PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:
 

Hyde Square Task Force Receives $120,000 Grant for Unique Youth Workforce Development Program

 
Contact: Ken Tangvik, Director of Program Development, Hyde Square Task Force, Inc.
617-905-7424, ktangvik@aol.com
 
On Monday, October 24 at 4:00 PM a press conference will be held at the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center (SJPHC) on 640 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain to announce a major grant that the Hyde Square Task Force, Inc. recently received for its H-CAP Program (Health Career Ambassadors Program).
 
The $120,000 two-year grant will fund a new youth workforce development program for Jamaica Plain and Roxbury youth who will receive extensive training and be placed in part-time jobs at four major health centers in the JP/Roxbury area: Southern Jamaica Plain Heath Center, Dimock Health Center, Martha Eliot Health Center and Brookside Community Health Center.
 
The program, which was designed by Yi-Chin Chen of the Hyde Square Task Force and piloted last year, will serve both in-school and out-of-school youth ages 15-21. The youth will work in a variety of positions at these centers focusing on health education, nutrition/fitness, Reach Out and Read, medical records, and front line customer service. The program also offers job shadowing at the health centers, intensive academic support and college prep activities.
 
The grant is from the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) that is administrated by the City of Boston’s Office of Jobs and Community Service.
 
“ We were pleased that Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center was the pilot site of this program and we are very excited that three other major health centers in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury have joined this unique partnership”, said Tom Kieffer, the Director of the SJPHC, which is affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
 
“This grant represents a major new resource for youth in Jamaica Plan and Roxbury,” said Claudio Martinez, Executive Director of the Hyde Square Task Force. “The H-CAP Program provides an opportunity for our youth to explore careers in the health care field at the grassroots level in their neighborhood.”
 
At the press conference, a dozen youth who have started in the program, program staff, representatives from all four health centers, and a representative from the City of Boston’s Office of Jobs and Community Service will be in attendance. Two youth will also speak on their experiences in last year’s pilot program.