program

Boston Youth Sanctuary (BYS) provides a safe and nurturing environment where at-risk youth are encouraged to express themselves positively and gain sustainable coping skills that aid in academic, community and home life success. Youth that attend BYS After School Program will graduate feeling empowered and better equipped to face the challenges that arise in their daily lives.

Who We Are:

BYS is a therapeutic after-school program for youth ages 6-11 that have experienced traumatic events or circumstances in their lives. BYS works with children and families from the Boston community providing clinical and case management services designed to improve youths’ functioning in home, community and academic settings. BYS works to address the needs of children across all life domains by providing wrap-around services to them and their families in one centralized location.

Our Youth:

BYS serves youth ages 6-11 who live in inner-city Boston. BYS youth have experienced a variety of traumas including but not limited to the violent deaths of parents/siblings, neglect, homelessness, foster care, and physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. BYS youth need not have a formal diagnosis of PTSD but must present with symptoms suggesting a socio-emotional impact of the trauma that they have experienced. BYS youth come from a variety of academic settings and familial structures, and BYS is committed to meeting children and families where they are.

Services Offered:

• Therapeutic/Activity Groups

BYS youth participate in daily therapeutic skill-building and enrichment activities. In cohorts of same-aged peers, youth attend rotating multi-sensory groups catered to their developmental needs. These groups include trauma-informed yoga led by a licensed therapist/yoga instructor, expressive arts therapy, gender-based empowerment groups, cooking, gymnastics, hip hop dance, and group therapy led by licensed BYS child clinicians, focusing on areas of need such as problem-solving and conflict resolution.    

• Individual Therapy
  BYS youth have access to weekly individual therapy with experienced, clinicians. Clinicians develop individualized treatment plans and clinical goals highly tailored to meet the specific needs of each child. BYS clinicians incorporate theory from evidence-based practices including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Attachment Theory, Narrative Therapy, and the Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) Model. BYS Clinicians utilize play therapy, art-based interventions, sensory modulation, and role play/social scripting to incorporate age-appropriate methodologies in youths’ treatment.
• Family Support Services
  Family engagement is an essential component of BYS’s approach and families are encouraged to help guide their child’s treatment. Families/caregivers are expected to attend meetings approximately every six weeks to discuss their child’s treatment and progress, as well as to ensure their family’s needs are being met. BYS offers case management services to the families/caregivers of BYS youth, and each child enrolled at BYS is assigned a Family Liaison. Family Liaisons work directly with families/caregivers to establish long and short-term goals to achieve familial stability and strength. Family Liaisons offer strategic and direct support in pursuit of established goals. Case management services vary based on the needs and expressed wishes of families/caregivers. All BYS Family Liaisons are highly experienced navigating social service systems and accessing community resources.
• Transportation
  BYS provides free, private door-to-door transportation to and from the program daily. BYS vans pick children up from partner schools and bring them to BYS, and at the end of the program day pick them up from BYS and drop them off at home, releasing them only to children’s caregivers or to parties authorized by caregivers. BYS vans are driven by Massachusetts certified children’s van drivers contracted by local professional transportation company Kidz on the Run.
• Educational Advocacy
  BYS offers educational advocacy for youth as needed. BYS believes that success in academic settings is essential to long-term social and emotional success. BYS is available to review existing Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans, attend IEP and 504 meetings, request testing, and advocate for a child’s educational needs. Educational advocates are available in conjunction with a youth’s broader clinical team to consult with youths’ schools about effective behavior management strategies as determined by their treatment plans and goals.
• Nutrition and Health
  BYS provides youth nutritious food options each day in collaboration with City Fresh Foods. BYS also provides education about healthy eating choices. BYS youth participate in a cooking group in which they learn about nutrition, portion control, and general health in an effort to support youth in healthy physical and emotional development. BYS also offers youth a variety of opportunities to engage in physical activities including outdoor free play, staff-led physical activity, yoga, and gymnastics.