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Y.E.S. inspires and challenges youth with physical and mental activities that foster life-long respect for self, others and the environment. We do this through the means of skiing/snowboarding trips in the winter and hiking/biking/camping in the summer.

Description:
We are looking for outgoing and energetic volunteers who are at least 14 years old, enjoy the outdoors and like working with youth ages 7-18.

Our skiing/snowboarding program runs December through April. Ski/Snowboard instructor training clinics are required to be an instructor. Day trips depart by 6am and return by approximately 7pm. Instruct for the first half of the day and enjoy the slopes on your own for the second half. We ski/snowboard at many of New England's finest mountains. Overnight trips go out to either of our two facilities, Swann Lodge in the Berkshires and the Richard Williams Lodge at Killington, Vermont.

Our summer program which runs from June to August, includes mountain biking, hiking and camping. A typical day trip leaves YES at 8am and returns by 4pm. The majority of the day is spent hiking or biking at a nearby state park. Overnight camping trips are held at our facility in the Berkshires. A one-day orientation is required to become a summer volunteer.

History:
Youth Enrichment Services, YES, was founded in 1968 and since then has served over 100,000 urban youth. "Believe and Achieve" is our motto. Our goal is to give urban youth the opportunity to explore environments outside of the city through the means of skiing/snowboarding in the winter and hiking/biking/camping in the summer. Exposing these youth to unfamiliar environments and challenging sports allows them to gain confidence while having fun.

We have other special programs at YES too!

E- Team (Eco Team):
The E-Team integrates environmental education into its outdoor programs to raise the environmental awareness of urban youth, emphasizing the daily decisions that make a difference.

GOAL (Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders):
Girls Outdoor Adventure Leaders improves girls' participation in sports. Reaching 100 youth annually, GOAL is designed to educate girls so that they can make good decisions about nutrition and physical fitness.

YES Academy:
YES' very own racing team. This program is for intermediate to advanced skiers/snowboarders who are ready to begin training for competitive races. Participants train and race every Sunday from mid-December through mid March at Pat's Peak.

Contact people:

Diron Mobley, Volunteer And Marketing Director, (phone), (email) Mary Williams, President, (phone), (email)

Address:

412 Mass Ave Boston, MA 02118 (See a map)

Directions:

Y.E.S. is located at 412 Mass. Ave., Boston between St. Botolph St. and Columbus Ave. We are accessible from the Southeast Expressway (I93) via the Mass. Ave. exit, Route 9 at Symphony Hall, and is easily reached from Memorial Drive. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Mass. Ave. (Orange Line),   Walk distance (in minutes): 1   Nearest Bus Stop: #1 Harvard Sq./Dudley, 1 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

Overall Experience   
YES has been a WONDERFUL experience! The kids are amazing.....and the skiing is GREAT!

I found Y.E.S. through Volunteer Solutions in November --- it was amazing to find a volunteer opportunity that so perfectly fit my interests! I started working with Y.E.S. this season (December) teaching kids in their winter program how to snowboard, and have been having a blast! It all began with the overnight training where we snowboarded for two days, hung out with the other volunteers, and ate! I had never taught snowboarding before but the training weekend taught me to remember what it's like to be a beginner. (man, I didn't remember that it was that hard to learn) I was unsure what the kids would be like, but they are amazing! Once you get them on the slopes, you can't get them off. And the change from the ride up and the ride back is astonishing....the smiles are much wider! Some of the repeat YES kids know me by name and we look forward to hanging out on the trip up and swapping experiences on the way back. They totally respect my role in the day. It's great to be able to give these kids an experience they may otherwise not be able to have. Personal satisfaction at the end of the day is the greatest feeling. To see that kid who, at the beginning of the day, didn't know how he would possibly stay on the mountain and not fall off actually ride down and make a few turns has been one of the greatest feelings in the world! That ensures that the boarding is always great! If you have interest in snowboarding, cross country or downhill skiing, or even snowshoeing I HIGHLY recommend that you volunteer with Y.E.S.! posted by Babs on February 15, 2001