We are halfway through our final week here at St. Stephen’s YLC (middle school program) and our Teen Counselors-in-Training (CITs) have just wrapped up a series of trainings by creating “wearable art” with the help of our artist-friend, Basil! This project enabled the teens to reflect on how they define themselves, especially after five weeks of responsibilities associated with all the bustling activities that have taken place as part of their summer jobs working with middle school children.
During B-SAFE, our CITs have had additional opportunities to improve upon leadership and problem solving skills, develop positive relationships, and learn valuable information to help them build bright futures. Last week, for example, all of our teens went to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for a program focusing on “Money Matters for Young Adults.” The game show presentation addressed budgeting, banking, credit establishment/history, and college financial planning. CITs across sites came together to participate, some taking notes, and others leaving determined to open a savings account at a local bank (if they did not already have one, which is the case for a number of our teens.) We are excited to have been able to connect with the experts at the Federal Reserve and offer their knowledge to our CITs as a foundation for financial stability!
Posted by Daisy Chiu, Teen Staff Coordinator for B-SAFE @ St. Stephen’s
