFINITELY WANT TO HEAR PARTICULARLY FROM OUR YOUTH I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE AND THE WORK THAT YOU ALL DO EVERY SINGLE DAY ON BEHALF OF OUR YOUTH.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THEY ARE JUST REALLY QUICK. COUNCILOR BREADON, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR OR JUST GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO CAROLINE I THINK WE JUST MET TWO WEEKS AGO.
YEAH BRINGING SOCCER TO ALLSTON BRIGHTON SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED AND THERE IS A VOID THERE THAT WE'RE VERY HAPPY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HELP US WORK ON FOR THAT. SO EXACTLY.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE AND DEVELOPING THESE PARTNERSHIPS BECAUSE WE REALLY DO NEED TO DO NEED TO DO SOMETHING. YEAH, DEFINITELY VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE WORK.
THANK YOU FOR THE SHOUT OUT. OKAY AWESOME. AND I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. YOU ALL RIGHT? WE'RE GOING TO HEAD BACK TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY. OKAY. THE NEXT FOUR PLEASE FEEL FREE
TO QUEUE UP AT EITHER MICROPHONE. WE HAVE COREY EVANS CHAVARRIA, LAGUNAS ALVAREZ, BETSY GIBBONS
AND THEN MARIA I BELIEVE IT SAYS DOMINGO'S HERE. OKAY, GREAT. OKAY. THEN AFTER THAT WE HAVE JESSE
LAMB, JILLIAN BELL, JOSE BARRIENTOS, GAVIN STEVENSON, JOAQUIN LAMBOS AND THEN BRIDGET BLAIR. BUT WE'LL START WITH COREY AND
TIBERIUS FIRST. COREY HI. EXCELLENT. YOU HAVE THE MIC PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR AFFILIATION. YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES. GREAT. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS COREY EVANS AND I'M VICE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT THE
BOX CENTER. THE BOK CENTER IS A NONPROFIT PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATION IN BOSTON THAT IS MADE UP OF THE WANG AND SHUBERT THEATER'S. I'VE BEEN LEADING THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAMS AT THE
CENTER FOR 14 YEARS NOW AND PRIOR TO THAT WORKED IN BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR EIGHT YEARS THE CITY OF BOSTON HAS BEEN A KEY PARTNER OF OURS DURING MY TIME AT THE BOX CENTER AND I
HAVE SEEN MANY CHANGES NOT ONLY IN OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH IN THE CITY BUT ALSO RESOURCES FOR OUR CITY'S YOUTH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY ACCESS TO THESE RESOURCES THE OFFICE OF YOUTH
ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT HAS ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING GREAT IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF BOSTON. THEY HAVE TAKEN A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SUPPORTING BOSTON'S
YOUTH BY PROVIDING PROGRAMING AND SPACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AT A TIME WHEN BOSTON'S YOUTH ARE MORE VULNERABLE THAN EVER. WE KNOW THAT YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS HAVE SKYROCKETED.
WE ARE LIVING IN A TIME OF UNPRECEDENTED UNCERTAINTY FOR THIS GENERATION. MANY YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CITY ARE WORKING TO CONTRIBUTE TO FAMILY FINANCES AS FAMILIES ARE
EXPERIENCING FOOD AND HOUSING INSECURITY AND FEARS AROUND IMMIGRATION ISSUES. AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON. NOT ONLY DOES OJA PROVIDE A
CENTRALIZED SPACE A CENTRALIZED PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO SEEK RESOURCES BUT IT ALSO PROVIDES SPACE AND EVENTS FOR BOSTON YOUTH TO COME TOGETHER AND JUST HAVE FUN AND BE TEENS ALL WHILE
TEACHING YOUNG PEOPLE TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND GIVING THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN REAL WORLD SKILLS AROUND ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP AND YOUTH VOICE TO EMPOWER BOSTON'S YOUTH
TO LEAD US INTO THE NEXT GENERATION. THEY ARE DOING THIS BY BUILDING COALITIONS ACROSS CITY DEPARTMENTS, PROVIDING A CENTRALIZED PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO FIND RESOURCES,
OPPORTUNITIES AND SAFETY AND PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES FOR YOUTH WORKERS AND YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
THIS HAS ALLOWED ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OURS TO STRENGTHEN OUR PROGRAMS BY BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS AND IN TURN CREATING A STRONGER NETWORK AND SAFETY NET FOR YOUTH ACROSS THE
CITY. THEY HAVE EMBODIED THE PHRASE RISING TIDES LIFT ALL BOATS BECAUSE AT THE HEART OF IT THIS DEPARTMENT EXISTS FOR THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF BOSTON AND WE OWE IT
TO OUR FUTURE AND TO THE FUTURE AND TO THEIR FUTURE TO CONTINUE TO INVEST, SUPPORT, TRAIN AND LIFT UP OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. IT IS MY HONOR TO ADVOCATE FOR THE CODIFICATION OF THE OFFICE
OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. I URGE YOU ALL TO MAKE THIS INVESTMENT IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE BY PROMISING THAT THIS DEPARTMENT THIS CRITICAL RESOURCE AND HUB WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THEM FOR YEARS TO COME.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND NEXT UP WE HAVE JEFF AREA AND THEN BETSY. HELLO, MY NAME IS HARVEY.
I LIKE WHEN I SAID RACE AND I'M THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AT THE BOK CENTER WHERE I MANAGE OUR CITY SPOTLIGHT'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS. I HAVE 16 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING AS A YOUTH SERVING PROFESSIONAL IN THE CITY.
AS SOON AS I LEARNED ABOUT THE LAUNCH OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT I KNEW I NEEDED TO PARTICIPATE. MY IMMEDIATE REASON WAS TO CONNECT WITH OTHER YOUTH SERVING ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS.
THE CITY PROVIDES A VAST NUMBER OF RESOURCES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE SO ATTENDING THEIR PARTNER NETWORK MEETINGS HAS HELPED ME GET TO KNOW OTHER PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH THE SAME TEAMS I'M WORKING WITH.
