Our Vision Statement
EVkids envisions Boston students becoming confident leaders through equitable access to meaningful academic support and mentorship within a connected community.
Our Values
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Authentic Relationships
We foster genuine, personal connections throughout our community, across all lines of difference, where each individual is seen, cared for, and appreciated. Authentic relationships are how we connect to each other.
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Community
We strive to build and be part of a strong, healthy, multigenerational community, where EVkids students, families, partners, and supporters move each other and our work forward together. Community is how we celebrate, grow, and share the work of EVkids.
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Growth
We empower one another, regardless of our starting points, to maximize our strengths, skills, self-advocacy, and continual progress. Individual growth is our shared aspiration, inspired and supported by our community.
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Respect
We treat each other with respect, dignity, and empathy, equally sharing and serving as we seek to understand, support, and encourage one another. Respect is how we show up for each other.
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Social Justice
We commit to equity and justice in the world and our community through our goals, decisions, and behavior at all levels of the organization. Social Justice is what lights our way and drives our commitment to make it a reality.
Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
EVkids is working to dismantle systems of oppression by fostering an inclusive culture, implementing equitable practices, and establishing systems of accountability.
EVkids’ relationship-based program structure institutionalizes our commitment to confronting inequities in all forms. Students are carefully matched with 1-on-1 college volunteers for multi-year mentoring relationships, offering students personal support, affirmation, and the hope to overcome external and internalized racism.
Since 2020, a joint Board-Staff Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee has been reviewing and institutionalizing DEI policies and practices at all levels of the organization, including, but not limited to, recruitment and retention of staff, Board members, and volunteers who reflect the young people and communities we serve, as well as the formation of our Youth Council.
We also work closely with our Dorchester-based partner, VISIONS, Inc, who lead annual board and staff workshops and train our tutors each semester on how to recognize and combat racism and how to acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences.
Centering DEI requires constant vigilance and a commitment to improvement. If you observe any incidents, individuals, or practices at EVkids that contradict our goal of maintaining a safe and inclusive environment, please let us know by visiting our Voicing Concerns page.
