This fall, Boston youth and teens had the opportunity to get active, explore the outdoors, and experience new adventures with Youth Enrichment Services (YES). COVID-19 guidelines from the MA Department of Health continue to be in place to ensure the healthy and safety of participants, staff, and volunteers.
YES continued its partnership with Mildred C. Hailey Apartments to offer their residents weekly opportunities to bike in the Southwest Corridor. In addition, YES partnered with Urban Edge to provide a drop-in biking program available to YES kids and youth in the surrounding neighborhoods. Young people living in YES’s priority neighborhoods, many with limited access to the outdoors learned how to ride, improved their biking skills, and connected with positive adult models.
YES also partnered with two Dorchester schools this fall to introduce youth and teens to new experiences in the outdoors. Students from Tech Boston Academy and Martin Luther King Jr. K-8 School had opportunities to canoe, bike, and rock climb with YES.
Youth in YES’s Cross Country running program stayed active this fall with weekly practices at Saunders Stadium in Moakley Park. The program is an introduction to the sport of cross country running with a strong emphasis on the development of strength and stamina to run longer distances. Youth had the opportunity to compete in the Mayor’s Cup at Franklin Park in October.
Teens in the Leadership Corps program started their school-year season with YES in October. This year, teens will develop their leadership and career readiness skills through participating in workshops and trainings and put those skills into practice through volunteering with YES’s ski & snowboard rental shop and supporting SnowSports trips. Recently, teens have been working hard in the YES Rental Shop to learn how to bind and scrape skis and snowboards to prepare for the upcoming winter season.