More than 500 Boston youth will get active and outdoors with YES this winter through the Operation SnowSports program. Since January, young people experienced winter snowsports – including downhill skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing – developed self-confidence, and gained new skills on the slopes and trails.
This winter, students at Tech Boston Academy – a year round YES Strategic Partner in Dorchester – are gaining skills and confidence as they learn to ski and snowboard weekly with YES at Blue Hills Ski Area. In addition, YES is partnering with schools, housing developments, and youth centers to provide young people with outdoor opportunities this winter. These include Dearborn STEM Academy (Roxbury), Ellison Parks School (Mattapan), Franklin Park Development Tenants Association (Dorchester), Josiah Quincy Upper School (Chinatown), Mary Lyon Middle School (Brighton), McCormack Middle School (Dorchester), Mildred C. Hailey Apartments (Jamaica Plain), Nazzaro Community Center (North End), Roxbury Tenants of Harvard (Mission Hill), Tenants Development Corporation (South End), and UP Academy (Dorchester).
Young people in the YES Cross-Country Ski Program at Weston Ski Track have been active on the trails and having fun this winter! Youth participated in five weeks of cross-country skiing where they learned the basics of the sport, practiced their skills, played games on their skis such as freeze tag and ski “soccer”. Young people in the Cross-Country Ski Program also had the opportunity to participate in the Bill Koch Youth Festival in Vermont. “YES youth had a tremendous amount of fun participating in the races,” says Elliot Simmons-Uvin, Equipment Manager and Senior Outdoor Instructor. “Thank you to our outdoor partners, funders, and staff for making this special opportunity possible for our young people!”