I CAN REFER TEENS TO THE RIGHT PROGRAMS BASED ON THEIR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS KNOWING WHO I'M REFERRING THEM TO I CAN FOLLOW UP AND SUPPORT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH ANY PROCESS THAT MIGHT FEEL UNKNOWN OR DAUNTING
FOR A TEENAGER PERSONALLY TALKING TO OTHER YOUTH SERVING PROFESSIONALS IN THE CITY, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRAINSTORM THROUGH CHALLENGES, LEARN AND APPLY BEST PRACTICES AND EXPLORE NEW PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVES THAT ONLY MAKE OUR PROGRAMS AT THE CENTER BETTER AND STRONGER. OH YEAH HAS BECOME A CENTRAL HUB OF RESOURCES FOR OUT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
LIKE OURS CREATING SPACES WHERE ALL OF US DOING THE SAME DOING SIMILAR WORK, SERVING THE SAME COMMUNITY CAN CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER. IT MAKES YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN OUR CITY MORE SUCCESSFUL AND EFFICIENT AND WE KNOW THAT YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IS THE BEST
PREVENTION. AN EXAMPLE OF THAT IS A MAJOR YOUTH SUMMIT IN BOSTON AFTER DARK I CAN ATTEST THAT EVERY YEAR OR TEEN PARTICIPANTS CONSISTENTLY SHARE ONE THING AND BEING GRATEFUL FOR
OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER THEY CONSISTENTLY SHARE ONE THING AND BEING GRATEFUL FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER. THE SUMMIT IN BOSTON AFTER DARK PROVIDES THAT CREATING AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO FIND LIKE MINDED PEOPLE BUILD THEIR OWN COMMUNITY ENDURING IN A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE AND INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT PROVIDING A HEALTHY FOUNDATION FOR THOSE CONNECTIONS FOR FOSTERS
OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKING WHETHER IT'S PRESENTING THE WORK THEY'RE ALREADY DOING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THEIR OWN VENTURES DIRECTLY CONNECTING WITH NEW RESOURCES AND ENGAGING IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT
MATTERS THE THE SUMMIT IN BOSTON AFTER DARK OUR CLEAR MOMENTS AND SPACES OF THE CITY OF BOSTON IS TELLING YOUNG PEOPLE YOU MATTERED TO US AND WE WANT YOU TO SUCCEED. BESIDES THEY'RE HAVING FUN AT A
TIME WHEN A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO BE ADULT. WE KNOW THIS IS WHAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE NEED AS THEY TOLD US IN THE YOUTH SPEAK SURVEY FINDINGS CONDUCTED BY OH YEAH THEY'RE
SEEKING SAFETY, BELONGING AND COMMUNITY AT A TIME WHERE THEY NEED IT THE MOST. A CITY THAT WANTS A BRIGHT FUTURE WILL CARE ABOUT THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE, WILL CARE ABOUT WHAT THEIR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE TO
SAY AND OH YEAH IS A CONCRETE EXAMPLE THAT BOSTON IS DOING THAT AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO THAT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT.
NEXT WE'LL GO TO BETSY AND THEN MARIA. HELLO, I'M BETSY GIVENS AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF TEAM PROGRAMS AT THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART OR ICA HERE IN BOSTON. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH YOUNG
PEOPLE FOR THE PAST THREE DECADES TO CREATE THE ICA INTO A SPACE THAT REALLY FEELS NOT JUST WELCOMING BUT ALSO A PLACE WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN REALLY BE AND BE THEMSELVES AND OH YEAH HAS REALLY AMPLIFIED OUR
WORK. IT'S BEEN A REALLY IMPORTANT WAY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN A SINGLE SPACE EVERY MONTH OR SO IN ORDER TO REIGNITE PARTNERS REMIND US OF THE THINGS THAT
EVERYONE'S DOING ACROSS THE CITY AND LEARN WHERE PEOPLE HAVE MOVED AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. IT'S BEEN REALLY POWERFUL FOR ME AND I'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK FOR A LONG TIME BUT IT'S
BEEN REALLY POWERFUL FOR MY YOUNGER STAFF MEMBERS MANY OF WHOM ARE ALUMS OF THE TEEN PROGRAMS AT THE ICA WHO ARE REALLY THE UP AND COMING YOUTH WORKERS THAT WE WANT TO POUR THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INTO.
ONE OF THEM JUST GOT PROMOTED FROM BEING AN ALUMNI ASSISTANT WITH US INTO BEING A PROGRAM ASSISTANT PARTIALLY THROUGH THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT HE'S DONE AROUND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH, AROUND CPR, AROUND
SUPPORTING LGBTQ YOUTH THROUGH THIS NETWORK AND IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US AS A TEAM TO THINK ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIPS WE MIGHT WANT TO LOOK AT TO HAVE THIS CENTRAL PLACE WHERE WE ALL KIND
OF GATHER, SPREAD OUT, MEET OTHER PARTNERS, TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND COME BACK TOGETHER TO THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO PARTNER WITH PEOPLE. IT'S ALSO BEEN A REALLY FANTASTIC RESOURCE FOR OUR
TEENS AS WELL AS OUR ALUMS AND WE WORK WITH ALUMNI UP INTO THE BEYOND 25 BUT ESPECIALLY CLOSELY WITH ALUMS WHO ARE THE MORE RECENT GRADUATES OF HIGH SCHOOL AND IT'S BEEN REALLY
WONDERFUL TO HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TEENS IN OUR PROGRAMS ATTEND THE MAYOR'S YOUTH SUMMIT AS SO MANY HAVE SAID, BUT ALSO HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE TO HAVE THEM PART OF THE YOUTH AND THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL'S
COMMUNITY COUNCIL AND THEN THIS YEAR THEY'RE BECOMING PART OF THE BOSTON COALITION OF YOUTH COUNCILS AND WE'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THE DATA FROM YOUTH SPEAKS TO ADD TO THE DATA THAT WE SEE AND
KNOW EVERY DAY IN ORDER TO GUIDE OUR PATH FORWARD SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL IN OH YEAH AND EVERYONE WHO'S SUPPORTING THEM TO MAKE THIS WORK POSSIBLE. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET'S HOPE WE HAVE MARIA AND THEN JESSE. HI EVERYONE. CITY COUNCILORS THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME TESTIFY TODAY ON BEHALF OF CODIFYING THE OFFICE
OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ACHIEVEMENT. I AM MARIA DOMINGUEZ GRAY AND I'M HERE TESTIFYING IN THREE CAPACITIES. THE FIRST ONE IS THAT I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PHILLIPS BROOKS HOUSE ASSOCIATION.
