The Esperanza Collab is a ministry of Living Stones Church in East Boston. Through this ministry they partner with other nonprofits, business, and the local high school in the neighborhood to provide fitness coaching and mentorship for Latine student athletes in middle and high school. For the “Expanding Esperanza in East Boston” Project, their Affinity Working Group had two key guiding questions for the discernment process: 1) how might we expand the work of Esperanza over the next 3 years in a way that is Spirit-led, sustainable, and scalable? and 2) how might we develop a network of thought partners for this expansion?
The Affinity Group is intentionally intergenerational and includes members of their faith community who have shared lived experiences and stories as the young people they serve through Esperanza. So far, they have had three out of their six discernment sessions. During these sessions, they have focused mostly on 1) developing a 4-Part Discernment Process (discover, define, design, and demo) to help us build momentum from one session to the next and 2) developing a 4-Part Strategic Blueprint (practices, processes, pathways, and programs) to guide a clear pathway for expansion.
After the three sessions, they have had the opportunity to experiment with some of the ideas of expansion, including a Youth A-Team which will serve to center the voices of the youth in Esperanza and collaborating with new partners to meet needs of youth that are beyond their capacity.