Social Innovation Forum
This fall, we had the pleasure of interviewing some of the newest members of our coworking space in downtown Boston. Ranjini Govender, Executive Director of the MA Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, shared insights about the organization’s recent move to SIF’s office and the latest developments in their advocacy efforts supporting children and families across Massachusetts. Read on to hear more from Runjini.
Tell us a little about MA Appleseed & your mission
MA Appleseed’s mission is to promote equal rights and opportunities for MA residents by developing and advocating for systemic solutions to social justice issues. This looks like research that engages impacted community members, advocacy at the State House for policies that can improve outcomes for children and families, and working in coalition with our partners to widen our statewide impact.
What types of projects are you currently working on?
MA Appleseed's current projects include the MA Homeless Youth Handbook, an online know-your-rights guide for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, which we both share as a resource and offer know-your-rights presentations on individual topics to groups and organizations across the state. We have also been busy at the State House this summer, offering testimony in support of legislation that pushes for school discipline reforms and improved language access services at select state agencies. Finally, we are finishing up a research report that examines the state of language access at MA trial courts and are looking forward to a report launching in the fall!
What drew you to SIF's coworking space?
We were excited to join SIF’s coworking space since it had everything our small team needed. It’s great to be surrounded by other social impact organizations given the work we do. We look forward to getting to know more of the SIF staff, along with the other folks who use this space.
What are you hoping to gain from being part of this community?
Sharing office space with the Social Innovation Forum connects us to a dynamic network of social impact leaders, fostering opportunities for collaboration, partnerships, and increased awareness of work going on in Boston’s vibrant nonprofit sector. It offers operational benefits like reduced costs and shared resources while placing us at the heart of Boston’s innovation ecosystem.
What is one thing you wish more people knew about your organization?
While we are not a direct legal service provider, we focus on changing the systems that create injustice in the first place. Much of our work is about making a long-term impact through policy advocacy, research, and community education on people’s legal rights.
We're excited to welcome another coworking organization to our community space in downtown Boston! Our coworking space is designed to support flex and long-term rental plans and designed to support nonprofit teams in the Boston area who are looking for opportunities to optimize team success and help develop connections to like-minded organizations.
If you're interested in becoming a member of our coworking space or learning more about our coworking community (see list below), feel free to reach out to coworking@socialinnovationforum.org.
Current Coworking organizations:
- Alray Scholars
- Community Change Inc.
- D-Tree
- Exceptional Lives
- MA Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
- Midas Collaborative