WE SERVE OVER 800 LOW INCOME YOUTH ACROSS GREATER BOSTON AND BUT I'M ALSO HERE AS A PARENT OF A 17 YEAR OLD AND A 19 YEAR OLD BOTH OF WHOM HAVE BENEFITED
FROM SUCCESS LINK AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE THROUGH. OH YEAH. AND I'M ALSO HERE AS ONE OF THE KIND OF ORIGINAL OLD SCHOOL FOUNDERS OF THE YOUTH WORKER
ALLIANCE AND THE YOUTH JOBS ORGANIZING INITIATIVES THAT WE'VE DONE OVER THE YEARS IN THE NINETIES FOR PVH. OUR STAFF IS YOUNG, THEY'RE EMERGENT, THEY'RE 19 TO 25
THEMSELVES ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND OH YEAH HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO COME TO THE MEETINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN TO TO BE ABLE TO TO
PARTICIPATE IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THAT'S BEEN INCREDIBLE. I THINK THE OTHER THING TO JUST SAY IS THAT AS SOMEBODY WHO A LOT OF PEOPLE CALL ACROSS BOSTON FROM DIFFERENT YEARS TO
SAY OH I NEED THIS OR WHO CAN I TALK TO ABOUT THIS JUST HAVING OH YEAH AS A TOUCH POINT TO ADVOCATE AND BE A RESOURCE FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUTH WORK OR TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT PATH
OR TRYING TO FIND OTHER RESOURCES HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE IN THE PAST. I THINK AS I WILL SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE THOUGH AS SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN TRYING TO
ORGANIZE YOUTH WORKERS AND YOUTH FOR OVER 30 YEARS AS MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUTH WORKER ALLIANCE AND RACISM AND STUFF, THOSE KIND OF WEREN'T SUSTAINABLE AND THEY
FELL APART. THEY WERE DRIVEN BY COMMUNITY AND BUT THEY HAD FILLED SUCH A CRITICAL NEED IN OUR COMMUNITIES, MANY OF WHICH HAS BEEN ALLUDED TO AND I THINK OH
YEAH, HIS ROLE IN DOING THIS AND MAKING SURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN BE SUSTAINABLE IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AND WHY WE SHOULD CODIFY AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT DEALS WITH
THE EBB AND FLOW OF FINANCE. SO FROM A REALLY PRAGMATIC STANDPOINT I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE CITY COUNCILORS THAT YOU KNOW, THE INVESTMENT THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN OH YEAH IS IMPORTANT IN TERMS
OF EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY AND SUCCESS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF DECREASED NUMBERS AND YOUTH VIOLENCE. WE KNOW THAT FROM THE STUDIES FROM BACK IN THE DAY AND IT ALSO MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE IN
TERMS OF PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE FIELD AND THE QUALITY OF PROGRAMING THAT'S BEING PROVIDED TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE. SO I APPRECIATE YOU LETTING ME TESTIFY TODAY. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR SANTANA
FOR BRINGING THIS OUT. THANK YOU, PEDRO AND CHIEF, SO FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND I REALLY, REALLY STRONGLY SUPPORT CODIFYING OH YEAH. SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE INVESTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
SUSTAINABLY INTO THE FUTURE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE HAVE JESSE JESSE LINE AND THEN JOELLE BELL AND THEN JOSE
AND GAVIN. JESSE EVERYONE I'M AN ACADEMIC SUPPORT COORDINATOR IN CAMINOS PRETTY CLASS AND ACTION WHICH IS A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN THE SOUTH END.
IT OVERSEES AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ALSO OUR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND THE VILLAGE VICTORIA NEIGHBORHOOD. I'M SPEAKING TODAY BECAUSE I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CODIFICATION OF OH YEAH INTO THE CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE AND
THE CODE OF ORDINANCES. I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH YOUTH IN MY FULL TIME CAREER FOR FOUR YEARS AND I'VE GROWN EXPONENTIALLY IN THE LAST TWO SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE OF THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
THEY'VE OFFERED. OH YES FREE PD OFFERED ME MY FIRST OPPORTUNITIES FOR FORMAL TRAINING AND EXPOSURE TO SEVERAL COMPETENCIES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO WORKING WITH YOUTH. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOUR IN
PARTICULAR TODAY I ATTENDED TRAININGS ON SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING, TRAUMA INFORMED CARE AND HEALING NAVIGATING CHRONIC MARIJUANA USAGE IN YOUNG ADULTS AND MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
BEFORE BECOMING A YOUTH WORKER. I TAUGHT ENGLISH FULL TIME FOR TWO YEARS IN A CHARTER SCHOOL IN BOSTON AND DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO SUCH ROBUST PD WHERE I WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN USING IT EVERY DAY. TODAY I PRACTICE THE SKILLS I
LEARNED FROM THESE TRAININGS ON A NEAR NEAR DAILY BASIS. SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN THAT THE RESOURCES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFERED THROUGH OIRA ARE EXCEPTIONAL AND NOT THE NORM
AND THEY'RE ESSENTIAL FOR EARLY CAREER PROFESSIONALS AND I'M SURE YOUTH WORKERS OF ALL EXPERIENCES. I ALSO WANT TO AMPLIFY THAT THE OH YEAH PARTNER NETWORK MEETINGS ARE A GREAT RESOURCE
