Social Innovation Forum
With a portfolio of 106 organizations and social businesses, the Social Innovation Forum wants to help keep our community informed, active, and social through our Putting the "Social" in Social Innovation Summer Series. Each week we will share events being hosted by our past Innovators and Entrepreneurs. Be sure to get out there and support our inspiring Boston nonprofit community!
Social Innovation Forum Community Summer Series | June 17 – June 23
1. Fun in the sun with Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC), 2003 Social Innovator
Garden Tea Party
June 17, 12:00 – 3:00 pm | HOPE Community Garden, 55 Malcolm X Boulevard, Roxbury
Looking for a way to enjoy the beautiful weather while engaging with fellow community members? Pack up your favorite lawn chair and your “best” hat and head over to HOPE Community Garden for an afternoon garden tea party with Madison Park Development Corporation. MPDC is an innovative organization generating positive social change in respect to real estate development, asset management, and cultural revitalization in and around Roxbury.
To RSVP, contact Leslie: lstafford@madison-park.org or 617-849-6231
2. Spend an evening at the theater and learn more about Alzheimer's disease at MPDC's Hibernian Hall
Forget Me Not
June 17, 6:00 - 9:00 pm | Hibernian Hall, Dudley St., Roxbury
After the Garden Tea Party head over to MPDC's Hibernian Hall for the play, Forget Me Not Hosted by African Americans Against Alzheimer’s, a network of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, Forget Me Not demonstrates the various individual and community challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Following the stage play, a panel of experts will provide information on available medical and social services. They will also facilitate discussion on contemporary research that is geared towards disease prevention and effective treatments.
3. Dinner, music, and a skyline view: summer music series with ZUMIX, 2006 Social Innovator (in partnership with The Eddy and Reelhouse)
Wild Painting Concert
June 21, 6:00 pm | The Lawn at The Eddy, 10 New St., East Boston
ZUMIX invites you to build a community through music and the arts. Enjoy a mix of indie rock and electropop performed by Wild Painting, a band comprised of four ZUMIX participants. Listen and watch as “their passion for music shines through their energetic, idiosyncratic style.” ZUMIX provides a safe space to foster youth exploration and a development of self-identity through arts. These community events are a great way to showcase our talented youth and support the incredible work of ZUMIX in East Boston.
Tickets to concert: Free
Lounge on the lawn of The Eddy and enjoy dinner and a beverage crafted by ReelHouse (a portion of proceeds benefiting ZUMIX).
4. Learn about mass incarceration in the black community with Haley House, 2003 Social Innovator
Locked Up: Panel Discussion and Info Session at the Haley House
June 22, 6:00 pm | Haley House Bakery Café | 12 Dade St. Roxbury, MA 02119
Haley House and Danny Rivera are hosting a group discussion, reflection opportunity, and a panel of community advocates and activists, on the topic of mass incarceration and its effect on the black community. This event is just one of the many ways Haley House seeks to help vulnerable and oppressed populations move towards wholeness. In addition to these community events, our friends at Haley House endorse economic independence of under-employed teens and adults, through paid food service training programs.
Free
5. Future Chefs, a 2011 Social Innovator, is calling all foodies
Future Chefs 20th Annual “Chefs in Shorts” Event
June 23, 7:00 - 10:00 pm | Seaport Boston Hotel and World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Blvd. Boston, MA 02210
Future Chefs students will be assisting the area’s leading chefs, as they throw down their favorite recipes! The Future Chefs organization believes in a school-to-workplace model, which focuses on education, work-based experiences, youth development, leadership opportunities and referral services, as a means of strengthening the local economy and promoting civil responsibility. You can follow them this summer for other interesting events, inside and outside of the kitchen.
Tickets: $90
6. Get your feet wet (literally!) with the Mystic River Watershed Association, 2015 Social Innovator
Invasive Plant Removal
June 24, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Come one, come all - no experience needed! Join the Mystic River Watershed Association as they remove invasive plant species, such as the Oriental Bittersweet, from waterfront parks. Since its launch in 2016, the Oriental Bittersweet Removal Project has successfully improved the health and aesthetics of the Mystic River. Your volunteerism will help MyRWA in their mission to protect, restore, and promote the beauty and value of our Mystic River ecosystems. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public.
About the Author
Hannah Coy is a Program Intern at the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) this summer. Working closely with SIF’s program team, Hannah supports the 2017-2018 Social Innovator Accelerator application and evaluation process and is co-author of the summer events blog series. Hannah studies psychology at Yale University, where she is also a member of the varsity women's soccer team.
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to keep us updated on your summer fun at this week’s SIF Community events!
Did we miss something? Please email Hannah at hcoy@socialinnovationforum.org to have your summer events included in future Putting the "Social" in Social Innovation posts!