Books of Hope, Mystic Learning Center

Description

Youth challenge themselves weekly to reach the program’s exciting culmination: publication and sales promotion of their own books, of which they receive 50-60% of the earnings. Youth participants come from the Mystic Public Housing Development in East Somerville and five Greater Boston communities.

The five goals of Books of Hope are: (1) literacy: promote youth literacy within the at-risk, urban and immigrant communities by enhancing reading, writing, and public speaking skills; (2) leadership/entreprenuerism: immerse youth in leadership and entreprenuerial experiences, to include: training in social entrepreneurship, publication and sales of youth-authored books, and employment; (3) academic performance: improve academic performance, reduce high school dropout rates, and encourage pursuit of higher education (4) positive contribution: increase self-sufficiency and positive behavior by nurturing a safe, respectful community of peers who together channel their ideas and experiences into art and social enterprise; and, (5) community building: encourage youth to engage civically and serve their communities, as well as build relationships with adult mentors from the local community with backgrounds in writing, education, art, and business.