CVS and Citizen Schools make a "Prescription for Success"

Boston, MA — At most schools, you will not often see a middle schooler making small talk with the principal.  But Fitsum Asafu of the Edison Middle School in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, MA, is not the average middle schooler.  On a recent school day, he stopped Principal Elliot Stern in the hallway– just to say hello.

Fits, as he is called, was inspired to reach out to his principal through his Citizen Schools apprenticeship with CVS, “Prescription for Success.”  Since February, he and a group of his peers have been working once a week with CVS store managers and volunteer Citizen Teachers Bill Bruce and Kenny Wong.  Together, they spend an hour and a half each week practicing not only the skills they would need to manage a pharmacy and store, but what it takes to have positive and productive interactions, resolve conflicts, and build relationships.

Fits’ interaction with Principal Stern during the school day was part of his “weekly mission,” an assignment to initiate a conversation or exchange with someone in his life in a positive way.  All of the students in the apprenticeship have these tasks, and they come back with great stories – teachers they learned something about, a member of their community they got to know a little better.  

The students in “Prescription for Success” apprenticeships have explored the CVS mock pharmacy where employees are trained, embarked on a scavenger hunt in a store, and practiced the day-to-day duties of a pharmacist, all with a focus on customer service.  Through role-playing scenarios, they practice strategies for relationship management, problem solving, and effective communication.  They enact skits on the importance of body language, listening and compromising, as well as coaching employees on all of these. 

Reflecting on these exercises, one student shares, “I have learned that communicating is hard sometimes.  It's hard to listen to everything that someone says.  You have to really pay attention to someone who's talking.”

The CVS apprenticeship is popular, not just among Edison students, who love the white lab coats they get to wear and keep, but also among the Citizen Schools staff.  “Kenny and Bill show the students that what they are learning translates from the store to life,” says Grace Bianciardi, Campus Director of Citizen Schools at the Edison.  “They challenge them to take their knowledge home with them – to use it with their siblings, parents, teachers, and peers.” 

“These are skills you use in all areas of life,” explains CVS store manager Bruce.  “They are life skills that will make you successful, no matter what path you choose.”  Through their work with volunteers, Citizen Schools students have the chance to meet a wide range of professionals:  bankers, architects, scientists, artists, lawyers, journalists.  The CVS apprenticeship has brought a new element to the range of careers they are able to experience and may someday pursue. 

This aspect of “choosing pathways” is a powerful part of why the CVS apprenticeship has become such a valuable part of the Edison Citizen Schools experience.  “All of these kids have CVS stores in their neighborhoods, and they often know someone who works at one.  Some of the Citizen Teachers are from the area, and even attended the Boston Public Schools,” says Bianciardi.  These are powerful connections for the students that bring what they are learning to life.  They can imagine being a pharmacist or a store manager. 

The CVS apprenticeships, currently taking place on campuses in Boston and Malden, Massachusetts, are such a hit that they are being rolled out next year to other states where Citizen Schools offers programs.  And yet the benefits of collaboration extend beyond apprenticeships.  CVS has become a major partner for Citizen Schools, not only as a source for talented and enthusiastic volunteers, but also for funding and other support.  The relationship promises creative opportunities to share resources and ideas, like selling Citizen Schools student-made products in CVS stores.

ABOUT US — Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement by teaching skill-building apprenticeships after-school.  Our programs blend these real-world learning projects with rigorous academic and leadership development activities, preparing students in the middle grades for success in high school, college, the workforce, and civic life.

Launched in Boston in 1995, Citizen Schools currently serves 3,000 students and engages 2,400 volunteers in 15 cities nationwide.

Learn more about our programs, our results, our plans to advance the after-school field, and how to get involved at www.citizenschools.org.

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