MissionSAFE works with highly and proven at-risk youth and young adults from challenged situations and communities, working with them to gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed and thrive, not merely survive, and to be agents for positive change in their communities and the larger world.

MissionSAFE seeks out and works primarily with highly at-risk youth and young adults who are not achieving their full potential. By "at-risk"-MissionSAFE means that a youth or young adult faces multiple obstacles that may prevent them from fully developing their many talents, dreams and possibilities. To assist them in overcoming those obstacles and developing deep, successful lives, MissionSAFE uses a relational/trauma sensitive model and provides concrete programming that allows youth to discover and develop their talents, confidence and skills.

The youth with whom we work are full of talent, personality, energy and potential but often they don't believe they can truly make it, and their obstacles may include poverty, learning issues, inability to trust, a belief that their dreams cannot be attained. MissionSAFE's goal is to help these youth and young adults believe in themselves, build trust and partnerships, develop new hopes and dreams, and develop and practice the skills necessary to attain them.

We work primarily with youth from low-income communities, including youth from the following Boston neighborhoods: Mission Hill, Roxbury, lower Roxbury, Charlestown, south Dorchester and Mattapan. These youth and young adults (age 11-24) are often from single-head-of-household families, are struggling/failing in school, may have behavior issues or are disengaged, may have experienced or witnessed ongoing domestic or street violence, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, court or gang involvement, mental or physical illness. These youth are often not achieving their full potential. The participants we work with are diverse: black, white, Latino, Asian, female, male, encompassing various religions and sexual orientation. They also encompass a variety of talents, skills and interests.

• 100% of our middle school youth graduated from 8th grade and started high school. The majority have articulated an interest in college and productive careers.
• More than 85% of our young people have shown improved attendance in school, homework quality and/or grades.
• More than 80% of our high school youth are on a path toward high school graduation, and 60% of them are researching, applying to or have been accepted to college-many of them the first in their families to complete the 12th grade.
• The work of MissionSAFE has significantly lessened the number of arguments settled with physical fighting among our youth and helped set a tone for fewer fights within the neighborhood.
• MissionSAFE has worked with and trained over 1000 teen peer leaders and interns in youth worker, job readiness, leadership, problem solving, conflict resolution and teamwork skills.
• More than 700 of our teens and young adults have been trained in and taken leadership roles in advocacy and civic activities.
• MissionSAFE has assisted over 2000 youth with job readiness skills and career exploration.
• 100% of MissionSAFE youth participate in community service.