How one non-profit is providing a career path for underserved youth and shaping a new generation of live event professionals
All photos included in this article are courtesy of Brighter Boston
What were you doing at age 16?
Sitting in class watching the seconds tick by?
Staying out past curfew and driving your parents crazy?
Spending more time worrying about anything other than your chemistry exam?
It’s no secret: it’s hard to be a teenager. For a lot of teenagers, it can be hard to understand the point of sitting through school. At age 16, you can sense there’s a big world out there that you don’t have access to…yet. Instead, you’re stuck behind a desk writing essays on Emily Dickinson or calculating when two trains traveling at different speeds will meet in St. Louis.
No offense to Emily Dickinson (or St. Louis), but not all of us were made to sit behind a desk. Some of us have other skills and passions that are valuable, but unrecognized in a traditional high school setting. Many of us just needed the opportunity to see what the world has to offer, and where our place could be within it.
That’s one reason why we were excited to learn about Brighter Boston, a non-profit organization that partners with production companies, producers, and venues across Boston to train the next generation of live event professionals from Boston Public Schools.
Educators everywhere struggle to keep teens engaged with their studies, but it’s especially hard in those school districts that suffer from inequity. That’s one reason why Brighter Boston recruits from underserved high schools to reach students who would benefit the most from mentorship and on-the-job training.
How does Brighter Boston work?
Brighter Boston works with local Boston high schools, especially those in Boston’s most underserved communities, to recruit students interested in learning the skills needed to succeed in theatre production and other live events and entertainment. The program pairs these budding young lighting designers, camera operators, stagehands and more with production companies across Boston.
That means Brighter Boston’s interns get to work with big industry names like High Output, 4Wall, The Huntington and more. Interns spend a full two years learning from their mentors – and, importantly, participating companies pay their interns a $15 minimum wage.
This isn’t your typical high school internship program. “Our whole motto is: we want their hands on the equipment, doing the work themselves,” says Executive Director Ann Sousa. Ann, a native of East Boston and the theatre, joined Brighter Boston in 2019 after spending many years as an advocate for the Boston Public Schools and working in policy for the Boston City Council Chair of Education. “When you trust young people with grown-up responsibility they rise to the challenge.”
That’s a really important piece that sets Brighter Boston apart. Many job shadowing opportunities offer little hands-on experience. Especially in the world of event production, you must develop a familiarity with the equipment and tools in order to learn the trade – even when that means handing a $5,000 camera to a teenager.
“I think we as adults have forgotten how little adults trust teenagers,” says Ann. “There are few job opportunities out there for teenagers in which they’re entrusted with real responsibility, where they get to try out in the real world what they may want to do for a living.” For many teens, their internship through Brighter Boston may be one of the first times in their lives they’ve been shown trust, especially by an adult professional in a field they’re interested in joining – and if you recall anything about what it’s like to be a teenager, that’s a really big deal.
What do Brighter Boston’s interns work on?
“Everything we do has to have some hands-on component,” explains Ann. The program is very upfront about the work involved when recruiting in local Boston public schools. “We’re clear that it’s very hands-on. You’re gonna be climbing ladders and wearing hardhats.”
Brighter Boston’s staff are also very clear with their program partners on what the work should entail. Their interns are different from the typical freelancer. “We make sure they understand that this intern doesn’t replace an adult position. The employer has an important role as a long-term mentor, and to help youth continue their education,” says Ann.
This way, not only do the interns benefit from the stability of a working relationship, but production companies benefit, too, from the role their mentors play in facilitating a strong, diverse pipeline of talent for the industry. (Brighter Boston’s interns are 61% Black, 38% Latinx, and 9% Asian, a significant increase in the racial diversity of the events and entertainment industry, and 72% female, a huge leap compared to the industry’s gender ratio.)
Program interns dive right into technical training with intensive summer training to learn the equipment in real-world environments before they begin their two years of on-the-job training. One silver lining of the pandemic was the wide availability of empty theatres for hosting socially-distanced trainings. Many of their interns were able to earn arts credits, and Brighter Boston hopes to be able to offer college credits someday soon as well.
Ultimately the beauty of Brighter Boston’s experiences for interns is that they receive both the benefits of technical training and professional mentorship. Technically, Ann explains, “they’re in a real theatre. They build everything from start to finish.” But moreover, “they learn how to be an adult and thrive in the professional world.” That’s an important lesson it takes many of us years to figure out – if we ever get there at all.
What do parents think of the program?
Event production work can be tough, and the hours are usually long. So what do Brighter Boston parents think about their children “getting their hands dirty”?
Ann recalls one example of an intern who was offered a well-paid overnight shift. Even though the intern was 18, he was still a high school student, so they contacted the parents to make sure they were comfortable with the situation.
“Well, he slept all day, so he can certainly work all night,” Ann recalls the parents replying.
It’s not just teenagers’ nocturnal natures that can make them well-suited to this work. At the end of their two-year internship, Brighter Boston conducts a survey with the companies that mentored each intern. The results are enough to make any parent swell with pride.
“The strengths of the young people we work with are often not recognized in a traditional classroom setting,” Ann explains. But, she says, “when they’re at work, they shine. They’re incredible. We love to share those survey results with parents. It paints a full picture of their children. Sitting behind a desk isn’t for everybody. It doesn’t mean what they’re doing isn’t valuable.”
Where do Brighter Boston’s alumni end up?
The program takes pains to keep alumni connected and continue to provide support. “We have an alumni group to share job ads and keep in touch. We try to really build a community of folks and invite alumni and current interns to every event we hold. We try to keep everyone together year after year even if they’re not technically in the program anymore.”
It’s no surprise that following their experience, interns often end up on the freelance rosters for the companies they worked with. Many move on to Salem State’s technical theatre program, right outside of Boston. In one example, a former intern is training to become a nurse – and using her skills in lighting design to pay her way through school.
It just goes to show that regardless of the paths Brighter Boston alumni take, their experience serves them well.
“When you’re creating an event, it’s about thinking big, creating big things, having big ideas, and doing those big ideas,” says Ann. That draws creative and ambitious people to the live events industry. But it’s also a skill that leads to success no matter where you go in life.
How can I support Brighter Boston’s work?
Brighter Boston has big ambitions for the coming years. They hope to extend the program for youth outside of high school – that’s in pilot this year (2021). They also hope to be able to offer the opportunity to earn college credits with their training and work experience. If they can grow their program beyond the borders of Boston, that would be a huge achievement as well.
Brighter Boston always accepts donations via their website, but as a member of the events & entertainment industry, you may be uniquely positioned to help in other ways, too.
Brighter Boston currently works with 18 interns who are mentored by 12 different employers across Boston. They’re always looking for event experiences and trainings for their interns to take advantage of, such as an offer to come and learn new equipment at a company warehouse or theatre. (Here are photos from one such recent event at the Christian Science Center Plaza.) Event experiences reachable via Boston public transport are important to ensure accessibility, or methods to facilitate transportation further afoot can also be donated. Equipment donations are also welcome.
We encourage other companies in the industry to join LASSO in supporting their cause. That may look different for each of you, but we encourage you to support Brighter Boston and the next generation of event production talent.
Head on over to their Facebook page to donate to their fundraiser or donate directly on their website. Or, contact info@brighterboston.org with questions on how you can help them continue and expand upon their service to the live events community.
