Be My Buddy – 2025 YGPC Team Spotlight
Meet the Team! | Be My Buddy
- Team Goal: To provide emotional and social support through peer connections.
- Affiliation: Friends of Costa Park
- Community: Revere, MA
The Be My Buddy team plans to develop a middle school peer support program to foster a sense of belonging, validation, and mutual support. Their goal is to provide emotional and social support through peer connections. Be My Buddy is a first-time SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest team.
Their coach Seth Goldberg is an experienced fundraising, marketing, government relations, and non-profit management professional. He is a passionate advocate for increasing the availability of support services for older adults, families, and people with disabilities. Seth currently resides in Melrose with his wife and two children and enjoys playing golf and softball in his spare time.
Seth noted that his prior work alongside youth has been incredibly rewarding. “I’m excited to share my skills and knowledge with those who are dedicated to community improvement and service,” he shared.
Another coach for the team is Elise Vernely, a job preparation coach with a combination of admin and several years of experience in youth development, career readiness and coaching. She is passionate about preparing the next generation of young leaders for their future endeavors in the workforce. In her own solo practice, Elise has recently developed a program called Path to Success that prepares high school students who want to go to college for jobs and internships and help with figuring out what to do for their future education and career.
When asked about participating in the program, Elise reflected on the importance of youth voice and empowerment. “Mentorship and guidance in my high school years have helped me and I think this is an amazing opportunity to give back and support youth in their vision of how they wish to better their community.”
The goal of SCI’s Pitch Contest is to provide youth with the opportunity to decide how to strengthen their community while practicing valuable professional skills such as public speaking, project management, and community organizing. With the guidance and support of 2 volunteer Pitch Coaches, each youth team will develop their project ideas and be in the driver’s seat of positive change.
The Pitch program will culminate on April 5th, when SCI will host the in-person Pitch Event at La Colaborativa where each team has the chance to receive up to $2,000 in grant funding. Media are invited to attend the Pitch Event. Funded youth teams will have until January 2026 to complete their respective projects and submit a project impact report.
This program is made possible by SCI’s sponsors, individual donors, and a Massachusetts state budget line item, thanks to the advocacy of State Senator Cindy Friedman. The 2025 SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest is sponsored by Boston Bridges Initiative; The Boston Foundation; Winning Home, Inc.; M&T Bank; Berkshire Bank; Benefact4; and Kick It for a Cause. Major support for SCI youth programming is provided by Cummings Properties. The SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest is supported by the service of an SCI AmeriCorps member. Social Capital Inc. is a proud member of the Massachusetts Service Alliance / AmeriCorps Network.
![2025 SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest | Meet the Teams: Spectrum Club “[To] provide a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and straight ally students to meet and support each other.”](https://socialcapitalinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Team-highlight-3.png)