Hostelling International - USA: Eastern New England Council

Mission: To help all, especially the young, gain a greater understanding of the world and its people through hostelling.

Vision: To foster intercultural understanding and environmental awareness by being a leader in budget travel, by developing, maintaining and operating hostels; and by promoting programs and education for our membership and the local and global communities in a fiscally responsible manner.

Description:
The Eastern New England Council (ENEC) is chartered by Hostelling International USA (aka American Youth Hostels)to provide community educational programs and to manage hostels for domestic and international individual and group travelers.

ENEC manages six hostels in Massachusetts which include four on Cape Cod and the Islands, a summer hostel in Kenmore Square area of Boston and a year-round hostel in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston.

Hostels may be best known for their low cost accommodations but they are much more. The facilities encourage interaction amongst their visitors. Common rooms, shared kitchen facilities, and dormitory accommodations provide an environment that leads to valuable lessons in cooperative living and travel. Hostels offer educational and recreational programs that allow guests structured opportunities to learn about local communities, increase personal awareness and experience a multicultural environment.

History:
A German school teacher named Richard Schirrmann was the founder of the youth hostel movement. While assigned to a coal mining area in the early 1900s, Schirrmann became conscious of the impact that the industrial revolution was having on his students' health and welfare. Concerned about their environment, the teacher began taking his students on weekend field trips into the countryside for fresh air and interaction with nature. Utilizing school buildings for accommodations, the teacher created his own sort of 'wandering school.' The concept of created student 'youth hostels' was developed from this early brand of experiential education.

The hostelling movement grew rapidly within Germany and by 1932 there were 2,124 youth hostels recording more than 4.5 million overnights annually. Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, the British Isles, Ireland, France, and Belgium quickly followed suite and added another 600 youth hostels to the network. The first international meeting was held in Amsterdam and the International Youth Hostel Federation was formed in 1932.

An American couple, Isabel and Monroe Smith, stumbled upon hostels in Germany in 1933 when they led a group of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts on a trip through Europe. They brought the hostelling spirit home by establishing the American Youth Hostels and opening the first US hotel in Northfield, Massachusetts. By 1935 over 30 privately owned AYH chartered hostels were operating throughout New England.

As a result of the Smith's pioneering work, hostelling in New England took on a significant historical role. In 1939 AYH established geographical divisions within the organization and the New England Regional Council was formed. In 1944 the Greater Boston Council (GBC) was established and became officially incorporated in 1961. In 1994 the GBC became known as the Eastern New England Council (ENEC) so that the organization's name could be more representative of its constituency.

Today, ENEC's jurisdiction covers Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. ENEC manages six hostels in the region, including two facilities in Boston and four on Cape Cod (Truro and Eastham) and the Islands (Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket). Administrative offices are located at 1105 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston.

Contact person: Deborah Ruhe, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (617) 718-7995

Address:

218 Holland Street Somerville, MA 02144 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.hinewengland.org

Directions:

VIA MBTA: Take the red line to Davis Square. Walk up Holland Street. It's a 7-10 minute walk. We are on the left above Sabur Restaurant. From the West/North: Take Route 2 east. Exit onto Route 16 east. Take. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Davis Square,   Walk distance (in minutes): 7-10   Nearest Bus Stop: 87/88, 2-5 minute walk For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com

Last updated on February 3, 2009