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January 6, 2005

Dorchester office focuses on needs of Cape Verdean kids

Tanya Andrade

December 30, 2004 - Amidst a sea of social services and community programs offered in the city of Boston, there’s a certain place in the heart of Uphams Corner that has put itself on the map, especially with the area’s large population of Cape Verdean youth.

The Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) has been providing health and social services to the Portuguese-speaking community in the state for nearly 35 years, literally coming through the back door of Dorchester in 2001 before opening the doors of its convenient Stoughton Street office location later that same year.

“We used the conference room at Citizen’s Bank for about six months, but I would have to use the back of my van to do all the paperwork since we couldn’t get into the bank until after 2 p.m.,” said Alcides Semedo, MAPS Cape Verdean Youth Program Coordinator.

It’s a good thing that Semedo and the rest of the MAPS Dorchester team stuck it out, since their perseverance and persistence has yielded one of the most successful youth programs among the other Cambridge, Somerville, Allston-Brighton and Lowell MAPS offices.

“Most of our kids, once they’re done with MAPS go on to college,” beamed Semedo as he sat in his office, walls adorned with dozens of soccer plaques, trophies, and colorful kente cloths. “Right now we have more than 25 who are in college.”

Since many of the students’ parents speak little or no English, Semedo and his small staff of five often act as liaisons for teachers, and also provide guidance and direction for the kids who may not necessarily find the support they need on the homefront.

“When you have a man like Alcides to guide you through all your problems, help you with your homework, it’s really good. You learn, he learns, it’s like we all give some and we get some,” said Elizangela Lopes, 14, a longtime youth program member.

“Some of us kids don’t have a lot of parents like that — here they want to see us step up to the plate, moving forward and not stepping back, getting our work done and going on to college,” added Lopes, known to her friends as Wheezy.

MAPS, which also provides immigrant social services, HIV awareness programs, translation services and a host of other community-improving support programs, has lost about a half million dollars in contract and grant revenues since last year, according to an October 21, 2004 press release. These cuts have forced the organization to lay off staff, reduce and cut programs and shift the Somerville office from a full-time to a part-time schedule.

“We’ve had to cut our dance program to Mondays and Wednesdays, when it used to be three days a week before the cuts,” said Lino Tavares, dance and theater choreographer for the Dorchester MAPS office. “We would do theater, but now we can’t do a lot of the fun things we used to do with the kids on Friday when they didn’t have homework for the next day,” added Tavares.

In 2002, Tavares and Semedo chaperoned 18 students from the youth program on a two-week tour of Cape Verde, visiting the islands of Sal, Praia and Sao Vicente, while sponsoring workshops on HIV awareness and prevention in the local schools, prisons and on the streets. The two have also organized cultural theater performances in the Strand Theater for the past three years, known as “Chuva da Cultura,” performed by the students for their families and friends.

Despite the recent budget cuts, MAPS continues to provide support for Dorchester’s youth, helping them to appreciate the value of education, respect for others, and communication to make their voices heard in today’s society where youth are so commonly overlooked.

“The program got me more involved with the Cape Verdean community, and I respect the fact that right now most people only see how bad the community is, but we’re here doing something positive, getting involved, helping people and making ourselves seen and heard” said Alex Tomar, 22, a graduate of the youth program and MAPS volunteer.

Although its become a little more difficult to stay afloat, MAPS continues to navigate itself through the choppy seas, offering life rafts to all who need a line and staying on the map.

Visit www.maps-inc.org for an extensive list of MAPS health and social services, current events, donation information and the organization’s bimonthly newsletter.


 

 

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