TO LEARN FROM OTHERS THROUGH A PRESENTATION OFFERED BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF LGBTQ PLUS ADVANCEMENT AT THE OIRA PRESENTATION. I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THEIR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
SPECIALIST. FROM THERE WE CUSTOMIZE A TRAINING SPECIFICALLY FOR MY TEAM TO BETTER SUPPORT LGBTQ YOUTH IN OUR PROGRAM BECAUSE WE NOTICED THAT WE HAD A GAP IN KNOWLEDGE FROM ACROSS THE BOARD
ON OUR STAFF. OH YEAH HAS ALSO BEEN A HUGE DIRECT SUPPORT TO OUR PROGRAM BECAUSE ALL OF THE CURRENT FELLOWS ATTENDED OUR JOB READINESS WORKSHOPS HOSTED FOR OUR YOUTH. THEY ACTED AS MOCK INTERVIEWERS
SO OUR YOUTH RECEIVED INDIVIDUALIZED INTERVIEW PREP AND PRACTICE. OH YEAH. LEADERSHIP HAS ALSO SPOKEN AT PANELS FOR OUR YOUTH AND MUCH OF THE OIRA TEAM HAS ATTENDED OUR END OF CYCLE SHOWCASES TO
CELEBRATE AND UPLIFT THE YOUTH WITH US. TO CLOSE I RECENTLY SAW A BUMPER STICKER WITH THE WORDS THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS WRITTEN ON IT AS FACE TRAGEDY AND THE FREQUENT CHALLENGES OF LIVING
EVERYDAY LIFE. HOWEVER, ON THE STICKER THE WORDS THOUGHT AND PRAYERS WERE ACTUALLY CROSSED OUT AND REPLACED. ABOVE IT WERE THE WORDS POLICY AND CHANGE CODIFYING OH YEAH WOULD BE A TANGIBLE POLICY
CHANGE THAT ENSURES WE CONTINUE TO BETTER SERVE OUR YOUTH AND OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW NEXT UP JULIO AND THEN JOSE . GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU
FOR HAVING ME. I'M JULIO AND COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU, PEDRO. I AM A PROGRAM SUPERVISOR AT THE GALLIVAN COMMUNITY CENTER AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT
I'M IN SUPPORT OF THE EVENTS THAT HAS BROUGHT ABOUT BOSTON AFTER DARK AND ON THE YOUTH SUMMIT. THESE EVENTS ARE GIVING MY YOUTH THE OPPORTUNITY TO
REPRESENT THEIR COMMUNITY. THEY GIVE THE YOUTH A SAFE PLACE TO GO TO BE A PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY UPLIFTED. IT ALLOWS YOU TO GIVE THEIR PARENTS A FIRSTHAND VIEW OF THE
LEADERSHIP THAT THEY DO POSSESS AND HAVE BRIDGED THE GAP BETWEEN DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES ALLOWING KIDS TO GO TO COMMUNITIES THAT THEY MIGHT NEVER GO TO IN A SAFE WAY.
IT EMPOWERS THE YOUTH AND IT GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A VOICE AND A POSITIVE WAY AND A HEALTHY WAY TO CREATE
MEMORIES FOR FUTURE AND THE WORK THAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING WITH THESE YOUTH. IT CREATES FUTURE LEADERS AND I'M PROUD THAT THE KIDS THAT
HAVE THESE ROLES ARE HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING. THESE PROGRAMS GIVE YOU SUPPORT AND RESOURCES TO HELP ADVANCE TO HELP ADVANCE OUR COMMUNITIES
AND THE MEMBERS THAT ARE LOOKING TO BE BETTER FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE PUTTING THEM ON A PLATFORM WHERE THEY CAN BE A VOICE THAT MATTERS AND THEY
HAVE A FIGHTING CHANCE TO MAKE DIFFERENCE FOR THEIR PEERS AND YOUTH TO COME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU, JOSE AND THEN GAVIN. GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS JOSE BAEZ VENTURES. I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF CODIFICATION FOR ALL. YEAH. I WANT TO START BY SAYING THAT I WAS A FIRST WAVE FILBERT PHILLIPS BROOK HOUSE ASSOCIATION KID BACK THE EIGHTIES.
SO MY HEART RUNS DEEP. I WANT TO OFFER MY SUPPORT BY SHOWING THE COUNCIL OF REAL IMMEDIATE EVENT THAT TRANSPIRED THROUGH OVER AND PEDRO CRUZ AND
HIS ORGANIZATION. FIRST I WANT TO SAY AS WE ALL KNOW THE TERM GENERATIONAL WEALTH AND GENERATIONAL POVERTY. RIGHT. AND WE GRAVITATE TO ECONOMICS
THAT IT'S JUST MONEY BUT IT'S MORE THAN THAT IT'S HELD TO PSYCHOLOGICAL, IT'S SOCIAL AND IT'S ACADEMIC. RIGHT. I HAVE TWO GRANDCHILDREN THAT RECENTLY AS OF MAY AND JUNE DROPPED OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL.
RIGHT. BECAUSE THEY'RE IN A CYCLE OF GENERATIONAL POVERTY. THEIR MOM QUIT SCHOOL SO THERE'S NO EMPHASIS ON EDUCATION AND WE ALL KNOW THAT'S A ROOT OF EVIL AND THE DEMISE OF OF UPLIFTING
YOURSELF. SO WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THESE CHILDREN WERE WHERE MY GRANDCHILDREN WERE OUT OF SCHOOL AND DROPPED OUT, THE MOM THREW ONE KID OUT AND THE
OTHER ONE JUST WAS AT HOME DOING NOTHING AND IT JUST BROKE MY HEART. WHAT DO I DO AS A GRANDPARENT RIGHT BECAUSE THIS IS THE RESULT OF MY DAUGHTER. FORTUNATELY THOUGH, I YOU KNOW,
I PRAYED ABOUT IT FIRST AND FOREMOST AND I RECOLLECT I HAD THE RECOLLECTION OF PEDRO CRUZ AND HIS HIS HIS ENCOURAGE ME AND HIS HIS FORTITUDE FOR THE YOUTH OF OF BOSTON.
SO I JUST REACHED OUT TO HIM AND I LAID OUT MY PLATE TO HIM AND HE GOT BACK TO HIS I'LL GET BACK TO YOU IN A COUPLE OF DAYS RIGHT. THEY LIVE IN MADISON PARK VILLAGE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NETWORKING RIGHT.
HE WAS ABLE TO NETWORK FOR THESE GIRLS TO GET THEM INTO A PROGRAM TO NOT ONLY GET THEM, YOU KNOW, SPIRITS LIFTED, HE GOT THEM ABLE TO NOW IN ANOTHER
COURSE THE COLLEGE PROGRAM WHICH IS BENEFICIAL THAT THEY CAN WORK ON THEIR TIMELINE NOT ONLY THAT MADISON PARK DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM GOT THEM
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. WHEN YOU STRIP ANYBODY OF HOPE AND PURPOSE IN LIFE THEY DESTINED TO FAIL NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE SOCIAL CIRCLE.
