The Holyoke Youth Center

Vital Stats

Liz B

Holyoke, MA

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  • People Doing It 30

The Problem

Holyoke, Massachusetts is an impoverished and economically stratified post-industrial city comprised of 40,000 residents; 39% under the age of 24 and 41% Hispanic or Latino. Holyoke is a city struggling with the second-highest rates of teen pregnancy in the state, extreme gang violence and high rates of high school dropouts, and 55% of households living below the poverty line. Despite these harsh statistics, Holyoke is a city of extraordinary community activism, wrought with passion and unity around common social issues. The youth of Holyoke, inclusive of all ages and genders, have no safe place for general recreation, entertainment, or supervised activities during after-school and summer hours, as an alternative to high-risk behaviors and gangs. Additionally, the youth have no youth-directed spaces to allow for ownership over their large presence within the Holyoke community. Lastly, the Holyoke Youth Commission does not have a permanent space for weekly meetings, presentations, and youth workshops. The youth of Holyoke, inclusive of all ages and genders, have no safe place for general recreation, entertainment, or supervised activities during after-school and summer hours, as an alternative to high-risk behaviors and gangs. Holyoke, Massachusetts is an impoverished and economically stratified post-industrial city comprised of 40,000 residents; 39% under the age of 24, the second-highest rates of teen pregnancy in the state, extreme gang violence and high rates of high school dropouts, and 55% of households living below the poverty line. Despite these harsh statistics, Holyoke is a city of extraordinary community activism, wrought with passion and unity around common social issues. But the youth have no youth-directed spaces to allow for ownership over their large presence within the Holyoke community. The youth are forced to spend free-time and recreation in unsafe ways and have no place to go that is explicitly for them. Lastly, the Holyoke Youth Commission does not have a permanent space for weekly meetings, presentations, and youth workshops. This lack of meeting space is extremely significant because the Holyoke Youth Commission are THE representatives for the Holyoke youth, they are chosen as true leaders and the Commission is unique because it is youth-directed, and the only venue for youth voice and representation in local policy-making and community engagement in social issues. The public spaces available in Holyoke are limited and unsafe, and issues such as high rates of crime and gang violence will be perpetuated without a safe space for youth to engage in meaningful activity, and to unite in creating youth-driven solutions to these problems.

Plan of Action

The center will be youth-driven; created for the youth and by the youth. Four Youth Commissioners will be selected to receive stipends for their hard work and effort, intensive training, and act as directors of the Holyoke Youth Center. The youth directors will have complete control over the space and will be solely responsible for purchasing equipment and furnishings for the center, determining the center hours, and carrying out its primary functions. The youth will be trained in leadership skills, management practices, and methods of facilitation. The youth will acquire practical skills to increase their job readiness and propel their academic career. The Center open-hours will be supervised by a qualified adult during all times; my supervision, Youth Build staff members, Vision Map director Imre Kepes, and director of the Youth Commission Rebecca Masters will assist with hours of supervision. The Holyoke Youth Center will be a space for full-time supervised youth recreation, Holyoke Youth Commission meetings, youth-organized workshops and events, a youth-run business and coffee shop, and a general hub for youth activism within Holyoke. The center will be created in collaboration with Nueva Esperanza Inc. and Holyoke Youth Build; a community development corporation and job-training program for youth, respectively. Holyoke Youth Build will use a $10,000 grant for a youth entrepreneurial initiative to create a Teen Café business in El Mercado; a fully-furnished café and commercial space owned by Nueva Esperanza. The Youth Build grant will be used to train the Youth Build students in business management and entrepreneurial skills, and to provide stipends for the Youth Build students. The $10,000 Energize Your Community grant will be used as start-up capital for the Holyoke Youth Center. The grant will be used for the property rental of El Mercado, equipment, supplies, and furnishings, as well as youth stipends for first-time youth employees. The property rental is a total of $500.00 per month including utilities. The café space is a fully-furnished food establishment that is now only used for meetings. The Holyoke Youth Center will revive the space and use the grant money for equipment such as computers, internet access, and a cable television and projector. This equipment will provide for youth recreation and events such as film screenings, cultural performances, educational workshops, Holyoke Youth Commission meetings, and a headquarters for youth to access greater knowledge and information.
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