College students spring into community service

Tanning and partying in places like Florida and Cancun make up the typical college student's spring break. But this week 14 students from Emmanuel College, Simmons College, and Massachusetts College of Art spent their spring break in Roxbury, tutoring city teens.

The 14 students, all of whom happened to be women, were a part of the first Colleges of the Fenway: Boston Immersion Alternative Spring Break , whose focus was youth empowerment in Roxbury and Mission Hill. The students split into two groups and spent five hours each day volunteering at Sociedad Latina , a program that helps youths develop leadership skills, and Roxbury Youth Programs, an afterschool program at the First Church of Roxbury.

"Being born and raised in Boston, this is a great opportunity to give back," said Darcel Hunt, a junior biology and secondary education major at Simmons. "I can really relate to the students we're working with."

The students volunteering at Sociedad Latina spent most of their time helping the teens work on their ideas for improving a plot of land across from the Roxbury Crossing MBTA stop and turning another piece of land into a community garden.

"It was really empowering [to watch the youth leaders] talk about the projects, because they are really young and they have a lot of knowledge and passion about the community they live in," said Elizabeth Pasek-Allen, a junior art education major at Mass. College of Art.

The students volunteering at Roxbury Youth Programs filled in for the site's usual Boston College tutors while they were away on spring break. They worked on academic studies, arts and crafts, and other projects.

"Taking over for the BC kids worked out really well," said Kassandra Derby, a junior art education major at Mass. College of Art. "Sometimes starting a program for just a week can be harming rather then helping, but in this case we were able to fill in where something was already in motion and where we were needed."

The 14 students spent most of their mornings and early afternoons getting to know Roxbury. They took a van tour, walked the neighborhood, and talked with people in the area.

"We were able to explore places we had never seen before," said Brenna DeCotis, a sophomore English and French major at Simmons. "It was interesting to see that side of the community. I was amazed by how much Roxbury had to offer."

The culmination of the week was to be Boston at Night, an event for local youths last night at the Mass. College of Art gymnasium. "Boston at Night is something that the community wanted," said Sandy Weisman, co-director of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships and the Looking to Learn program at Mass. College of Art and one of the directors of the break. "Teenagers want a safe place for fun at night and to just be with students."

Throughout the week, the Boston Immersion Alternative Spring Breakers kept journals and met for discussions twice a day. "The whole week is giving us a lot to take in, and by journaling we're able to take it all in and really understand what we've learned," said Kristy Beaudoin, a sophomore political science major at Simmons .

Colleges of the Fenway -- a collaboration of the six institutions in the Fenway area -- came up with the idea for the alternative spring break last spring as a response to Mayor Tom Menino's call for college students to become more involved in the city. Three colleges -- Wheelock College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences -- were unable to formally participate because of differing spring break times and planning issues, Weisman said.

That leaves two major goals for next year's break: having all the colleges of the Fenway participate and having male students participate.

"Although we would like male participants, I think having an all-female group just proves women are leaders and have the skills to change the world," Hunt said.