You still haven’t registered? Here are five good reasons why you should.
Join us for YouthConnect’s Annual Partnership Breakfast, which is being held virtually this year on Wednesday, November 3 from 8–9 a.m.
Registration is free and attendees will have the opportunity to see a compelling program that includes first-hand stories about how YouthConnect has become a national model for urban areas dealing with youth delinquency and violence. You still haven’t registered? Here are five good reasons why you should.
1. Celebrate YouthConnect’s 25th Anniversary
While this is the 10th annual YouthConnect Partnership Breakfast, this year, YouthConnect is celebrating 25 years of service to the Boston community. Since the organization was founded in 1996, YouthConnect social workers have been on the front lines alongside Boston’s police force taking on the underlying problems and social emotional issues that contribute to juvenile crime and delinquency. Throughout these 25 years, YouthConnect has served more than 17,000 youth with prevention and intervention services, and has referred thousands more to other existing resources.
“We are incredibly proud of both the impact and staying power that YouthConnect has demonstrated over the past two and a half decades,” explained Interim Executive Director Kevan Barton, who has been involved with the organization for 12 of those years. “With more than 50 years of combined experience at this organization across our team of nine social workers, we look forward to celebrating the longstanding impact of our work thus far, and also share the priorities in our organization that we believe will extend our impact another 25 years into the future and beyond.”
2. Celebrate the work of community partner Lovin’ Spoonfuls and former YouthConnect Executive Director Andrea Perry
We look forward to sharing the work of YouthConnect’s friends and partners in the community. Lovin’ Spoonfuls is an organization that has rescued nearly 22.5 million pounds of food in it’s mission to tackle hunger in the Boston community and has worked in parallel with YouthConnect in supporting youth and families throughout the challenges of the ongoing public health crisis.
YouthConnect is also excited to welcome the organization’s former Executive Director Andrea Perry back for her first breakfast since moving on to a new role as Associate Director for Pilot Projects at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Andrea was passionate, a transformational leader, and a change agent during her 22 years with YouthConnect. She received many awards and public recognitions, including the White House Champion of Change Award for Youth Violence Prevention.
3. Hear from Boston Police Department (BPD) Superintendent Nora Baston
This year, we will be welcoming Boston Police Department Superintendent Nora Baston to the breakfast’s center stage. She will share highlights of BPD’s longstanding relationship with YouthConnect, and how the two organizations are teaming up to provide holistic support and care to youth and families throughout the Boston community.
4. Experience YouthConnect’s impact from the perspective of a social worker and client
This year, Carolyn McCrosson, a YouthConnect social worker, will be sharing her own testimonial for the ways she has witnessed YouthConnect create impact in the community. She will be accompanied by a client she has been working with throughout the ongoing global health crisis.
“The relationships that we develop with youth and their families are my favorite part of being a YouthConnect social worker,” explained McCrosson. “Through these relationships, I can have conversations with youth about difficult topics like mental health, community violence, and substance use. These conversations can help us determine where youth need the most support. My clients are among the most resilient and engaging people I know, and I’m excited for the opportunity to share a story at this year’s breakfast.”
5. Learn how you can make an impact on YouthConnect’s mission
In addition to learning about YouthConnect’s mission, attendees will also have the opportunity to learn how to get more involved with YouthConnect as a supporter. It is through the tremendous generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations that we are able to continue helping the most at-risk young people make positive life choices through trusting relationships with skilled and compassionate social workers.
Get your YouthConnect Partnership Breakfast tickets here>>
