Many of our InIt Youth Leadership InItiative delegates from the Class of 2017 have been recognized by local media for their participation in the youth social justice leadership training. Check out their news items below!
Read this article in the Framingham Source online.
A Framingham student is among 40 high school students, participating in a program to train social justice leaders.
Khloe Katende, who is a junior at the Rivers School, will attend InIt, which is a YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InITiative.
The mission of the program is to end racial disparities, end gender disparities, and promote social cohesion.
Read this article in Roslindale Transcript online.
Lena Harris, a Roslindale resident and junior at Brookline High School, is among 40 high school students in Metro Boston selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
Harris will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism and ableism in her school. By the end of the year, she will design and execute an action project that engages her fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at Beaver Country Day.
Alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng.
For information: ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Arlington Advocate online.
Lindsay Gould, an Arlington resident and junior at Cambridge School of Weston, is among 40 high school students in Metro Boston selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
With issues of discrimination, bias and their consequences increasingly in the national spotlight, youth leaders have an important role to play in making change. In the coming academic year, Gould will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism and ableism in her school. By the end of the year, she will design and execute an action project that engages her fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at CSW. Notable alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng. Learn more:ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Brookline TAB online.
Talia Vos, a Brookline resident and junior at Brookline High School, was among 40 high school students in Metro Boston selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
In the coming academic year, Vos will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism and ableism in her school. By the end of the year, she will design and execute an action project that engages her fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at Brookline High.
Alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng.
For information: ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Newton TAB online.
Sydney Rosensweig, a Newton resident and junior at Brookline High School, was among 40 high school students in Metro Boston selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
In the coming academic year, Rosensweig will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism and ableism in her school. By the end of the year, she will design and execute an action project that engages her fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at Brookline High.
Alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng.
For information: ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Randolph Herald online.
Geo Echebiri of Randolph, a Brimmer and May School senior, is among 40 high school students in the Boston Metro area selected for training as youth social justice leaders with YW Boston.
In the coming academic year, Echebiri will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism and ableism in his school. By the end of the year, he will design and execute an action project that engages his fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at Brimmer and May. Alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng.
For information: ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Wilmington Advocate online.
WILMINGTON — Mason Vega, a Wilmington resident and a junior at Beaver Country Day School, is among 40 high school students in the Boston area selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
With issues of discrimination and bias, and the consequences increasingly in the national spotlight, youth leaders have an important role to play in making change. In the coming academic year, Vega will receive training through YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, InIt, in addressing issues like racism, sexism, and ableism in his school.
By the end of the year, he will design and execute an action project that engages his fellow students in moving from conversation to action, creating a more inclusive and equitable school community at Beaver Country Day. Notable alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng.
For more information on the program, visit ywboston.org/init.
Read this article in the Wilmington Town Crier online.
WILMINGTON — Mason Vega is an upcoming junior at Beaver Country Day School and one of 40 high school students in the Boston area who has been selected to be trained as a Youth Social Justice Leader.
This year Vega will be receiving training through YW Boston’s Youth Leadership Initiative, InIt, on how to deal with issues such as racism, sexism, and ableism in his school.
“One of the leaders of the YW in Boston came to a school wide assembly at Beaver Country Day and told us about the program. I took one of the packets they were giving out and applied to be a Youth Social Justice Leader by writing a few short essays,” said Vega.
Some of the things that Youth Social Justice Leaders will be learning about are issues of race, gender, class, housing equity, education policy, food justice, health equity, immigration, and the criminal legal system.
“It sounded like it would be fun and a good opportunity to learn,” said Vega, “It’s something I’ve never done before, and making changes in equality seemed like a good idea and like it would be interesting.”
According to the YW of Boston’s website, “InIt is nationally recognized for its best practices in cultivating social and emotional learning skills such as teamwork, empathy, emotion management, responsibility, initiative, and problem solving in its participants. These life skills have been identified as essential for young people to thrive in college and in today’s workforce. Students graduate from InIt with new perspectives, relationships, and skills that benefit them in all areas of their lives. Specifically, students gain: in-depth understanding of social justice and how to affect positive change in their schools and communities, meaningful connections with peers from different racial, religious, socio-economic and geographic backgrounds, leadership and workplace skills like public speaking, time management, workshop facilitation, and communication skills, and connection to a large network of InIt alumni who are local leaders.
“InIt also makes an impact on entire schools through workshop and assembly offerings. InIt staff facilitate interactive, experiential-based sessions to classrooms and schools, in order to expose a broader audience of students to the social justice topics and skills that are taught in the InIt program.”
Some of the requirements for the ten month Youth Leadership Initiative include a summer retreat, Program Days that take place one Saturday each month, and ongoing work on a community action project throughout the school year.
“We have to complete hours throughout school, doing anything we want that teaches new ideas about things like sexuality, race, and other issues. There are three delegates from Beaver Country Day and we have to do twenty hours each,” said Vega, “We also have days once a month on Saturdays where we go do research and learn about different types of problems and equality.”
Mason Vega is a junior at Beaver Country Day School and a member of the class of 2018. He is also a member of the Beaver Country Day School basketball team, a part of one of their junior jazz ensembles, and he is thinking about joining the lacrosse team this year.
Vega is an active student, and InIt will help him to become even more active in school and the world around him.
Five Milton High School students – seniors Amy Dai, Cameron Trowers, Allegra Giddings and Will MacMillan; and junior Nuasheen Choudhury – were among 40 teens in Metro Boston selected for training as youth social justice leaders.
In the coming academic year, the teens will receive training through InIt, YW Boston’s Youth Leadership InItiative, in addressing issues like racism, sexism, and social justice in their school. By the end of the year, they will design and execute action projects that engage their fellow students in moving from conversation to action at Milton High.
Notable alumni of the Youth Leadership InItiative include Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and Facebook executive Erick Tseng. Visit ywcaboston2.wpengine.com/init to learn more about InIt.
 Amy Dai |
 Nuasheen Choudhury |
 Allegra Giddings |
 Will MacMillan |
 Cameron Trowers |
YW Boston addresses individual, interpersonal, and structural barriers in order to create more equitable spaces for women, people of color, and women of color.