1. Spring Break Challenge 2015
Boston University
TEAM: One South End
Albert Le, SSW
Julia Fearrington, SPH
Nicole Robertson, SPH
Caroline Patrick, Sargent
Matthew Wenska, Sargent
March 13, 2015

2. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND KEY ISSUES
The South End is home to a vibrant community of diverse cultures and people of varying
socioeconomic statuses. In the heart of this historical area lies the Blackstone Community Center
(BCC) where children from the surrounding community can find a safe and supportive
environment to grow and develop. The BCC partners with Boston University (BU) to provide
healthy cooking classes and the FitWell program. In order for the BCC to remain a cornerstone
of the South End community we were tasked with the examination of two broad assessment
questions posed by the BCC. To address these questions, we formulated hypotheses regarding
the variability of parenting styles, communication between the BCC and the Barkley Housing
Development, and the long term sustainability of the BCC programs.
Gathering information from Barkley residents regarding the status of current familial
relationships and what residents consider to be meaningful parental involvement became a key
goal of our focus group, in order to better understand potential issues regarding the perceived
current lack of parental involvement by the BCC. We also wanted to investigate how
communication between the BCC and Barkley denizens could be improved, as many residents
frequently responded that they were unaware of the facility’s existence.
Garnering parental involvement and improving the BCC communication means little without
considering how to sustain these efforts. Therefore, in our key informant interviews we focused
on program sustainability.
TEAM ACTIVITIES
• Guided walking tour to gain a more personal understanding of the South End community.
• Attended a panel discussion by key stakeholders and leaders in the South End community
to understand their roles in cultivating a healthy and unified neighborhood.

3. • Involved community stakeholders and residents in the research process of identifying
community assets and needs.
• Opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration to assess and develop community goals.
FOCUS GROUP, KEY INFORMANTS, AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS
Our focus group was comprised of adult residents of the Barkley Housing Development.
Within the group there existed a considerable range in terms of residency period at the Barkley
apartments, offering important perspectives on the BCC and life in the South End community.
We also had the opportunity to conduct interviews with key informants. These
individuals provided insight into program development and engagement. Interviewing
Christopher Byner, the Executive Director of Boston Centers for Youth and Families, gave us an
appreciation for the environment the BCC provides, as well as the needs and challenges faced by
the community. An interview with Jean Peteet, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of
Physical Therapy, helped us to better understand the relationship between BU partnerships in
supporting and sustaining the Blackstone Community Center programs.
As the BCC acts as a local meeting place for groups and the South End community, there
are a variety of stakeholders, including: BCC members, local community members, partnering
organizations, such as BU’s FitWell and Cooking Matters programs, and the larger South End
community.
QUALITATIVE RESULTS
The primary qualitative data collected illuminated the challenges and motivations of
engaging the South End community. Afterwards we collaborated with the other teams
participating in the Spring Break Challenge to solidify and expound upon the themes we
identified. Ultimately, five major themes emerged from our qualitative research as shown in the
chart below.

4. Sustainability
of Programs
Access Barriers
Importance of
Partnerships
Community
Champion
Developing
Youth Leaders
• Several community members mentioned the ephemeral nature of BCC
programs, creating frustration and a potential barrier to future
participation. Program evaluation improvements are necessary to
create higher quality programs that can adapt to changes.
• Several adults stated that the hours of the gym were not conducive to
their schedules, and that including more open hours during the day
would be ideal. Additionally, hiring more multilingual staff would
benefit communication for residents who do not speak English.
Finally, members suggested increasing opportunities for social
interaction at the BCC to encourage participation.
• Numerous stakeholders emphasized the necessity of partnerships to
create and maintain quality programs. Both key informants alluded to
the expansion of BU and BCC’s partnership as a potential opportunity
for growth. Moreover, adult FitWell members have little input in the
gym’s development. Giving a voice to their opinions would strengthen
the relationship between BCC and its members.
• The role of a local community champion was identified as a vital factor
in promoting community programming success and longevity by key
informants from both BU and BCYF. The community champion would
serve to advance community partnership capacity and mobilize
residents to become active citizens.
• Opportunities for neighborhood youth to develop leadership skills and
a sense of ownership were identified by two key informants, BCYF
Executive Director and BCC Youth Worker, as pivotal in cultivating a
healthy community.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the themes that emerged, we developed the following recommendations:
Our first recommendation is to bring BCC programs and events to the Barkley housing
development to address barriers of location, time, and exposure. To optimize the classes we
bring to the Barkley community, we propose that surveys be sent to residents to ascertain what
types of fitness programs are of interest. The exercise classes would include both sample and
permanent classes. This offering would give Barkley residents the opportunity to attend a class
without joining the BCC as well as give them the option to remain on the Barkley housing

5. development. Additionally, to promote the Cooking Matters program, food samples could be
offered as an incentive to residents who participate in the exercise program. These samples
would be previously prepared by students of the Cooking Matters program. This would also
serve as an opportunity for students to learn how healthy food can be used to promote
community well-being.
Our second recommendation is to promote youth leadership and engagement through the
design and writing of a monthly newsletter. This newsletter would be sent out to BCC members
and parents to keep them updated on current program offerings and youth activities. Youth could
also write local news articles and about events going on in the community. This experience
would help youth to develop skills in critical analysis, community engagement, and an ability to
communicate their ideas to others.
Our third recommendation is to identify a community champion to help the BCC better
serve the Barkley Housing Development and the South End community. This would involve
finding a member of the community who is dedicated to improving their neighborhood and
empowering their fellow residents. Ideally this person would be a long-standing member of the
community who currently participates in the BCC programs. This person could also serve as a
source of encouragement and inspiration for new and existing residents through resident outreach
initiatives. Although our recommendation starts with finding a single champion, our goal would
be to eventually develop several community champions.
Our fourth recommendation involves strengthening and expanding the partnership that
BCC has with BU. An open dialogue is critical to fully address the needs of both parties and to
propagate the short and long term goals we developed for the partnership. Short term goals
include maintaining the FitWell and Cooking Matters programming and develop intra-college

6. relationships with other BU colleges to create more opportunities for BCC members. Requiring
BU student involvement with the BCC provides a mutual benefit for both students and BCC
members who will gain invaluable experiences. In the years to come, a career pipeline for BCC
youth could be developed where scholarships are offered to youth who work in leadership
positions at the BCC. Hopefully working for the BCC will motivate these students to give back
to the community after graduation and work in careers or on boards that advocate for residents
and areas in need.
Our fifth recommendation is to have BU and the BCC collaborate on creating a
standardized assessment tool for program evaluation. The sustainability of programs at the BCC
is vital for continued participation of the members and the overall viability of the community
center. With the exception of the data that is being tracked by FitWell, no comprehensive method
to evaluate programs exists. As a result, it has been difficult for the community center to track
program outcomes. The use of such a tool would afford the community center valuable
qualitative and quantitative data.
CONCLUSIONS AND REFLECTIONS
The Spring Break Challenge allowed us to understand the complexity of community program
sustainability in working with many community stakeholders. Working with the BCC, we
observed a supportive community environment with the desire to continue to grow and sustain
programs. We hope these recommendations can support the BCC’s goals to increase
involvement of parents and youth, as well as improve and sustain program.