Southwest Boston CDC

Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation is a Hyde Park nonprofit that has spent more than 25 years working to preserve affordable housing, promote climate resiliency and support the economic vibrancy of the Boston neighborhoods of Hyde Park and Roslindale. It is marking its 25th anniversary with a celebration at the Pryde Community Center in Hyde Park, honoring the people who made its work happen, sharing stories and food and looking ahead to the next 25 years.

One of its programs is the Green Team, a six-week summer job and environmental stewardship program for Boston youth ages 14 to 18. Working with the Boston Parks Department’s Urban Wilds Program, teens and young adult crew leaders restore Hyde Park’s conservation woodlands by removing invasive plants, planting native trees and building trails. Weekly career workshops cover teen workers’ rights, financial literacy with Rockland Trust and activities such as canoeing.

What to Know

• More than 200 teens have joined the Green Team since it began in 2009.
• Crew leaders ages 20 to 24 receive two weeks of paid leadership training.
• The CDC participates in the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit program.
• Recent Green Team work included harvesting produce with community gardens in the Sherrin Woods Urban Wild.