Who We Are

Need & Opportunity

The young people Roca has the privilege to work with face some incredible obstacles to living healthy lives. Some of them are young prostitutes, gang members, drug dealers, dropouts, young parents. Many of them have problems with traditional education, or are in situations where education is not a priority. They come from abusive situations, war torn countries, and are forced to assume heavy emotional burdens at a young age. This is why the work is so vitally important.

  • Up to 30% of the students who begin high school this year are likely to not complete high school and fewer still will have any work experience to prepare them for the disciplines of work and the expectations of employers.
  • There are an estimated 8,000 young people not in school and unemployed in Boston and 70,000 statewide; numbers that continue to increase.
  • Roca is located in the City of Chelsea, which borders Boston to the north and has a population of just over 35,000. Chelsea is a gateway for thousands of immigrants and refugees. A majority of Chelsea’s residents are Latino, 33% are Caucasian and 12% are Southeast Asians.
  • Chelsea is the fastest growing city in Suffolk County, and 28% of residents are under the age of 18.
  • Chelsea has the lowest per capita income of any city in the Commonwealth ($13,633), and in 2002 the teen birth rate was more than three times the state average.

The City of Revere lies north of Chelsea, and is home to a large immigrant population. The 3,000 plus Cambodian refugees live near a growing number of African-American and Latin American immigrants, as well as recent newcomers from Bosnia, Somalia and Nigeria.

  • The youth and families of Revere live in a community where the per capita income is nearly 20% lower than the Commonwealth’s median per capita income
  • 12% of the population lives in poverty and/or receives some form of public assistance
  • the AIDS case rate is in the highest 90th percentile in the Commonwealth
  • reported STD rates are among the highest in the Commonwealth and the nation
  • teen pregnancy rates are 200% higher than the Commonwealth average
  • 61% of 10th graders failed at least one portion of the MCAS exam in 2002.

The East Boston neighborhood of the City of Boston, which borders Chelsea to the southeast and Revere to the northeast, has always been home to immigrants, and in recent years, has experienced the most dramatic change in terms of a newcomer population. East Boston is home to many recent immigrants or refugees from throughout South and Central America, as well as South East Asia, Haiti and Eastern Europe. Like Chelsea, these neighborhoods also face challenges.

  • East Boston’s socioeconomic indicators reveal that 40% of its residents have not achieved a high school diploma or GED equivalent
  • approximately 30% of East Boston’s children live below the poverty level
  • East Boston High School is one of Boston’s inner city high schools selected for reform due to performance challenges cited by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

These young people who need the most support are often the ones who get the least. They are hard to reach, and due to the repeated failures of adults in their lives, are slow to trust. However, as you can see from the stories shared here, they have shown us the depths of change. In the face of staggering adversity they have taught us what hope truly means, and they have embodied forgiveness. They have allowed us to watch them succeed when they are given the basic needs any young person deserves – love, support, encouragement, and opportunity.