Roxbury’s You Got This Center hosted its first ever Friendsgiving gathering last week, a holiday event for youth who otherwise might not get the chance to celebrate.
The center supports youth affected by homelessness, mental health needs, addiction and unemployment. The center helps its members with access to jobs, housing and food as well as building leadership development skills. Organizers said the Friendsgiving meal is an example of how the center aims to build community among youth who may not have families.
“A lot of our young adults may not have anybody to spend Thanksgiving with,” said Ajanay Hughes, a peer mentor with the You Got This Center. “Because we have a lot of cultures here – a lot of African culture, a lot of Caribbean culture – seeing people of different households, different traditions, different backgrounds come together is really cool to see.”
Hughes said the organization wanted to create something that welcomes people from all backgrounds, as not everyone who attends the center celebrates Thanksgiving. She also said the gathering was for those who may not have other options for the holiday.
The You Got This Center is a program of Children’s Services of Roxbury. Founded in 1972, CSR helps support 6,000 vulnerable children and families every year by providing housing, affordable childcare, mental health services and youth development programs.
At the celebration, those in attendance got to share what they were grateful for. Many shared that they’re thankful for the guidance and comfort of the You Got This Center.
Deryq Brown is a Roxbury resident who’s been coming to the center for two years. For Brown, the center has been a place of not just camaraderie, but personal growth.
“Without this center, I wouldn’t have had a job. Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve finished high school,” said Brown, who is currently a student at Roxbury Community College. “I wouldn’t say [the center] is the heart. But it’s definitely one of those important arteries. It’s definitely something that I need.”
For the center’s program director, Tianna Isler, the gratitude is reciprocal.
“Just to see the need and how much it helps the young people that maybe don’t have anywhere to go,” Isler said. “Even if it’s not all day, we can give them a warm place to sit, some food in their belly and resources that can help them.”
Asjah Monroe is the director of Small House Inc. — an organization working with unhoused youth — and is a partner with the center. She said the open door policy and nonjudgmental nature of the center is what makes it unique for the community.
“The level at which they’ve been able to cultivate community, in my professional experience, is entirely unique,” Monroe said.
To Monroe, the Friendsgiving event was an “unspoken celebration of relationship.”
“There’s so much ritual tied to the act of cooking, eating, giving and taking food. Particularly for collectivistic cultures,” she said. “So I see it as being a reclaiming of cultural tradition.”
