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News from...St. Stephen's Youth Program

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Thursday Feb 23, 2017

A Day of Sanctuary

Sanctuary...what does it mean to you? Is it a cozy school library where you can curl up with a good book and travel to foreign lands? Is it coming indoors after a cold day of skiing to share a cup of hot chocolate with a friend? Is it sitting in a church, synagogue, or mosque watching the light through the windows and listening to familiar stories? Is it the warmth of community, safety, a sense of belonging and peace? Who should have it? Who doesn't have it yet?

On Monday, January 16, 2017, at our Seventh Annual Martin Luther King Day of Action we experienced and talked about sanctuary in its many forms: improving the learning environment of a school, including its library; skiing with middle schoolers and teens in New Hampshire; learning more about about keeping our undocumented neighbors safe from possible negative actions; and standing in a circle of support with staff, local officials, and clergy.

9:00 a.m. - Gathering for a Day of Action
Nearly 300 people from 45 organizations--including churches, synagogues, public schools, charter schools, neighborhood associations, Americorps groups, corporate businesses, and nonprofits--gathered at the Blackstone Innovation School, where over half of our B-READY elementary students attend school. It was our Seventh Annual MLK Day of Action there. We completed 25 projects to improve the school, including painting hallways and stairwells, cleaning windows, organizing and covering books, revitalizing the greenhouse and making teacher appreciation gifts.

Special thanks to our Sponsoring Partners for this event: All Our Children, B-PEACE for Jorge Campaign, Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association, Ellis South End Neighborhood Association, Emmanuel Gospel Center, Jewish Community Relations Council, Motus (a Building Impact corporate partner), St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and Trinity Church in Boston.

10:00 a.m. - YLC and JCITs go skiing
The same morning, SSYP partnered with Youth Enrichment Services (YES) to take 33 middle schoolers and teens along with ten staff, alumni and volunteer chaperones to Pat's Peak in New Hampshire for a winter outdoor adventure. Once there, young people had formal lessons on how to ski or snowboard from trained YES instructors. Youth then spent the morning and early afternoon engaged in experiential learning as they figured out many of the skills of skiing and snowboarding. Despite the many falls that come with early practice, students had a lot of fun! The shouts of young people encouraging and supporting each other rang out above all else.

ssypboston.org

11:00 a.m. SSYP Alum installs canvas partition in a first grade classrooms at the Blackstone
SSYP Program Alum, Curry College Student and current SSYP Lead Counselor Alex Maizonett led a group of five volunteers to construct and install a canvas partition in a first grade classroom. The Blackstone was built in the early 1970's when "open classroom" design was all the rage; it's a fad that has faded away because of the real challenges created in the absence of walls. The teacher requested this project to block out some of the distractions in the hallway and to increase space to hang student work. In preparation for the project, Alex visited the classroom and the after-school students in the class were very excited to see Alex there!

2:00 p.m. - Teen Organizers lead conversations about Sanctuary Schools
After lunch at the Blackstone, teen organizers from the B-PEACE for Jorge Campaign taught people about the Sanctuary Schools Campaign. The Campaign is a an effort to make our schools safeand welcome for all students and families, regardless of immigration status.

City Councilors Tito Jackson and Ayanna Pressley gave inspiring speeches as part of the Sanctuary Workshop and we reflected on words from Dr. King.

3:00 p.m. Feeling Connected
As people left the Blackstone Innovation School at the end of the day, everyone felt connected to the legacy of Dr. King by advancing his goal of creating "true education that combines intelligence and character." City councilors, clergy, staff, and Teen Organizers joined in reflection on the fact that we might celebrate Dr. King's legacy by providing sanctuary to all.