HSTF arose in 1986 when Latino neighbors heard their Jamaica Plain neighborhood tagged by media as the "cocaine capital of Boston." They confronted drug dealers, and held public meetings, peace marches, street cleanups, crime watches, and candlelight vigils for victims of violence. Consciousness was raised, and things began to change. HSTF was incorporated in 1991 to engage youth in community development -- “all aspects of building the kind of neighborhood we all want.” It “surrounds teens with daily academic, family, and social activities and responsibilities;” they teach literacy skills to both children and adults, developing their own academic, leadership, and job skills; they lobbied successfully for playing fields, batting cages, and a dance program. In 1999 HSTF received a City Excellence Award for “Innovations in Education.” They won a national award from The Commonwealth Coalition, and notice in the Community Youth Development Journal for getting the JP Neighborhood Council to lower its voting and membership age requirements to 16 and then electing four teens to the Council. Their dance program, “Ritmo en Acción,” was chosen for a Salsa Congress in Los Angeles. It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, and you can help make it even better.