On one of the hottest days of the summer, 15 teenagers drenched with sweat pushed wheelbarrows through Larz Anderson Park, helping to mulch a path.
It was this year’s largest undertaking as part of the Brookline Teen Center’s Youthscapers program, an initiative which has been ongoing since 2016. The program gives the teenagers a chance to get professional experience, and get paid, along with the teen center’s other offerings.
BTC is a nonprofit that provides resources and serves as a safe space for teenagers in Brookline. The center currently has 550 members — a number that’s expected to increase since it recently expanded programming to include grades six through 12 every day, according to executive director Kasey Boston.
Boston said the Youthscapers initiative is part of a broader “workforce development program” at BTC. These programs help teenagers develop skills, hold jobs and get involved with the Brookline community, she said.
“Any teen in Brookline having a job is better for all of Brookline,” Boston said.
At Larz Anderson Park, “we explained that if they’re able to use their time to do that, it frees up other people in the town … so that all capacity can be increased,” Boston said.
Sarah Hill, one of the Youthscapers supervisors, has been coming to the teen center since she was in middle school. Hill graduated from Brookline High School in 2022 and began working part-time at BTC in September 2023 based on her positive experience there.
“Even in high school I knew I wanted a job here,” Hill said. “I saw from day one the way that those people cared for me. It got me through a lot of hard times.”
Now, Hill leads groups of Youthscapers three days a week in tasks like weeding, mulching and car washing. She said the program offers teens much-needed job experience that’s hard to find elsewhere in Brookline.
One of the students in the program, Christina Da Rosa, is entering her senior year at BHS and has been coming to the teen center for several years. Da Rosa said that while the work isn’t easy, she likes spending time outside and being with her friends on the job. Youthscapers has allowed her to make money, gain job experience and practice professional communication, she said.
“If we ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable or just want to speak our opinion I feel safe enough to do so, like I wouldn’t get judged,” she said.
Another Youthscaper, Sophia, who asked to only use her first name, said the program has been “a lot of physical work,” but helped her gain work experience and learn new skills.
“When I originally signed up, I didn’t know it was hard labor, but it’s pretty fun,” Sophia said. “I feel like this would be a really good first job experience.”
While the teens all enjoy working for pay, they said the program also taught them life skills like landscaping and car detailing, as well as the importance of being on time, precise and hard-working.
During the school year, BTC is open to middle and high schoolers every day after school and provides snacks, meals and a place to be social or do homework. Teens can use the center’s recording studio, gaming room, kitchen and basketball court, among other areas like a weightlifting space and two-lane bowling alley.
The teen center is dealing with some financial challenges, including paying rent on the space itself — a renovated auto repair shop on Aspinwall Avenue near Coolidge Corner — and making sure members have enough meals and resources.
To help cover costs, BTC is planning to introduce a voluntary payment plan this fall, asking families to contribute $25 monthly if they can, Boston said. She added that “there will always be a free option” for those who need it.
About half of the BTC’s members come from low-income families, Boston said. Teens’ time at the center fosters friendships across races and socioeconomic backgrounds, and the center works to provide resources so that members can benefit not only from the social elements but also academically and professionally, she said.
“We’re a piece of the puzzle for Brookline,” Boston said. “I think Brookline is uniquely poised to be a model and a leader of what it looks like when organizations work together to provide all the different resources to give the community what it needs.”