Teens Lead at Work

Teens Lead at Work, a youth-led program, involves teens in educating their peers about their rights and engaging young people in organizing for safe working conditions.

Teens Lead @ Work, provides an empowering environment where teens serve as Peer Leaders to learn to organize and fight for their right to safety, health, and justice at school, work, and in the community. The program builds bridges among Boston teens of many different backgrounds in the fight for young worker rights. 

TL@W Mission

• Supporting young workers' efforts to research and identify issues of concern to them in the workplace and in their community; 
• Bringing youth together with their peers to learn about and discuss work and societal issues through the lenses of gender, race, and class; 
• Engaging teens in organizing strategies to address their concerns and foster them as young labor and environmental justice activists; 
• Empowering confident peer educators who are effective in reaching out and teaching other teens about how to prevent workplace injury and violence, sexual harassment, and other injustices; 
• Informing Peer Leaders about how to understand and influence the legislative process. 

TL@W’s Core Values

• Go Over and Above – Shatter the Stereotypes.  Whatever the expectation, exceed it – not because it is expected but because we can always do more, think harder than people will assume.
• Focus on the Three C’s – Collaboration, Creativity, and Community.  Collaboration makes change happen efficiently.  Creativity makes change effective, and community by-in makes change last.
• Bring Youth to the Table – Everywhere and in Everything, Lower the Average Age – Young people are often left out of the conversations that will eventually shape their lives – i.e. education, community planning and development.  TL@W believes that their voice is not only important but integral in realizing a more active citizenry and ensuring the sustainability of healthy workplaces and communities.
• Not Just Action but Thoughtful Action – Think, Project, Act, Reflect. 1) Think, 2) Project the desired outcomes, 3) Act to Create and implement the plan 4) Reflect and evaluate the work.
• Celebrate and be Proud.