St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

Part of the All Our Children network. We have a flourishing partnership with the Blackstone Innovation School, a neighboring elementary school.  A diverse network of religious and secular organizations came together to transform the school as it underwent the Turnaround process. 

This unique collaboration which was recognized by the White House Office of Faith-Based initiatives has resulted in the creation of:

• a 10,000 volume lending library open every weekday which is staffed by volunteers, catalogued on an online database, and includes a lifetime subscription to EBSCO databases;
• a hands-on science curriculum and renovated greenhouse;
• a "Support a Classroom" program that provides teachers with necessary supplies and wish-list items; and
• a fleet of classroom volunteers to support the school's classrooms throughout the year. 

In addition, a dedicated, part-time Organizer is helping program parents address safety and school quality issues, build community in their neighborhoods, and identify areas in which our programming needs to be strengthened.

Elementary School: Our after-school programs operate on days when Boston Public Schools are in session. Our youngest students receive one-on-one homework help, tutoring in math and reading, supplemental science, art, music and technology, and enrichment programming. They have opportunities for physical fitness (swimming, dance and free-play time outdoors) and are given a hot, nutritious meal each day.

Middle School: Students in grades 5-8 get academic support and enrichment geared toward their developmental level. Their programming includes single-gender groups and workshops to help them develop healthy self-images and habits. It also features leadership training. Students who do not get home from school in time to participate in the middle school program can obtain homework help during teen Academic Nights

High School: We provide teens and SSYP alumni with academic and emotional support, life skill and leadership training, college and career preparation, job training, and employment opportunities in our year-round programming. Teen Program curriculum includes:

• Twice-weekly Academic Nights for homework help, tutoring, and academic enrichment;
• College & Career Preparation including career exploration and planning, test-taking strategies, essay and resume writing, personal finances, obtaining financial aid, and developing interview skills;
• Job Training on professionalism, workplace relationships, first aid, and safety; and 
• Employment as tutors, mentors, activity leaders, and role models for students in B-READY and B-SAFE.

B-SAFE Summer Enrichment Program provides a safe, fun, academically enriching environment for more than 550 elementary and middle school students each year. Activities include numbers and word "clubs," Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) time, hands-on exploration of science, technology and the arts, and field trips throughout the Boston area.

We run B-SAFE at our year-round sites in the South End and Lower Roxbury and at four additional sites in Dorchester, Mattapan, and Chelsea.  

B-SAFE also offers meaningful work experience for teen Counselors-in-Training and Junior Counselors-in-Training. Many of of our teen positions are funded by the Boston Youth Fund and Chelsea Collaborative. Teen staff members help us ensure each child’s safety and supervision, run team-building exercises, assist with academic activities, and serve as role models for younger students. 

Our community organizing work also focuses on community, state, and national efforts to make the neighborhoods we serve safer. Our teen programming includes civics education, leadership development, and basic community organizing strategies. Recent campaigns have included: 

• collecting signatures with Raise Up Massachusetts for passage of the Fair Share Amendment to support public education;
• joining state-wide groups to advocate for increased public funding for teen jobs; and
• mobilizing leaders to testify and push for passage of the 2014 Massachusetts law designed to reduce gun violence

A team of teen organizers has developed a replicable model of community intervention. They spurred creation of the  Friends of Ramsay Park, comprised of community organizations, residents, law enforcement, and other stakeholders. The group is working to make the park (located in the Lenox neighborhood, where our second year-round program site is located) safer and healthier for young people and families. 

Highlights of the Friends of Ramsay Park Campaign to date include:

• Securing $2 million from the City of Boston to renovate the park,
• creating ten new community organizer positions for neighborhood teens, 
• installing giant public art pieces, including a colorful blacktop mural and a tile mosaic (the work of young people in our programs),
• recruiting athletes to run evening sports workshops for neighborhood families throughout the summer of 2015.

In September 2012, violence struck at the heart of our community when 19-year-old Jorge Fuentes was murdered while walking his dog outside his home in Dorchester.  He was an exuberant, remarkable young man and natural leader, adored by the children he mentored at St. Stephen’s Youth Programs and respected by his peers. Jorge grew up in our programs and graduated from high school looking forward to a bright future.

In his honor, we run the B-PEACE For Jorge Anti-violence Campaign. B-PEACE is a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts which stands for:

Bishop’s Action Steps Toward Peace:

• Programs for youth
• Employment for teens and young adults
• Academic excellence in public schools
• Communities for families
• End to gun violence