What: We look to support initiatives that strengthen the reading, writing and critical thinking of young people by fostering their love of learning and supporting the development of literacy skills, with a special emphasis on journalism writing and programs. We support both school-based and out-of-school programs, especially those serving Boston teens.

Current Flagship Partnerships:

WriteBoston: Our investment is in school-based Writing Coaches in five public high schools, who will develop writing curriculum and assist teachers with professional development. WriteBoston provides leadership in producing Boston T.i.P. (Teens in Print). http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/writeboston/

Teens in Print: The Boston Globe Foundation, in collaboration with WriteBoston, publishes Boston T.i.P. ( Teens in Print), launched at the Boston Globe in May 2004. Since its birth, eleven editions of T.i.P. have been published annually. Winner of the 2004 and 2005 Program Excellence Awards for Student Newspaper Partnerships from the Newspaper Association of America, T.i.P. is an entirely student generated newspaper that gives the teens of Boston’s high schools a means to communicate their voice in the community.
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Citizen Schools: Our investment in this apprenticeship-based after-school program serving middle school students will primarily support the creation of several school newspapers and a guide to choosing the best option for high school, for each individual student. http://www.citizenschools.org/index.cfm

Women Express/Teen Voices: Our investment assists this journalism-mentoring program for urban girls in Boston to continue to produce the nationally distributed Teen Voices magazine, and to involve more girls in journalism projects. http://www.teenvoices.com/tvhome.html

English for New Bostonians: A strategic, citywide outgrowth of the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians, the ENB program collaborates with not only ESOL teachers and students, but also philanthropic and corporate organizations, to focus attention and resources on solving Boston’s ESOL issues. Our funding will enable over 1,000 immigrants annually to learn English, increase the impact of Boston’s existing ESOL system and provide capacity building assistance to organizations currently working with recent immigrants. http://www.cityofboston.gov/newbostonians/enb.asp

Media Matters Writing Conference: Media Matters is part of an initiative of the Boston Globe Foundation, UMass Boston and WriteBoston, focused on developing the writing proficiency of Massachusetts’s teachers and high school students. This free daylong event is designed to motivate young writers and give teachers the tools necessary to promote their students’ success in writing. Students and teachers attend interactive workshops and presentations centered on Journalism and Media Writing. The Conference is held at the UMass Boston Campus Center. More information is available at http://www.umb.edu/mediamatters