Initiative on Cities - White Paper Series
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Item Workforce development for vulnerable youth: lessons from two national studies(Boston University Initiative on Cities, 2022-03-30) Collins, Mary Elizabeth; Spindle-Jackson, AdriannaYoung people who are neither in school nor working have been termed ‘disconnected’ or more optimistically ‘opportunity’ youth (Burds-Sharps & Lewis, 2018). The challenges for these youth are well known. If youth are not building needed skills during adolescence and young adulthood, the risks of long-term disadvantage are severe (Lewis & Gluskin, 2019). Race, gender, geography, and many other characteristics impact the likelihood of disconnection and its negative effects. This brief summarizes key results of two studies, conducted by a team at the Boston University School of Social Work between April 2020 and March 2021, to understand how workforce development boards address the needs of vulnerable youth. In addition to presenting findings from these studies, the authors offer ideas for next steps.Item Engaging Youth in Local Government: Lessons from the Boston Region(Boston University Initiative on Cities, 2016-10-20) Augsberger, Astraea; Collins, Mary; Gecker, Whitney; Lusk, Katharine; Tena, Francesco; Davis, ShariThere is widespread consensus that young people have a right to be directly involved in decisions that affect them, and an understanding that adults are the ones who must create formal pathways of engagement. Yet there remains limited empirical information about the best ways to do so. This paper identifies key lessons gleaned from a multi-method study of twenty-four operating municipal youth councils throughout the greater Boston region. The insight assembled here is based on interviews with youth and adult stakeholders, observations of council meetings, a review of council documents, as well as a review of relevant academic literature. It is intended to guide practitioners in developing or reforming local youth councils.Item The One Fund Boston: Lessons for Leaders(Initiative on Cities, Boston University, 2014) Yesnowitz, Joshua CorieEstablished in the immediate aftermath of the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, the One Fund Boston disbursed $61 million dollars in donations to survivors and victims’ families within two months of its launch. The scale and success of the One Fund vastly outpaced victim and survivor funds created in other American cities and towns in the last two decades. This report, published by the Initiative on Cities at Boston University, provides mayors, as well as business and community leaders, with a blueprint for the design and implementation of the One Fund. It identifies lessons for leaders in other communities affected by mass trauma who are confronted with a similar desire and need to coalesce empathy into a useful form.