annualreportFY03

“One must understand that to become human, to realize the promise
of becoming human, is the only important task of the person . . . People
become more human and empowered only in the context of a community,
and only when they become seekers of the type of connections,
interactions, and meetings that lead to harmony.”
—Molefi Asante
Dear Friends,
We want more. That was the message from some of our most active
participants during FY03:
We want to develop concrete skills.
We want more action steps once we learn about issues.
We want more responsibility within The City School.
This was the powerful message that prompted us into conversation and
the beginnings of change. During a year that was marked by instability
and war, our students took a stand to make sure that their leadership
and involvement at The City School and in the community are as
genuine and powerful as they can be.
This initiative is exactly what we want to promote as we support youth
leadership development in Boston! In this way, our young people were
showing us the meaning of community.
We are proud of our many accomplishments this year. We moved to
Uphams Corner in July of 2002 and now occupy a beautiful, colorful,
welcoming storefront in the heart of a vibrant community. In order to
complete this move, we had to finish raising $1.1 million—and we did it
in the midst of an economic downturn. Having a home has proven to be
as valuable as we had imagined and helps us to begin dreaming of new
possibilities. We thank our new and continuing supporters who invested
in this critical work of building young leaders.
Of course, in addition to moving, we continued to offer our four core
programs, serving over 400 young people, and introduced new elements
including more collaborations, drop-in nights and workshops for
schools and organizations. We initiated bold organizational development
work, discussing the role of action in our education and enhancing the
role of students in the governance of The City School.