The mission of the Bird Street Community Center (BSCC) is to provide a hub for education opportunities and life-long learning; recreation, sports and fitness; individual creativity through arts and culture; and guidance and training for our youth, the leaders of tomorrow. With a focus on North Dorchester neighborhoods, BSCC strives to serve families and children through individual and intergenerational programs and services in a setting that welcomes everyone.

Description:
Bird Street Community Center is a youth center that provides children and youth ages 5-19 with two main programs. The first is School Age Child Care, a licensed after school program that provides academics, enrichment and recreation from 2-6 PM for children ages 5-13. The program also offers full-day activities during school vacations and an 8-week, full day outdoor summer camp.

The second program is the Youth Development,which offers nine program tracks for youth ages 10-19: Academic Support; Workforce Development; Youth Leadership; Life Skills; Arts and Humanities; Community Service; Youth Violence Prevention; Recreation; and Sports. The Youth Development program is open from 2-9 PM each weekday and from 10 AM to 4 PM on Saturdays.

History:
The Bird Street Gym was erected in 1904 as the community’s municipal recreation center. It became a landmark in the community, famous for basketball. In the mid-1970s the building was shut down as a cost cutting measure, prompting community residents to unite to reopen the building as a youth center. In one of the first public-private partnerships with the City of Boston, a new non-profit, the Uphams Corner Community Center, Inc., d/b/a Bird Street Community Center (BSCC), opened in 1978.

Contact people:

Andrea Kaiser, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Amy Allison, Development Officer, (phone), (email) Paulo Barros, Business Manager, (phone), (email)

Address:

500 Columbia Road Dorchester, MA 02125 (See a map)

Directions:

Taking 93 South, get off at Exit 15 - Columbia Road exit. Turn right when you get to the end of the exit ramp. At the second traffic light, take a left onto Columbia Road. Bird Street Community Center. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: JFK/UMass T Stop,   Walk distance (in minutes): 30   Nearest Bus Stop: 15, 16, 17, 5, 0, 5 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com