The Brookline Teen Center (BTC), like many local organizations and venues, faces the ongoing challenge of continuing to foster connection and community at a time when we all must remain physically distanced. Fortunately, the center’s most recent addition to the leadership team, executive director Alicia Adamson, is up to the task.
Adamson joined the Brookline Teen Center last August, bringing to the role extensive experience in leadership, engagement, and community organizing. When she was 23 and a recent college graduate working in the marketing department at Reebok, she founded the Young Black Women’s Society, which eventually became the National Black Women’s Society (NBWS). The organization aimed to support the leadership and career development of women of color through events, conferences, and focused programming tailored to nurture professional growth.
The organization has also touched the lives of hundreds of women of color in Boston and across the country. Adamson attributes much of the success of the nonprofit to her own experience in the corporate sector coupled with her strong commitment to the dictum of activist Mary Church Terrell: “lifting as we climb.” She reflects, “I had a clipboard and a vision…what I’ve come to accept about myself is that I was born to be a visionary, to lead, to challenge the status quo, to serve, to leave a legacy not just for myself but to help others.”
This sentiment is particularly evident in her nonprofit work. She joins BTC following positions at the United Way and the Boston Debate League. In all of these roles, Adamson strived to build meaningful and lasting relationships with donors and community members. “My approach is relationship building, events, engagement. All of the pieces that help a donor create a legacy and an impact,” she said.
“Coming to the Brookline Teen Center was a call that I answered. I don’t think that anyone could take on this job, especially during the pandemic,” Adamson continued. Since she began, Adamson has remained steadfast in her ambition that BTC is a reliable resource for all Brookline teens. The Center’s virtual programming, all of which were lead by local teenagers, offered a variety of ways to connect and learn. From individual tutoring sessions to virtual performances and yoga, the initiatives reflected the authentic ideals of BTC as a place where teens can explore newfound passions, hone academic or extracurricular interests, or simply recharge in the company of others.
Under her guidance, BTC was also able to safely and temporarily reopen during five weeks in the fall, offering limited in-person indoor and outdoor programming, like a supper club, gardening, and basketball. The activities took place three days per week while adhering to strict safety and health protocols. One of the events was “Teensgiving,” for which the center provided dinner to about 30 students and Brookline Police assisted in serving the food. In February, BTC will begin a “learning pod” initiative that offers a safe and secure remote learning space at the center for 30-40 Brookline students.
Adamson hopes that BTC will continue to be a vital resource and community space for Brookline’s teens. She aims to introduce new varieties of programming that echo some of her previous work in professional development. “I want this to be a center where kids develop a dream, where they develop a vision for their future,” she says.
Additionally, Adamson is committed to securing a long-term future of BTC by ensuring its sustainability as a nonprofit. Her dedication to the mission of the organization is reflected in her wish for all teens to become involved with BTC. “The teen center is not just a place for kids to drop in; it’s a place for teens to grow up,” she says. “And there’s a difference. For something to grow, it needs to be nurtured, it needs to be cultivated, it needs to have good soil, sunlight, it needs to have the conditions for growth, for success. I want to work with the Brookline community to grow our teens.”
