This year BCNC is proud to celebrate its 40th anniversary.  Each month this year, we will be sharing Spotlight Stories sponsored by State Street, stories about people from the BCNC family and how BCNC has impacted their lives.

December’s Spotlight Story features: Arthur Grupee – “BCNC does a great job at helping people find their voice.”
 
From leading camping trips to group discussions on personal health, Arthur Grupee’s approach at the BCNC youth center is holistic and personable. He has worked at the center for over ten years, and has seen hundreds of youth pass through the youth center doors. As a senior youth worker, Arthur sees young immigrants facing similar challenges as he once did when he emigrated from Liberia to Boston at age fourteen; including language barriers, housing, and balancing their parent’s cultures with those of their peers.

In order to help youth grapple with some of these issues, he stresses the importance of cultivating self-advocacy skills and encourages Asian American youth to take ownership of their historic role in America. He runs the peer leadership program, YouLead, which trains youth to organize activities and develop workshops for their peers. “The youth center is a safe place where young people can find their voice and start to understand their past,” says Arthur. With his approachable and open-minded personality, he has been an influential figure for many youth at BCNC. He emphasizes the importance of respecting different views, and sees knowledge as an exchange between him and the youth center members. He observes that “being an immigrant brings a whole other perspective to the table. These are kids with really limited resources trying to do the best that they can and they are extremely thoughtful.”