While FYSOP is a great way to both meet new people and see some out of the way places around Boston, the ultimate goal of the week is to help out this incredible city by performing three days of service. By spending this time in different sites around Boston, we hope that not only do we benefit Boston, but that you are able to learn something new both about the city, and the Human Rights issue area.
Here’s a sneak peak at a few of the sites we will be helping out during the service days of FYSOP:
1) MCI (Massachusetts Correctional Institution) Framingham
MCI Framingham is a medium security correctional facility for female offenders. Currently, it is the oldest female correctional institution in the USA. The prison has been reported as the most crowded in the state, housing 656 female inmates even though it is only designed to hold 452. MCI Framingham has a variety of services available to its inmates including mental health, medical, substance abuse, family services, educational, library, religious, recreational, and community service programs. The facility also has vocational programs in areas such as cosmetology and culinary services.
2) South Middlesex Correctional Center
South Middlesex Correctional Center was founded in 1976 with an original population of only 25 inmates. It is now a 200 bed
facility for minimum security and pre-release female inmates. SMCC’s work release program allows inmates to hold jobs, mainly
with fast food restaurants in the area. Work-release inmates provide 15% of their wages to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
to help defray the cost of their housing. Other inmates work in the institution itself for a stipend of $3 a day.
3) Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services
Since 1939, the Lutheran church has helped to resettle refugees fleeing from war torn countries and other forms of persecution.
LIRS’s work includes providing legal assistance in a variety of ways to new immigrants, as well as more substantive aid such as
vocational training and assistance in acquiring housing and furniture. Since their creation, LIRS has aided more than 342,000
refugees seeking new lives in this country.
4) Kim’s Project
Kim’s Project is a program for women affected by the street economy and sex trade. The program offer’s positive alternatives,
ensures their safety and raises awareness. They believe that “involvement in the street economy/sex trade does not define who are…
or who you may become.” Every year about 600 young people in Massachusetts “age out” of foster care and residential systems.
Many of these young people are unprepared to face adulthood alione so are vulnerable to violence, homelessness and exploitation.
Kim’s project believes it is essential to intervene early, focusing on young women 18-24 years.
5) New Entry Sustainable Farming
New Entry Sustainable Farming provides immigrant and refugee farmers the ability to enter the small-scale agriculture industry in the New England area using a variety of sustainable farming methods. farmers come from countries including Zimbabwe, Thailand, Columbia and Haiti. Farmers and their families are taught new farming methods and provided with low cost farm land, equipment and supplies.
