MissionSAFE

Nature and Purpose
      MissionSAFE is a non-profit community organization that works with families in the Mission Hill/Roxbury area of Boston and focuses on at-risk youth.  These families are predominately residents of public housing developments and low-income housing in neighborhoods surrounding Mission Hill.  MissionSAFE’s program, now almost four years old, was begun in response to the articulated needs of community residents for a comprehensive resident-led community development program. 
      MissionSAFE provides a range of opportunities for the community, which include a multidimensional afterschool program for youth between the ages of seven and eighteen, and a new initiative to older youth over eighteen who have dropped out of school and have been court involved.  Youth participate in community service internships, job-training programs, life skill workshops, and receive tutoring and mentoring.  The program includes art, music, dance, sports, theater, police-youth activities and field trips, both during the week and on weekends.  
       This year, MissionSAFE will begin an intensive, comprehensive tutoring and mentoring program for a core group of its junior high and high school aged children.  This program, the Explorer’s Academy, is designed to supplement and support the schools, and to provide MissionSAFE youth with an academic safety net, emotional supports, and career mentoring they will need to help successfully negotiate their school and life goals.  This program will be staffed largely by volunteers, who will assist with tracking the students’ progress in school as well as with the actual tutoring.

Tasks
MissionSAFE offers a range of possible volunteering opportunities, depending on the skills and talents of the volunteer. These could include:
*One-on-one tutoring and mentoring of an at-risk youth as part of the Explorer’s Academy tutoring program.
*Helping to design and produce teen leadership programming.
*Overseeing middle school and teen internship and job programs, among which will include a youth to senior outreach program, a youth anti-violence initiative and starting a neighborhood recycling business.
*Working with teens on the writing, editing, and production of a teen newsletter.
*Participating in the planning and development of the art, theater, dance and music programs.
*One-on-one tutoring with older youth (17 and above) that have returned to school after dropping out due to court involvement. 

Time Requirement
PULSE students can work Monday through Friday in the afternoons and evenings.

Supervision
PULSE students will receive an orientation in MissionSAFE’s programs in the Mission Hill community.  They will receive further training and weekly supervision from our staff.

Supervisors:   
Anne Carrabino
Andrew Boies

Address:   
1455 Tremont St.
Roxbury, MA
(617) 445-5766

Council Member:  Rachel Holt