Our Programs
Advocacy & Action
Worcester's young people are living through multiple crises, and no one is asking them about it.
Unstable housing, food insecurity, unemployment, and a shortage of mental health providers hit BIPOC youth the hardest.
These crises don't have to target young people to impact their lives. When a parent loses work there's less to eat. When relatives move in because they can't find a place they can afford, the home gets crowded.
And when they can't get access to mental health care, a family member gets arrested instead of treated.
We invite our youth to talk about how this affects them and their families so they don't feel alone.
Instead of just keeping our young people busy, we help them turn lived experience into community service and advocacy.
In our AdvocATE Workshops, students find their voice and become the heroes of their community.
These are the same young people no one thought to ask. When they're given the skills and the platform to speak, they no longer feel like they have to carry their burden alone. They start taking action through community service and talking to adults with the power to change policy.
The youth the city overlooked become the youth it listens to.
Bring AdvocATE workshops to your school.
If there are students in your high school or middle school who deserve to be heard, we'll bring AdvocATE to them.
Some of our workshops:
Food Insecurity & Hunger
Students gather supplies, prepare fresh meals or snack bags, write empowering notes, and participate in a youth friendly food justice conversation.
Menstrual Hygiene & Equity
Students collect period products, assemble dignity-centered hygiene kits, and write uplifting messages to push back on menstrual stigma.
Community Service
Students identify a meaningful community need, design their own service project, gather materials, and complete their chosen project as leaders.
Huddle Up Against Hunger
Youth participate in sports clinics to learn about food insecurity and mutual aid. Students also learn about local resources and food donations.