FUP: Freshman Urban Program

The best way to learn about a new community is through serving its people. During the Freshman Urban Program, you will have the opportunity to explore the Boston and Cambridge neighborhoods by working with the people who live there. You will learn about the issues that commonly affect an urban environment, such as gentrification and poverty. However, the Freshman Urban Program focuses on empowering you to work toward solutions to the problems faced by urban communities.

While you are rolling up your sleeves and getting to work, you will meet 50 other fantastic freshmen and 16 amazing upperclassmen. The friends you make in FUP will provide a support structure for the rest of your MIT career. Late night activities will provide an opportunity for you to explore the city while you still have time. The Freshman Urban Program is the best way to understand Boston and Cambridge communities, while having fun and getting to know the city where you will be spending the next four years.

Quotes from past participants:

“I figured that since I’m living in this city for the next four years, I might as well get to know it as best as I can. FUP does a wonderful job of introducing students to Boston/Cambridge through exploration and service.” — Stephanie Wu, Class of 2007

“During FUP I learned more about Boston and met more amazing people than I think most MIT students do in their four years here. The people I met and the places I worked were truly inspiring and have encouraged me to continue in the tradition of public service.” — Rohit Gupta, Class of 2005

“To me, FUP is an essential freshmen experience - not only do you get a great introduction to the city and campus where you will be living for the next four years, you also get to meet the people with whom you will be living, working, and playing through the rewarding act of community service.” — Matt Zedler, Class of 2007

“FUP was an awesome experience. Active service in your community is not only a great way to help your neighbors, but it also helped me learn more about myself and what I found important.” —Anonymous 2003

FUP Specifics

• Dates: Tuesday, August 19 through Saturday, August 23.
  
• Place: Freshmen will be housed in their assigned dormitory.
  
• Available Spaces: 50
  
• Cost: $150. The cost includes all meals and supplies.

FUP provides participants with a variety of opportunities to explore urban issues and community. In the past, our activities have included:

• Building houses, futon frames and tables in the Boston Area for HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, a volunteer-based organization dedicated to building simple low-cost homes by forming working partnerships with low-income families in desperate need of decent housing.


• Taking a MYTOWN (Multicultural Youth Tour of What’s Now) Tour which aims to connect young people to a more inclusive, contemporary history. MYTOWN works to inspire young Bostonians to assume their role as citizen change makers by awakening them to the cultural background of Boston’s South End.


• Building a playground at a local community center.


• Working alongside community members at local service agencies including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, the AIDS Action Committee, the Boston Food Bank, and the YMCA.


• Engaging in a dramatization of the unequal distribution of resources and wealth in the world through an Oxfam Hunger Banquet.


• Visiting several area neighborhoods, including the financial district, Chinatown, the North End, Downtown, and the Common in Boston, and Central and Harvard Squares in Cambridge.


• Getting the inside scoop on life at MIT from our experienced counselors, who represent a cross-section of the MIT student body. And of course, getting to know one another and exploring the fun side of attending an urban Institute.
  

FUP nights will be filled with optional “nite-out” activities, where you can enjoy Boston with your fellow classmates:

• Dance at Boston’s hot spots.
  
• Kick back at local coffee shops.
• Explore the MIT Campus through Capture The Flag.
  
• Play pool and games at the most popular recreational centers.

“Boston and Cambridge have so much to offer you....let FUP be your guide!”