NEVER MIND THESE YOUNG KIDS. SO NOW THEY'RE EMPOWERED. I SPOKE WITH THEIR MENTOR OVER JENNY MATTOS AND SHE SHARED WITH ME JOSIE IT'S NIGHT AND DAY THESE GIRLS WHEN THEY FIRST
CAME OUT THEY DIDN'T EVEN WANT TO LIFT THEIR THEIR EYES UP. THEY COULDN'T LOOK AT PEOPLE IN THEIR FACE. AND THROUGH THIS PROGRAM THEY HAVE LIFE. THEY HAVE PURPOSE.
THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITY. AND AND TO CODIFY THAT I HAVE VOWED THAT YOU INCREASE THE BUDGET TENFOLD AND LIKE THESE CHILDREN DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY LIVED RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE
MDC PROGRAM AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES. THEY NEED A BUDGET FOR FOR ADVERTISMENT JUST A TO BE KNOWN GOOD THINGS CAN'T BE KEPT INSIDE AND THIS IS A GOOD
THING. THIS IS A GOOD MAN AND I WANT TO CLOSE WITH THIS OUR 16TH PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS HE SAID IT'S A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE BY
THE PEOPLE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR THE PEOPLE. SO I VOWED THAT THESE THIS GOVERNMENT BEFORE THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF BOSTON NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE OR HOW YOUNG
YOU ARE AND THANK YOU I ACCEPT WE HAVE GAVIN AND THEN JOAQUIN
AND THEN BRIDGET. GOOD AFTERNOON BOSTON CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.
MY NAME IS GAVIN STEVENSON. I'M A STUDENT AT THE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL AND I'M A LIFELONG LONG RESIDENT OF THE SOUTH END. I'M THE CURRENT MEMBER OF SANTANA'S YOUTH FORCE, THE
OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT IS IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE IT IS A CITYWIDE COMMITMENT TO UPLIFTING AND EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS BOSTON. OH YEAH. CREATE SPACES WHERE YOUTH
VOICES ARE NOT ONLY HEARD BUT VALUED HELPING US TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, LAST YEAR I SERVED
ON ONE OF AS MANY PROGRAMS THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL WHERE I GOT TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER BOSTON'S NEIGHBORHOODS TO HELP BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE VOICES OF YOUTH AND CITY POLICY
THROUGH ITS PROGRAMS, PARTNERSHIPS AND SERVICES WHICH CONNECTS YOUNG INDIVIDUALS SUCH AS MYSELF TO MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH, LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT WHETHER
IT'S THROUGH YOUTH PROGRAMS, SPACES OR EVENTS THAT FOSTER A SENSE OF COMMUNITY TRAINING AND RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO WORK WITH YOUTH OR DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AS
WE NAVIGATE EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT AND CIVIC LIFE. OH YEAH ENSURES THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON HAS ACCESS TO THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO THRIVE. THANK YOU. AND UNFORTUNATELY TWO MEMBERS
OF MY WORKFORCE WERE UNABLE TO JOIN US. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE IF I READ ON THEIR BEHALF THEIR WORK? I APOLOGIZE. CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?
ON BEHALF OF TO MY COLLEAGUES THEY'VE WRITTEN UP TESTIMONIES. THEY'RE UNABLE TO ATTEND TODAY, I'M SURE. OF COURSE. ALL RIGHT. SO ON BEHALF OF DAVID WANG, THE
OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT HAS GIVEN ME THE NECESSARY RESOURCES THAT HAVE SUPPORTED MY ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN IMPACTFUL INITIATIVES AND COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES.
AS A CITY OF BOSTON DEPARTMENT OH YEAH AMPLIFIES THE VOICES OF YOUTH THROUGH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND PARTNERSHIPS. A PART FOR ME. OH YEAH. ALSO SERVES AS A SOCIAL
PLATFORM THAT CONNECTS PEOPLE AGES 14 TO 25 FROM ALL NEIGHBORHOODS TO THRIVING AND EMPOWERING NETWORKS BY ADVOCATING FOR THE YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN POLICIES AND
DECISION MAKING. OH YEAH. VALUES THE PROGRESSION OF THE NEXT GENERATION'S LEADERS AND AGENTS OF CHANGE. AND NEXT ON BEHALF OF DELILAH
GOODWILL. OH YEAH. WHICH STANDS FOR THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. FOCUSES ON UPLIFTING VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AGES 14 TO
25 BY CONNECTING THESE INDIVIDUALS TO CITY PROGRAMS, PARTNERSHIPS AND SERVICES. OH YEAH. MAKE SURE BOSTON'S YOUTH ARE HEARD SUPPORTED AND EMPOWERED BY CREATING AND ENHANCING YOUTH
PROGRAMS AND SPACES AND UPLIFTING YOUTH FACING INDIVIDUALS, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS. ALSO OVERALL CONNECTS YOUNG
PEOPLE AND YOUTH FACING INDIVIDUALS TO OPPORTUNITY COMMUNITY AND GROWTH. OH YEAH. YEAH. OFFICE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE OH YEAH OPEN
DOORS FOR ME HELPED ME GAIN EXPERIENCE THROUGH A REAL WORLD INTERNSHIP AND GAVE ME A SENSE OF POWER IN MY OWN COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
NEXT WE HAVE A TEAM AND BRIDGET AND THEN A MIRROR. GOOD AFTERNOON.
BOSTON CITY COUNCIL. SIMILAR TO GAVIN I ALSO HAVE TWO PUBLIC TESTIMONIES FROM TWO MEMBERS. WOULD ALSO BE OKAY FOR ME TO READ THOSE. OF COURSE. THANK YOU? UM.
GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JOAQUIM RAMOS. I'M A STUDENT AT BOSTON LEARNING ACADEMY AS WELL AS A RESIDENT OF ROXBURY AND I WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE YOUTH
OF MANY WHO HELPED WRITE THE ORDINANCE TO CODIFY THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT. OH YEAH. EXISTS TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE. THE OFFICE'S FOCUS IS TO
CONNECT YOUTH WITH RESOURCES SUCH AS JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. OH YEAH. ALSO ORGANIZES THE MAYOR'S YOUTH SUMMIT WHICH IS A CELEBRATION THAT AIMS TO ENGAGE YOUTH ALL ACROSS BOSTON.
