History

The Teen Initiative was originally convened by Boston’s After-School for All Partnership in 2003 as an advisory group to study youth participation in OST programs. In that capacity, the Teen Initiative supported two studies, After-School Programs in Boston: What Young People Think & Want, and Coming of Age in Boston: Out of School Opportunities for Teens.

In 2005, the Teen Initiative came under the auspices of Boston After School & Beyond, which formed the Teen Initiative Planning Team of diverse stakeholders and began the process of defining an action agenda drawing upon those initial research findings. The planning team then connected with the Youth Transitions Funders Group (YTFG), convened by the Boston Private Industry Council, which simultaneously was considering strategies to address the needs of youth already disengaged from school.

In 2006, YTFG published Too Big To Be Seen: The Invisible Dropout Crisis in Boston and America, which documents Boston’s drop out crisis and makes recommendations to address the crisis.

Based on these studies, a review of the youth development literature, and more than a year of planning with a wide array of stakeholders, the Teen Initiative dedicated itself to strengthening the youth development resources available in Boston’s neighborhoods by weaving the diverse youth serving organizations in these communities into collaborative networks focused on the needs and strengths of high school aged youth.