Girls Inc. group vows to be ‘Part of Solution’

LYNN – Girls Incorporated’s “Part of the Solution” is looking for a few good ideas to better the city, and it will award mini-grants to the best.”Anything that would impact Lynn as a whole and make it shine,” said Part of the Solution (POS) member Franklin Abreu.Abreu, 15, joined POS, the only coed group at Girls Inc., just this year and he said he thinks he’ll stay “for many more years.” He said he likes the idea of helping to plan projects that make the city a better place.POS is a youth initiative focused on making a positive impact on the city, and part of its mission is empowering other youths to do the same.POS member Victoria Bene said the group is looking to subsidize youth-driven community projects and will provide grants of $100 and up to $250 for projects it believes show promise. According to Bene, the projects will be chosen by the youth advisory council, which is comprised of 20 to 30 teens from different backgrounds.”We are able to offer this unique opportunity thanks to Social Capital Inc.,” she stated.Girls Inc. Youth Leadership Coordinator Ingrid Olson, who advises the group, said she came to Girls Inc. via AmeriCorps and funded by Social Capital, a community-building non-profit agency, which wanted to promote a youth leadership initiative.”They provided $750 so we could do the mini-grants,” she said.Last year POS held a T-shirt design contest that sold the winning design to raise money for the grants. Olson said they gave away two grants, one to the Friends of Rachel at Lynn English High School and another to help with a community garden.Proposals must be submitted by Feb. 14. Successful applicants will be selected by Feb. 26 but applications will not be considered without a detailed budget, Bene warned.”Formal and informal groups can apply on the condition that teens are actively involved in the group and have at least one adult advisor,” she wrote.Bene said it doesn’t matter if applicants are looking at creating a gardening project, part of a dance troop, or setting up a reading program. “We need your proposals.”Applicants who meet one of the following criteria: community problem solving, leadership development, service learning, or building social capital, may win greater favor, she said.For an application or more information contact Olson by email at [email protected] or phone at 781-592-9744 ext. 214.Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].