BPS Brings "10 Boys" to Campus

On a recent Saturday in May, 36 students from the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and their families came to the Ed School to be recognized for their participation in BPS’ 10  Boys Initiative, a program aimed at “providing boys of color with the encouragement and support they need to achieve personal and academic success.” Students from Allston-Brighton, Jamaica Plain, and Roxbury came to campus for the event, Leadership and Learning: Celebrating the Accomplishments of our Young Men, cosponsored by Harvard Public Affairs & Communications and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, during which they presented their year-long projects, met with their mentors, and saw firsthand what it’s like on a college campus.

“You are the future of Boston. You are the future of this nation,” said BPS Interim Superintendent John McDonough in addressing the young men, families, and mentors. Because of their hard work, he continued, “You will become a leader of a strong family and your family will become a part of a strong community. On behalf of the entire Boston Public School system, you can count on our support and know that we also have high expectations for you.”

Cheryl Watson Harris, Boston Public Schools’ Network D Superintendent, together with a group of faculty and staff are working together, hoping to change the odds by providing young boys of color with the encouragement and support they need to achieve both personal and academic success, and put them on a path that will eventually lead to college.

“Our goal for the Network D Young Men’s program is to provide supports for our young men to reach their preferred future,” Harris said. “Many of these young men have challenges to overcome, but we believe in their ability to persevere and reach their goals. Our job and responsibility is to help remove as many academic, social, emotional, barriers as possible, and offer guidance and wisdom from the lessons we’ve learned along the way, and from our history.”

Parents were able to participate in workshops about how to choose the right high school, connect the actual value of college with the interests of their sons, cultivate positive identities in their communities, and set their sons up for success. They were listening and taking notes — creating their own road maps on the various ways to support their sons.

“We at Harvard were so pleased to welcome these talented young men to campus with their families and mentors,” said Kevin Casey, acting vice president of public affairs and communications. “It’s partnerships like this one with the Boston Public Schools that provides the university with an opportunity to support the excellent work being done our local schools.”

Throughout the event, it was clear that the young men were pleased with the support and encouragement they had received. “Since I joined the boys group my grades have really improved,” said one student. “I made honor roll!”