FOR THESE REASONS I BELIEVE THAT THE CODIFICATION OF THIS OFFICE IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY BUT FUNDAMENTAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OF YOUTH ALL ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON.
NOW FOR ALEXANDER COCO VENUS AS A PART OF SANTANA'S YOUTH VOICE OVER THE SUMMER WE MADE IT A GOAL TO FILE AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD CODIFY THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND OFFICE
CRUCIAL AND OFFICE CRUCIAL THAT IS CRUCIAL TO PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH ACROSS THE CITY OF BOSTON YEAR ROUND. WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON IT BECAUSE WITH THE UPCOMING ELECTION AND POTENTIAL FOR A
NEW MAYOR WE DID NOT WANT THERE TO BE AN OPTION OR A POSSIBILITY TO GET RID OF THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT. CODIFYING THE OFFICE WOULD ENSURE THAT THERE IS NO CHANCE OF THE OFFICE REMOVED SECURING
A PLACE OUR STUDENTS AND PEOPLE IN GREATER BOSTON CAN FIND CONNECTIONS TO WORK AND OTHER ASPIRATIONS THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE. CURLY'S MANANA WROTE THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND
ACHIEVEMENT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL FOR ME WHEN. I WAS STRUGGLING TO FIND A JOB. THEY HELPED ME CONNECT WITH SOME AWESOME RESOURCES AND CONNECTIONS IN BOSTON THROUGH THE SUPPORT I WAS ABLE TO GET A
JOB THAT FIT MY SCHEDULE WITH SCHOOL AND HELP ME GAIN VALUABLE EXPERIENCE BY FORMALIZING THEIR ROLE IN CITY POLICIES SO WE CAN ENSURE THAT PEOPLE HAVE A SEAMLESS
EXPERIENCES AND GET CONNECTED JUST AS I DID. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. NEXT UP WE HAVE BRIDGET AND
THEN A MIRROR. GOOD AFTERNOON, BOSTON CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS BRIDGET BLAIR. I'M A JUNIOR AT BOSTON LAND SCHOOL AND I'M A LIFELONG
RESIDENT OF WEST ROXBURY. I STARTED ON THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL AS A SOPHOMORE AND I WAS RECENTLY SELECTED AGAIN FOR MY JUNIOR YEAR. AND OVER THE PAST YEAR IN NYC
I'VE SEEN MYSELF AND MY PEERS BENEFIT FROM A HOST OF OPPORTUNITIES AND MENTORING. WHEN I STARTED NYC WAS INTERESTED IN THE GOVERNMENT BUT I DIDN'T THINK THAT THERE WAS ANYTHING I COULD DO TO MAKE
A CHANGE AS JUST A TEENAGER. BUT NYC HELPED TO EMPOWER MY FELLOW COUNCILORS AND I TO LEAD INITIATIVES OF OUR OWN MAKING. LAST YEAR I LED THE STREET SAFETY INITIATIVE UNDER WHICH I
WAS ABLE TO CONNECT TO AND SHADOW CITY WORKERS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WHICH HAVE REMAINED CONNECTIONS TO ME ACTUALLY STILL EMAIL BACK AND FORTH WITH MY SHADOW FROM THAT TIME AND WE'RE GOING TO
MEET THIS THURSDAY AS WELL AS I WAS ABLE TO HOST A TOWN HALL IN WEST ROXBURY FOR MY FELLOW PEERS TO HEAR ABOUT THE ISSUES THEY FACE AND BUILD RAMPS IN SOUTH BOSTON WITH THE ACTUAL
CONSTRUCTION TEAM CONTRACTED BY THE CITY AND WHY SHE GAVE ME AND MY FELLOW COUNCILORS NOT ONLY A SEAT AT THE TABLE BUT ALSO GREAT AGENCY IN MAKING OUR EVENTS AND INITIATIVES THE WAY WE THOUGHT WOULD BE BEST AND
MOST WELCOMING FOR OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE BEYOND NYC. I'VE BEEN ABLE TO WITNESS THAT THE GOOD THAT THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT DOES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OF BOSTON GOING TO
BE ALSO I'VE DEFINITELY HEARD A LOT OF MY PEERS FEEDBACK AS FAR AS THE CHALLENGES THEY FACE IN BOSTON BUT IT OFTEN FEELS AS IF THERE'S NOWHERE FOR THESE ISSUES TO BE HEARD. AS I ASSISTED IN INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE YOUTH LEAVE A CHANGE PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING
AS WELL AS I USED TO BE A BOSTON SURVEY I WATCHED PEOPLE AT MY SCHOOL FEEL MORE HEARD AND BECOME MORE ENGAGED IN SOLVING THE PROBLEMS THAT THEY FACED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES SILENTLY FOR SO LONG. OVERALL WELL I'VE BEEN AND
PERSONALLY I'VE BEEN PERSONALLY EMPOWERED BY THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL. I ALSO KNOW THAT THEIR THROUGH THEIR MANY OTHER INITIATIVES THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT CONTINUES TO EMPOWER EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE
ALL ACROSS BOSTON EVERY DAY AND CODIFY IN THE OFFICE IS OF INCREDIBLE IMPORTANCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, BRIDGET. SO WE HAVE A MIRROR AND THEN
ALEXANDER AND THEN ROSS. GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCILOR. MY NAME IS O'MARA SOTO'S. I'M A SOPHOMORE AT SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY AND A YOUTH AMBASSADOR FOR COUNSELOR HENRY SANTANA'S STUDENT YOUTH FORCE
AND A RESIDENT OF DORCHESTER. I AM HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR CODIFYING THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND OPPORTUNITY KNOWN AS OIA. AS A YOUNG WOMAN WHO GREW UP IN
BOSTON AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN CIVIL PROGRAMS SINCE I WAS 15, I SEEN HOW OIA HOW THE CONCEPT OF OIA HAS OPENED SO MANY DOORS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MIGHT NOT NEVER SEE THEMSELVES REPRESENTED IN GOVERNMENT AND
LEADERSHIP SPACES. THIS OFFICE DOESN'T JUST CREATE INTERNSHIPS IT BUILDS CONFIDENCE, COMMUNITY AND PURPOSE THROUGH OH YEAH I'VE LEARNED PROFESSIONAL SKILLS. FOUND MENTORS AND GROWN MY
PASSION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE. I'VE WATCHED MY. I'VE ALSO WATCHED MY PEERS FIND THEIR VOICES AND BECOME LEADERS WHO GIVE BACK TO OUR CITY AT THE SAME AGE THAT I STARTED UP MY DREAM OF BEING A POLITICAL
LEADER WASN'T FOUND IN MY TEXTBOOKS OR CLASS DISCUSSIONS BUT THROUGH HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH SEVERAL CITY AND STATE OFFICERS THROUGH INTERNSHIPS AND YOUTH PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY OIA, CODIFYING OIA MEANS PROTECTING
THE PIPELINE OF EMPOWERMENT, MAKING SURE YOUTH VOICES REMAIN A PERMANENT PART OF BOSTON GOVERNMENT NO MATTER WHO'S IN OFFICE SUPPORTING OUR YOUTH THAT SHOULD BE NON-NEGOTIABLE AND CODIFYING OIA IS HOW WE
PROVE IT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND VALUING THE VOICES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN BOSTON. I LOVE SEEING OUR FUTURE LEADERS OUT HERE.
