Programming In order to best represent the programming goals of UTEC, we recently restructured our departments so that there are now four main centers of programming (Streetwork, Youth Development, The Open School, and Youth Organizing). All four centers are also intertwined, each one leading into the next in a similar way as described in the above mentioned youthwork model. For example, young people may enter the center through the outreach or intervention efforts of the Streetworker Center. They may become more involved in the center’s activities as a result of joining one of the classes (i.e. salsa dancing) in the Youth Development Center. These classes not only serve as a means for releasing the hidden talents of some youth through creative expression or recreation, but they also often represent the “hooks” that entice one to become further involved within the center. However, the organizers also utilize the Youth Development Center as a means for building their base for campaign work through all the teens participating in such activities as basketball and salsa dancing. As for The Open School, this particular center is geared toward those older youth (ages 16-23) who may not enter UTEC for a capoeira class but would get involved if there was a real opportunity for employment or furthering their education. It is within this center that young people can receive GED preparation and multimedia work skills training within a multicultural and leadership development environment. It is also the students of the Open School who work as assistant teachers for the drop-in video and music recording classes in the Youth Development Center. And lastly, for those young people that want to stretch their commitment beyond the walls of UTEC, the Youth Organizing Center offers opportunities and trainings for Lowell’s youth to create systemic change in their community by challenging the community’s decision-makers. Overall, there is an intertwining flow that connects UTEC’s four main programming centers. The following is a more detailed description of each Center:

Streetworker Center: There are four main focus areas within the Streetworker Center: First, everything begins with outreach (whether it is on the street, in the neighborhood, or through referrals from other systems-based agencies). Meeting teens “where they are,” a Streetworker’s role always begins by building relationships and identifying the needs of those young people most overlooked and labeled as “at-risk” in the community. Second, Streetworkers serve as a broker in helping these youth access the community’s resources as well as providing advocacy services (promoting UTEC services as well as the many other resources in the community). Third, by being available 24/7 on an on-call basis, Streetworkers develop various peacemaking processes between those youth that are most often involved in street violence or other crises. Through strategies such as peacemaking circles (a method of communication and problem solving from the aboriginal and native traditions) and the Peace Council (where current and former gang leaders come together to sustain peace), both staff and youth work toward building relationships and bridges between youth of different gang sets. And lastly, the glue that holds this whole approach together is the Streetworkers’ attention to intensive follow-up services for all those teens they work with (i.e. home visits, nightly phone calls, or visits to other support people in their life).

The Open School: The ultimate goal of The Open School is to provide GED preparation and multimedia skills training within a multicultural learning environment for Lowell’s out-of-school youth. The philosophy of this school stresses the importance of being open to “new ideas of being,” as well as being open to the process of developing the overall structure of this particular school. Once students complete their work skills certification (either A+ computer repair certification, video production or sound recording), they will be offered a paid-position in helping to create a new youth-run multimedia business providing services (i.e. producing organizational videos or networking computers) for local non-profits and small businesses. As such, their GED preparation will focus on integrating the work of their youth-run business and using it as a mechanism for project-based learning. And lastly, all of the multicultural and leadership activities will focus on developing the motivation, strength and resiliency to maintain their focus and commitment to completing this overall project. Graduating students also receive assistance in accessing higher education or attaining other employment in their field of study.

Youth Development Center: This particular Center represents UTEC’s multi-faceted approach to youth development, emphasizing that leadership skills and personal development are not created by focusing on one element of a young person’s life; many different elements must be considered and acknowledged in order for true positive development to succeed. Highlighting UTEC’s commitment to being a youth-led and youth-managed center, all classes are started at the request of teen members who are able to gain a minimum of 10 signatures on a sign-up sheet. As such, this Center offers weekly structured classes as well as drop-in activities in areas such as: Cultural Arts (Capoeira, Graffiti Art, Voice Instruction, Acting, Salsa Dancing, Breakdancing, and Hip-hop Dancing, and Fresh Roots Culinary Arts and Farm Project), Sports/Recreation (Basketball leagues and Drop-in Programs, Double Dutch, Volleyball, and Baseball), Multimedia Technology (Music Recording, Video Production, Web Design, Basic Computer Literacy, and Drop-In Access Hours), Education (Academic Tracking, Homework Assistance and College Awareness Trips), and Prevention/Support (Young Women’s Project Group Meetings, On-Site Counseling Services through Mental Health Association of Greater Lowell, and Thursday Nite Video Diary Groups).

Youth Organizing Center: The main core of this Center is the MAD (Making A Difference) Organizing Team. Comprised of a Lead Organizer, Teen Organizer Group Leader, and 8 Teen Organizers, this is the group responsible for carrying out UTEC’s long-term organizing movements (i.e. increasing bus hours to run until 8pm). The overall goal of this program is to create systemic change that addresses the root causes of social injustice through youth organizing campaigns, while at the same time increasing young people’s awareness of their own political power and their belief that they can be effective agents of social change. UTEC continually emphasizes organizing as having the following main attributes: uniting people, addressing root causes, and making change that lasts (systemic change). Organizers usually carry out their work in stages such as training, issues identification, campaign planning and strategizing, tactics and Actions, and reflection. Moreover, the MAD organizers are also responsible for institutionalizing and facilitating organizing as a primary mission within the agency as a whole, fostering opportunities for other projects to be engaged in grassroots activism. Ultimately, the MAD Organizers are at the core of this Center with other specialized teams focusing on issues within their particular field. For example, there are various other specialized organizing components within this Center such as UTEC’s Young Women’s Activism (advocating for increased funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs), the Leadership Team/Governing Body (advocating for increased funding for summer jobs), and the Streetworker’s Health Care Project (soon to begin, organizing around recent cuts to Masshealth and other health care topics). Moreover, like the other three main Centers, Organizing also intertwines with other programs such as Streetworker (assisting in the outreach piece of all campaigns) and The Open School (assisting in utilizing multimedia resources such as video and music recording to create various organizing tactics such as PSAs).

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