Boston University will closely collaborate with the John Hancock Martin Luther King Summer Scholars program to provide a total of more than $1 million in grants to 67 local non-profit organizations and offer summer jobs for Boston youth, according to a Jan. 14 release.
BU has been working with the Summer Scholars Program since its inception, BU spokesman Colin Riley said.
“This is just part of BU’s commitment to the city,” Riley said. “We’re happy to cooperate with the city and with other organizations that are working for the benefit of young people.”
Riley also said the program could provide invaluable volunteer opportunities for young BU students to better involve themselves in the larger Boston community.
“We provide a location for [the MLK Summer Scholars Program] to have some events,” Riley said. “If there are BU students around during the summer, they can go online and volunteer there.”
The program, founded in 2008, provides funding to nonprofit agencies to offer Boston youth summer job opportunities and career-development resources. Nonprofit organizations will receive a $1,750 grant for each MLK scholar position awarded, according to the program’s website.
“The goal of this program is to help Boston teens gain meaningful work experience and develop the skills they need to be college- and career-ready,” Thomas Crohan, John Hancock assistant vice president and counsel, said in the press release. “We also hope the scholars gain a deeper appreciation of Dr. King’s inspiring legacy and feel empowered to become active, engaged citizens in our communities.”
More than 600 Boston high school students participate in the program annually, which makes it the largest summer jobs program in the country, the program’s website stated.
“Year after year, John Hancock’s MLK Summer Scholars Program continues to answer the call to take the lead in providing our city youth with meaningful opportunities,” Mayor Martin Walsh said in the press release. “Boston’s business and community leaders who understand the need for hands-on experiences make a difference in how these young scholars view the world.”
Besides BU, the program is also partnered with The Boston Globe, Partners HealthCare, The Ad Club and the City of Boston. It currently provides funds to nonprofits such as Boston Ballet, the Boston Police Department, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and the Museum of Fine Arts, according to the program’s website.
Several BU students said experience with a nonprofit organization has the potential to be life-changing for young people and might introduce them to unexplored areas of interest.
Michaela Morrison, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said early career preparation is an important factor that can determine students’ life choices.
“If I were a high school student, I would be interested in going to a program like [the MLK Summer Scholars Program] because it would help prepare me for not only the future jobs, but also just the future,” Morrison said. “I believe it is important to learn how to interact with people, understand and listen to others.”
Madison Gullotti, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she believes experiences like these will inspire high school students to become more involved in their community.
“I definitely believe this kind of experience is a good one to have, especially before leaving high school,” said Gullotti. “It encourages kids to become a part of their community and help those around them so that as they get older, they can continue work in this type of service.”
Dante Cilento, a freshman in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said he thinks experience with nonprofit agencies provides students with skills they would not have received through a standard high school education.
“The rigid structure of high school provides students with only so much of an education,” Cilento said. “Through [working with] a nonprofit, you get real-world experience in areas that aren’t taught in the classroom.”
