Boston Rising, a fund to end the cycle of poverty in Boston, announced today that it is investing $600,000 to support summer programs and activities. With this investment, more than 700 Grove Hall students will have summer learning, enrichment and/or work opportunities this summer.
Typically, urban youth are more susceptible to learning loss and violence during the summer months. With that in mind, Boston Rising is dedicating significant grant money to support the youth in Grove Hall, the organization’s first impact zone.
The programmatic investments include:
• A collaboration with Boston After School and Beyond which will serve almost 250 students in Grove Hall schools to address summer learning loss and positive youth development.
• A collaboration through the Youth Violence Prevention Funders Collaborative to support ABCD Elm Hill and Boston PIC to provide summer employment opportunities to more than 40 youth ages 14-19.
• A partnership with the State Street Foundation to fund a supportive employment program for 14 high-risk Grove Hall youth through the summer and into the fall.
• A TenMarks Summer Project, which will address learning loss in math for up to 400 students, grades 4-9 mainly in Grove Hall.
• Partnering with the Boston Public Schools in Grove Hall to support summer programs and internships for more than 50 youth in the community.
• Summer jobs at Boston Rising for six high school students from Jeremiah P. Burke and Boston Latin.
“This summer, Boston Rising has invested in programs to keep our youth safe, learning and working,” stated Tiziana Dearing, CEO of Boston Rising. “We are supporting an array of programs with notable partners that will allow more than 700 Grove Hall youth, in grades K-12, to participate in a safe and educational environment, which enables them to continue rising during the summer months.”
Boston Rising has implemented a place-based focus in Grove Hall, working with residents, institutions and community leaders to identify areas of need and priorities for residents.
“The summer program is the result of feedback from Grove Hall residents, schools and neighborhood leaders,” says Audrey Jordan, Partner for Grants and Investments at Boston Rising. “We believe that people should exercise choice and control over the types of assistance that they need to rise. All of us at Boston Rising are fully committed to making investments shaped by resident preference.”