St. Stephen's Youth Programs

Courtesy St. Stephen's

Transforming communities, one young person at a time

The "B" Stands for Bishop

On Thursday, July 24th we were pleased to have Alan Gates, Bishop-elect for the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts visit B-SAFE.

Gates came to learn more about St. Stephen's Youth Programs and the neighborhoods we serve. He enjoyed meeting many of our students and joining them for a delicious lunch prepared by our partners from Parish of the Epiphany Winchester.

He comes to Boston by way of St. Paul's Church in Ohio, where he has served since 2004. Before being ordained, he was a Russian linguist and intelligence analyst for the federal government.

Medical Students Rock!

Harvard Medical School students brought energy and fun to the middle school science curriculum this summer. Twice a week, their hands-on rotations helped young people relate to biology in new ways -- understanding the building blocks all organisms share, and the things that make them unique.

Students made DNA models out of gummy bears and licorice; swabbed samples of their own DNA; learned how a mouse's nervous system works; and dissected a pig's heart. They particularly enjoyed using their new scientific vocabulary -- hypothesis, data, observation and experiment -- to describe the everyday world around them.

Aside from the fact that the volunteers from Harvard created highly engaging lesson plans, our middle schoolers were really impressed by the fact that students from one of the nation's top medical schools chose to spend their summer investing in them and their futures. Throughout the year, innovative partnerships like this one are what make our youth programs so successful and cost-effective.

Welcome Partners! The Beginning Of Beautiful Friendships

We were delighted to have a record 13 new B-SAFE partners join us this year! The list includes: St. Paul's in Bedford, Church of the Advent in Boston, St. Paul's in Brookline, Society of St. John The Evangelist in Cambridge, St. John's in Charlestown, All Saints in Chelmsford, Society of St. Margaret in Duxbury, Grace Church in Everett, Linden Ponds Interfaith Council in Hingham, St. Chrysostom in Quincy, St. Elizabeth's in Sudbury, and Epiphany Parish in Walpole.

Pictured above is Brother Curtis Almquist, a member of The Society Of St. John The Evangelist and a member of our Advisory Board. He enjoyed preparing SSJE's first B-SAFE lunch for students at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mattapan. Over the course of the week, all of the brothers enjoyed sharing meals with our students and getting to know them.