our mission
mytown's mission is to use the power of community and cultural history to inspire youth to be leaders for social change.
our history
mytown was born out of the experiences of founder Karilyn Crockett who, as a young African-American girl, felt disconnected from the city in which she was raised. One afternoon, Karilyn went on a walking tour of Roxbury and the South End. For the first time, she learned about the history of the Pullman Porters, Tent City, and about the thousands of migrants and immigrants from all over the world that had built and transformed Boston over the past 350 years. For the first time, she felt that Boston was indeed a city shaped by the experiences of her family and neighbors, a place that she could truly call "my town." Karilyn recognized the potential of using this history?the history of "my town"?to realize her vision of increasing youth engagement and strengthening the inner city community where she grew up. In that moment, mytown was conceived.
With her college classmate, Denise Thomas, Karilyn brought this idea to life with the support of the echoing green Foundation in 1995. Together, Denise and Karilyn built an organization rooted in community and grounded in the best practices for youth development. From the first group of six Youth Guides, mytown has grown to impact hundreds of Boston teens and thousands of tour participants over the last decade.
