Welcome our new Youth Programs Director Joe Tache!
MassCOSH is very happy to announce its newest team member in the fight for good, safe jobs for all. Joe Tache joined MassCOSH this past January as its new Youth Programs Director leading our Teens Lead @ Work (TL@W) program. Joe brings several years of youth education and counseling experience to the role, including a celebrated background in anti-racist, labor, and housing justice community organizing.
For almost a year, TL@W has run successful virtual programming. We have learned that we can not only provide quality, on-line, remote programming, but also unique leadership opportunities for senior peer leaders and youth organizers. In order to create more interactive and engaging virtual programs, small groups and breakouts are critical. We have relied heavily on our senior peer leaders to help lead these groups with great success. These same young people helped to train and orient Joe to his new role, and plan for our school-year programming.
Now fully staffed as January, 12 young people join Joe, our TL@W fellow Hakeem Foreman and Senior Peer Leader, Trent Jordan Monday – Thursday afternoons on Zoom as paid staff. One of Joe’s first projects with TL@W was to finalize and conduct a pilot training for youth workers and youth supervisors on workplace bullying. Funded through a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH) Youth Violence Prevention Program, TL@W peer leaders educated the group that although not illegal, workplace bullying can dramatically affect workers' well-being and cause physical and mental health problems. The training covered the difference between bullying, administrative actions, and illegal discrimination/harassment and featured interactive activities for participants to explore the differences. Trainees walked away with a strong understanding of how to mitigate workplace bullying and their rights on the job. They also offered feedback on the pilot which will allow the TL@W team to finalize the curriculum which will be published on-line on the MA DPH website along with a handbook and training guide.
We are very pleased to welcome Joe and look forward to watching the TL@W program grow under his leadership.