Mystic Valley Area NAACP Branch Adds Youth Coordinator

The Mystic Valley Area Branch NAACP is focusing on extending its support for educational equity for youth. The branch is pleased to announce hiring Aaron Olapade of Medford to serve in its new role of Youth Coordinator.

Aaron is responsible for:

• Establishing connections with youth in local high schools and colleges to identify ways that the branch could help support them in terms of educational equity.
• Coordinating branch support for youth-organized and youth-focused activities in our communities.
• Exposing youth to the work that the NAACP is performing and encouraging them to join the branch.

The role of Youth Coordinator will help extend the NAACP’s support for civil rights for youth, building on its recent efforts, such as supporting:

• A demonstration organized by the Arlington High School Black Student Union
• A rally organized by youth in Medford
• Alumni and parents of Mystic Valley Regional Charter School to address discrimination issues at the school
• Mobilize Medford and MaldenCORE youth events

Please contact Aaron (ajolapade@gmail.com) with your suggestions for how the Mystic Valley branch can support youth in the communities of Arlington, Everett, Malden, Medford, Winchester, and Woburn.

Aaron, who will be continuing his college education at Boston College this fall, brings valuable experience in initiatives to promote social change and equity, including:

• Medford Health Department/ MVP Community Liaison, spearheading a dialogue between the city and the under-represented communities within Medford, focusing on issues such as racial injustice, homelessness, COVID-19, and educational disparities
• AmeriCorps Member, serving as a teacher’s aide for an eighth grade mathematics course
• Medford Conversations Project, volunteering as a facilitator in the Everyday Democracy model of civic engagement designed to create positive community change
• Mobilize Medford, working on equity issues in the Medford Public Schools, including a citywide rally in support of equity in schools, a review of the MHS student code-of-conduct for equitable policy, and support of the school system’s work toward developing equity in the curriculum, discipline, and other policies