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Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement Announces Youth Speaks Boston Findings

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Mayor Michelle Wu and the City of Boston's Office of Youth Engagement (OYEA) today shared the results from Youth Speaks Boston, the first-ever citywide needs assessment focusing on what Boston's young people need in their time outside of work and school. OYEA collected survey responses in 11 different languages from 1,650 residents of Boston ages 14-25 years old between November 2024 and August 2025. In addition to the survey, 6 focus groups were held during this time-period, engaging more than 100 young people to further understand their perspectives on the themes of (1) Community and Belonging, (2) Mental Health and Support, (3) Community Events, Programs, and Resources, and (4) Transportation. The research findings are accessible via both StoryMap and data dashboard on boston.gov/youth-speaks.

"Through the findings of the Youth Speaks survey, we can see key differences in feelings of belonging across racial and ethnic groups, feelings of safety across neighborhoods, and the impact mentorship can have on a young person's mental health," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "By identifying what resources are most beneficial and where the City can make improvements, the survey results give us insight into how young people navigate the city and how access to affordable, safe, reliable transit relates to key resources. With this information, we can continue to build a city that is inspiring, safe, and welcoming across generations."

Youth Speaks data reveals significant trends in areas of belonging, safety, transportation, mental health and mentorship, community spaces, and community events. Overall, about two out of three Boston youth (68 percent) report feeling they belong in Boston, though these numbers change when broken down by age, gender, and race. Overall, about six in 10 Boston youth say they feel safe in their own neighborhoods, and Youth Speaks indicates that where a young person lives is the biggest indicator of whether they feel safe in their neighborhood. 73 percent of Boston youth use public transportation – including MBTA buses, subway lines, commuter rail lines, and ferries – to get around the city, more than any other mode of transport. Youth access to safe and reliable transportation was also connected to their reported ability to access other key resources such as housing, food, clothing, hygiene products, and more.

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Youth Speaks data additionally indicates a gap between young people's ability to identify mental health concerns (69 percent) and their ability to get support (54 percent). Mentorship can help bridge that gap, as 58 out of 100 youth who have a mentor say that they feel comfortable talking about their mental health with adults, whereas only 17 out of 100 young people without a mentor felt the same way. Additionally, youth who reported having a mentor saw a 32 percentage point difference in knowing where to access mental health care than youth without. Findings indicate that when young people seek connection, they often go to community spaces, most frequently small businesses, parks, and shopping centers. Youth in Boston highly value community events that allow them to spend time with peers their own age and provide late-night activities. They report that these events help them meet new people, give them something to look forward to, and create a stronger sense of belonging.

The Youth Speaks Boston StoryMap highlights the large-scale findings for each theme and visualizes the information in a narrative-driven, reader-friendly design. It includes high-level data points complemented by quotes directly from the young people of Boston, providing a holistic understanding of the themes being addressed. The tool allows all youth-serving professionals to access the data and apply the findings to their work.

"Our office is proud to release the findings from our citywide Youth Needs Assessment Survey. This data highlights what Boston's youth need most after school and after work, from safe spaces and mentorship to expand access to mental health services and transportation," said Pedro Cruz, Executive Director of the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement. "By centering youth voices, this data provides a roadmap for building stronger, more inclusive opportunities across the city. Our hope is that these insights will guide City Hall and our partners in making informed decisions that directly reflect the priorities of Boston's young people."

"I am pleased to see the results of this research and grateful to the youth of Boston who shared their experiences and insights with us," said José F. Massó, Chief of Human Services. "I'm even more excited about the next phase of this work, which is to use what they shared to shape the City's policies, practices and investments."

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Findings from the Youth Speaks Boston survey will be shared with the city's network of youth-serving organizations to help them better support the young people in their programming. By making this data accessible to youth providers citywide, organizations can work as a team to better support Boston's young people. OYEA will host a partner roundtable in the near future, bringing together stakeholders in the youth field to not only share out the findings, but make decisions around key next steps to respond to the needs expressed by young people.

The data will also be used internally to improve City of Boston youth programming. In Youth Speaks Boston, young people expressed a need for more evening and late-night spaces. In response, the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement (OYEA) will expand their Boston After Dark initiative to reach more neighborhoods, age groups, and provide year-round evening programming. By learning which communities and neighborhoods reported less access to resources, community spaces, and more - OYEA and its partners can strategically target efforts in those spaces.

Another key finding was the importance of mentorship. The survey found that young people who had mentors felt better equipped to identify mental health concerns and seek support. In response, OYEA will continue to create spaces to train these adult providers to offer support on this topic, namely through their Professional Development series. Additionally, OYEA will prioritize increasing the visibility of YouthLine, a resource directory that connects and refers young people to supportive services across a wide variety of areas. This effort aims to reach young people who do not have a mentor and connect them to a youth-friendly resource platform.

"The findings from the Youth Speaks survey both confirms what we hear anecdotally working with our youth, but also sheds new light on the youth experience in Boston. This data will help BHA better advocate for the programs and investments that our youth residents actually want and need as opposed to what we assume they need," said Molly Morley, Senior Advisor for Youth Programs at the Boston Housing Authority. "Most importantly, this equips the BHA with concrete data about our young people's experiences in Boston and how they differ from the experiences of other youth."

The survey was designed and implemented in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Children's Hospital, and Northeastern CHANGE Lab. The collected data was analyzed and visualized with support from the City of Boston Data Analytics team and the Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics.

To learn about key findings from Youth Speaks Boston and explore the data dashboard, visit boston.gov/youth-speaks. To stay informed about all initiatives from the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement, visit boston.gov/oyea, and follow our social channels @oyeaboston on Facebook and Instagram, and @oyea.boston.gov on Bluesky.

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