IT'S GREAT. ALEXANDER AND THEN RUSS ON GOOD AFTERNOON CITY COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS ALEXANDER BERNAL AND I'M A STUDENT AT BOSTON LIGHT ACADEMY. AS A RESIDENT OF ROXBURY, THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME BECAUSE I REPRESENTS
OPPORTUNITY, EMPOWERMENT AND CONNECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF. GROWING UP IN BOSTON I'VE SEEN HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACHIEVE WHEN GIVEN THE RIGHT SUPPORT.
OH YEAH. GIVES PEOPLE A CHANCE TO EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS EARLY AND GAIN REAL EXPERIENCE WHILE ALSO BEING FELT HEARD BY THE CITY THAT RAISED THEM.
THROUGH YOUTH PROGRAMS SUCH AS BOSTON PICK AND SUCCESS LINK. I'VE PERSONALLY BEEN ABLE TO DEVELOP NEW SKILLS AND DISCOVER MY PASSIONS SOMETHING THAT HAS TRULY SHAPED MY FUTURE. ADDITIONALLY, PROGRAMS LIKE YOU
FLYNN DIRECTLY CONNECT YOU TO THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO SUCCEED. WHETHER THAT MEANS FINDING A JOB, ACCESSING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT OR HAVING A THIRD SPACE TO RELAX AND FEEL SAFE.
INDIVIDUALS LIKE HENRI SANTANA WITH SANTANA AS YOU FORCE JESSE FROM IBA AND PEDRO FROM MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL HAVE SHOWN HOW IMPACTFUL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CAN BE WHEN SUPPORTED BY STRONG
CITY INFRASTRUCTURE. FOR THESE REASONS I BELIEVE THE CODIFICATION OF THIS OFFICE IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT EVERY YOUNG PERSON IN BOSTON HAS ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND THE
SUPPORT THEY NEED TO THRIVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST ESPECIALLY BECAUSE HE'S A CHARLESTOWN RESIDENT ROSS
WILSON. HELLO, MY NAME IS ROSS WILSON. I'M A SENIOR AT BOSTON OUT IN SCHOOL AND AS THE COUNCILOR SAID I'M A CHARLESTOWN RESIDENT. THIS IS MY THIRD YEAR ON THE
COUNCIL. MY FIRST YEAR ON THE COUNCIL AT MAYORS YOUTH COUNCIL THAT IS MY FIRST YEAR ON THE COUNCIL. I WAS PART OF THE SCHOOLS COMMITTEE AND I WORKED ON CURRICULUM AND SUPPORT FOR
MAKING DIVERSE CURRICULUMS FOR BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE WORKED WITH BEPS AND WE ACTED WITH YOUTH TO MAKE A BETTER CURRICULUM FOR OUR
SCHOOLS AND YEAH. AND THEN FOR MY SECOND YEAR I WAS PART OF WITH BRIDGET AND TWO OTHER COUNCILORS ON THE SAFE STREETS COMMITTEE AND BASICALLY THE IDEA FROM THAT
CAME FROM THE NEED FOR A CROSSWALK ON THELMA AND BEDFORD STREET IN CHARLESTOWN. AND SO WE WERE PUSHING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR A CROSSWALK
ON THAT STREET THOUGH WE DIDN'T ACHIEVE THAT YET WE WERE STILL ABLE TO GET A CROSSWALK IN THE SOUTH END AND WE PUSHED WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SAFE STREETS AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF WHAT THE MAYOR'S YOUTH COUNCIL PROVIDES TO THE
YOUTH OF BOSTON AND IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEIR VOICES, TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS AND
BASICALLY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE YOU KNOW, THE GOINGS OF THE CITY AND HAVE AN IMPACT ON POLICY THAT WILL AFFECT THEM AND IT REALLY GIVES YOU THE FREEDOM TO PURSUE ISSUES THAT YOU THINK NEED TO BE ADDRESSED .
AND I'M JUST AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS COUNCIL AND HOW THIS DEPARTMENT HAVE SUPPORTED YOUTH IN THAT JOURNEY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. REALLY QUICK BEFORE YOU GO AWAY, WHAT DID YOU SAY BELMONT
AND BUNKER HILL STREET. YEAH, BELMONT AND MEDFORD STREET. IT'S THERE'S A DOG PARK ACROSS THE STREET FROM IT AND BASICALLY WE PUSHED LAST YEAR
BUT THEY SAID LIKE THE FIVE YEAR GAP IN BETWEEN THE PAVING THE ROADS THERE SO WE'RE PUSHING THAT FOR THIS YEAR AS WELL. THANK YOU. LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING TOGETHER WITH YOU ON THAT.
OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE SPEAK NOW FOR A HOLD? OKAY. I THINK WE'RE OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT WAS INCREDIBLE. I AGAIN, I REALLY LOVE SEEING
SOME OF OUR FUTURE LEADERS HERE IN THE CITY. YOU NEVER KNOW. ONE OF YOU COULD BE SITTING BACK HERE AND I HOPE THAT YOU ARE. SO PLEASE CONSIDER THAT. AND IF NOT, THAT'S OKAY. WE JUST NEED SOME GREAT LEADERSHIP THAT IS INVESTED IN
MAKING THE CITY AN EQUITABLE, WELCOMING, INCLUSIVE CITY FOR EVERYBODY. SO WITH THAT I'LL PASS IT TO COUNCILOR SANTANA FOR ANY CLOSING REMARKS HE MAY HAVE. AND COUNCILMAN, THANK YOU.
I THINK YOUR CHAIR REALLY APPRECIATE YOU HAVING US HERE TODAY AND HOSTING THIS HEARING. I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT I KNOW I'M GIVING THE MODEL A
SHOUT OUT TO GO OUT TO HERE IN THE PUBLIC TESTIMONY BECAUSE I WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO, YOU KNOW, SANTANA'S YOUTH FORCE AND JUST FOR BEING HERE YOU KNOW, THEY CAME OUT TO SCHOOL
AFTER CLASS AND JUST LOVE THE PASSION THAT YOU ALL HAVE RIGHT NOW FOR OUR YOUTH. YOU KNOW, AS YOUTH YOURSELVES JUST ADVOCATING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION ALREADY. AND I REALLY LOVE THAT, YOU
KNOW, DEFINITELY WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO YOU, HAKEEM JUST FOR HE WAS MY INITIAL YOUTH AMBASSADOR AND AS YOU KNOW, TOOK A CHANCE ON ON THE FORCE HIMSELF AND HAS BEEN
ABLE TO GROW SO AND YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR FOR BEING HERE TODAY BOTH OUR PANELS OUR ADMINISTRATION PANEL THAT FEATURED THE AMAZING PEDRO CRUZ WHICH I THINK YOU KNOW,
IT'S VERY CLEAR THE IMPACT THAT YOU'VE HAD ON OUR CITY AND IN OUR YOUTH, IN OUR ORGANIZATIONS AND JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING, YOU KNOW, YOU CONTINUE
TO GROW AND TAKE THIS OFFICE TO ANOTHER LEVEL WHICH I KNOW YOU'RE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT SO AND OF COURSE YOUR AMAZING TEAM LINDSAY AND EVERYONE WHO KEEP
IT RUNNING AND I THINK OF CHAIR AGAIN I THINK IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I THINK YOU KNOW I KNOW MY YOUTH ARE VERY BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR MONTHS NOW MAYBE WE CAN PROVIDE AN
UPDATE OF WHAT MAYBE THE NEXT COUPLE OF THINGS CAN LOOK LIKE I DON'T KNOW I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE GOING TO BE PULLING OUT FOR A VOTE THIS WEEK. WE'VE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM THE ADMINISTRATION OF THAT.
YOU MENTIONED EARLIER BUT HOPEFULLY BY NEXT WEEK WE CAN WE CAN PULL IT FOR A FOUR CITY COUNCIL VOTE. SO NOW THIS WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY AND YOU PROBABLY WON'T BE ABLE TO BE
THERE BECAUSE THERE WILL BE AT 12 NOON AND YOU'LL PROBABLY BE AT SCHOOL BUT I SHOULD BE AT SCHOOL BUT I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A BIG DAY FOR ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUTH WHO WORKED ON THIS.
SO TO SAY ONE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU POURED INTO IT AND TO THIS AND FOR THINKING OF OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THANK YOU AGAIN TO COUNSELOR SANTANA FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND JUST TO OUTLINE NEXT STEPS SO
WHAT WAS PROVIDED WHAT WAS FILED BY THE YOUTH AND COUNSELOR? SANTANA IS THE FIRST ITERATION AND IT'S YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE VERSIONS END UP EMERGING FROM THIS PROCESS AND THIS IS A
LEGISLATIVE PROCESS. SO WE'VE HAD A HEARING ON IT. WE'VE GATHERED INFORMATION FROM MANY OF THE STAKEHOLDERS. WE'VE GATHERED FEEDBACK THE FORM OF LANGUAGE SUGGESTIONS FROM THE OFFICE OF YOUTH
ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT AND NOW WE JUST HAVE TO RECTIFY THAT TO JAZZ COUNSELOR SANTANA AND MYSELF AND MY MY TWO COLLEAGUES. DO WE AGREE WITH THE CHANGES? I THINK GENERALLY WE DO. YOU'VE HEARD THAT TODAY BUT IT
WOULD BEHOOVE ME AS CHAIR TO ENSURE THAT THE REST OF MY COLLEAGUES GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THIS, PROVIDE ANY THOUGHTS, SUGGESTIONS OR COMMENTS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT I PRODUCE A COMMITTEE REPORT THAT TALKS ABOUT THE PROCESS AND
TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE CHANGES AND HOPEFULLY WE HAVE A FINAL PRODUCT THAT REFLECTS ALL OF THE DESIRES AND NEEDS AND WANTS OF THE OF THE YOUTH OF BOSTON. SO THAT'S NEXT STEPS AND I THINK THAT WILL TAKE US A WEEK.
SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE BUT CERTAINLY BY NEXT WEEK WE SHOULD HAVE A FINAL PRODUCT COUNSELOR BURTON. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU COUNSELOR SANTANA FOR
BRINGING FORWARD THIS ORDINANCE OR THIS TO QUALIFY THE OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT. I, I WAS REALLY I LEARNED A LOT THIS AFTERNOON.
THANK YOU TO ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL LIKE SO MUCH VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU'RE HERE. AND AS COUNCILOR COLETTA SAYS, FUTURE LEADERS IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. I NO DOUBT AND THEY ALSO LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH DIRECTOR CRUZ GETTING TO KNOW YOU A BIT BETTER I DON'T THINK I'VE MET YOU IN PERSON AND AND SEEING IF WE CAN COLLABORATE ON
ON ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING NOT JUST IN BRIGHTON BUT THIS IS A VERY HOPEFUL AND FORWARD LOOKING INITIATIVE AND I'M VERY EXCITED TO SUPPORT IT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL. GREAT.
I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO SAY JUST GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME AND ENERGY FOR BEING HERE THIS THIS HEARING ON DOCKET ONE FOR THREE FOUR IS
ADJOURNED. THANKS EVERYBODY