| |
Christopher Byner, Unit Manager for Youth Services of Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), is being honored for overseeing the Streetworker Initiative, a violence prevention and early intervention program for adolescents. Mr. Byner, a product of the Orchard Park low-income housing project, graduated from Brandeis University. He attended college on a partial scholarship. Instead of going to work elsewhere, Mr. Byner chose to spend almost 15 years making a difference in the lives of hard-to-reach youths in the low-income areas of Boston. Mr. Byner listens and tries to give hope to the hopeless and ignored. Mr. Byner and his “Streetworkers” are certified mediators who seek out and help troubled youths by finding ways to keep them in school, getting school dropouts into job training programs, and connecting youth and their families with health and social services. Mr. Byner’s ability to build relationships with rival street gangs and get them to use words instead of guns to resolve their differences has earned him the respect of the community, politicians, clergy, police officials, and young people themselves. The success of the Boston Streetworker Initiative has caused community and police groups to seek Mr. Byner’s help in setting up similar programs in Buffalo, Memphis, and Hartford.
|
|
