Center for Teen Empowerment advocate Councilor Matthew McLaughlin is appealing to the city to ensure that adequate funding is provided for the organization.

By Harry Kane

Ward One City Councilor Matthew McLaughlin recognized The Center for Teen Empowerment for providing over 20 years of service in Somerville, but said that funding is decreasing for the organization.

He’s asking for an update from the Director of Health and Human Services on recent grant system changes, which will likely reduce funding.

“Teen Empowerment’s existence in this city closely mirrors my own activism in the community,” said McLaughlin.

At the City Council meeting on June 11, McLaughlin said the city had changed the way TE is funded, and instead of one grant for $400,000, the city now has multiple grants.

“Several of them are grants that Teen Empowerment’s programming may not qualify for,” said McLaughlin.  “We’re looking at a reduction of three-quarters, $300,000 loss for teen empowerment. Not because we don’t have the money, not because it’s not there, not because of budget cuts, but just a bureaucratic change in the way that we’re addressing our requests for proposals.”

McLauglin says he thinks there is a solution and doesn’t want the youth organization punished by the process.

At the state level, Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has proposed a 40 percent funding cut to the YouthWorks summer jobs program in FY 2027, according to The Bay State Banner.

McLaughlin said seeing young people go down the wrong path and witnessing friends pass away from substance abuse is one of the reasons TE is so important in the community.

The Curtatone administration introduced TE to Somerville in the Fall of 2004 to address substance abuse, adolescent suicide, and gang-related concerns. Since then, the organization has been helping change the lives of young people in the community.

“I’ve seen these people in the community that I know…are still alive today because of this program,” said McLaughlin. “They’re thriving because of this program. They have jobs. They’ve become adults. They have families. And I truly believe that many of them may not be here were it not for Teen Empowerment.”

The Somerville location at 165 Broadway “employs youth ages 14-19 to work in year-round youth leadership jobs,” addresses “pressing community issues such as mental health,” and brings “youth voices into city and school policies,” according to their website.

McLaughlin says he sees teens still dealing with the same problems that they were two decades ago, and that Teen Empowerment is the answer to galvanizing local efforts to tackle youth unemployment. “They’re the group that comes forward and addresses their problems. It empowers them,” he said.

At the City Council meeting, McLaughlin sponsored three speakers to testify on behalf of Teen Empowerment’s impact in the community. Abrigal (Abra) Forrester, CEO of Teen Empowerment, said, “Over the last 21 years, we’ve supported Somerville and young people in their transformation.”

Forrester explained that the organization is at a “crossroad” and questioned who would replace their organization in a “progressive way” to deal with the issues that young people are facing in the community. He added that society is at a “critical point” and that there needs to be “a space where young people can develop and grow.”

Forrester added that a recent survey conducted by the Ballantyne administration found that the community wants more youth development. “Young people want to bring their voice to social issues so they can create change. And that’s what we do at Teen Empowerment,” he said.