Boston’s youth took center stage at the Mayor’s Youth Summit Feb. 22 to celebrate art, activism and community outreach. Hosted by the city’s Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement, or OYEA, with nearly 500 guests gathered at the Artists for Humanity EpiCenter, the event showcased and uplifted people from ages 14 to 25 across the city through music, dance, poetry, raffles and awards.
Prior to 2024, the Mayor’s Youth Summit was last held in 2004. Shortly after the formation of OYEA for the city of Boston, the program was revived, reinstating it as an annual affair.
“I want young people to work all year round, because they want to get on that stage and perform at the Summit,” said Pedro Cruz, executive director of OYEA. “I want them to work really hard in their communities because they want to be awarded at the Summit, and I want them to be excited to show up at the Summit.”
The evening kicked off with food and socializing before shifting into its planned programming, hosted by Amanda Shea, arts and culture director at 617Peak. While Mayor Michelle Wu was not present in person, a prerecorded video aired in which she reiterated her dedication to the next generation.
“Thank you for always believing in the power that you hold,” Wu said in the video.
The first performance featured a New Orleans brass band performance by youth from Boston Music Project. Bringing various wind instruments onto the stage, the band created a lively and engaging atmosphere, with everyone in the building clapping along to the beat.
Afterwards, Fenway High School senior Joliné Brito performed a powerful piece of spoken-word poetry titled “The Power of the Youth.” Her piece highlighted the struggles of adolescence in a divided country, while uplifting the power youth holds for the future. Brito’s poem was followed by remarks by Chief of Human Services José Massó.
Massó invited the elected officials present at the event to the stage before reading a proclamation from Wu. The proclamation dedicated Feb. 22 of 2025 as the Youth Day of the City of Boston.
“We’re investing in our youth. We’re investing in summer jobs. We’re investing in our after-school programs. And we need to make sure that now, in 2025, that we’re investing in our youth more than ever,” said City Councilor At-Large Henry Santana.
Raising the energy levels, the following performance included a dynamic dance routine from Beat the Odds. The Boston chapter of Beat the Odds aims to uplift underserved youth through helping them explore their creative talents, offering development programs in music production, dance and content creation.
Then, various rap artists from Beat the Odds, 617Peak and the Center for Teen Empowerment performed songs that energized the crowd while delivering social commentary about growing up in Boston and the importance of investing in youth like themselves, through hip-hop and music.
Cruz then stepped onto the stage to present the annual awards, highlighting two youth leaders in the community and two youth-focused organizations.
Emmanuel Vargas, a student at Dearborn STEM Academy was honored for his work in the campaign to redesign Mozart Park and examining and exposing inequitable pricing policies at Stop & Shop locations in low-income neighborhoods.
“If you have something that bothers you, talk about it. The most powerful thing that you can use is your voice,” Vargas said when asked if he had advice for youth who want to become community leaders.
OYEA awarded Mubing Chen from John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science for her work in community efforts surrounding Boston’s Chinatown, including cleanliness, transportation and noise pollution as well as her current research to tackle women’s health issues in her community.
The first Youth Organization Award went to The Chica Project, an organization aiming to empower women with life skills, development programs and mentorship. The Chica Project has had 99% of their participants graduate high school and enroll in college. The second Youth Organization Award was directed to Hey Sam, a peer-to-peer messaging service for young people up to 24 years old facing mental health challenges. It was designed for and staffed by youth.
Local rappers SeeFour and Cousin Stizz closed out the program by calling back to their Boston roots by referencing the importance of youth outreach and how it helped them to where they are today. Each artist performed hit songs as they wove through the crowd.
“Civic engagement, especially in youth, is very well represented in [Boston], an opportunity for youth to have a say in the entire government process,” said Mayor’s Youth Council member Samuel Falke. “It’s something that I’m now realizing a lot of places don’t give to the youth.”
Mayor Wu recently dedicated $1 million for 14 to 25 year olds in Boston to direct towards a community issue. In a mock-voting scenario, eligible Bostonians were able to cast their ballot, choosing between projects like water fountain installation, public park wifi expansion or sidewalk improvements.
“We need to invest in these young people and we need to connect them to the current leaders, because we all have to pass the torch eventually,” Cruz said.
