Social Innovation Forum
We regret to inform you that the Social Issue Talk, Social Capital: Who has it, why do we need it, and how do we build it?, scheduled for Tuesday, March 17 will not take place as planned. Our event host, Nixon Peabody, has made the decision to cancel all events with outside organizations for the time being. We hope to work with our keynote speaker to reschedule and will be in touch once we have more information.
Sincerely,
The SIF Team
Join the Social Innovation Forum on Tuesday, March 17, 2020 from 12:00-1:30 pm for the Social Issue Talk "Social Capital: Who has it, why do we need it, and how do we build it?" Lunch will be provided.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Julia Mejia, City Councilor At-Large, City of Boston
Like many residents in the City of Boston, immigration is part of Julia Mejia’s story. Julia was born in the Dominican Republic and arrived in Dorchester when she was five years old. Raised by a single mother who was undocumented, she began advocating at a young age on behalf of her mother and others in her community in order to access vital city services.
While working with her mother cleaning offices in the evening and working towards graduating high school during the day, Julia attended a presentation given by the Reverend Liz Walker which would change the course of her life. She went on to graduate from the Boston Public School system, becoming the first in her family to graduate high school and college. Julia went on to work for MTV, covering the 2000 presidential election as a reporter, focusing on her life-long passion of government accountability and civic engagement. She created and led a civic engagement group focused on voter registration and was the founder of a nonprofit education network. Through her work, Julia has become enriched by the experiences of bringing people together from all walks of life.
Elected to the City Council of the great city of Boston starting in 2020, Julia serves with the reminder that nothing about us, without us, is for us. Julia is a graduate of Dorchester High School and holds a bachelor of arts degree from Mount Ida College. She lives in Dorchester with her daughter, Annalise, and their little Shih-Tzu, Toby.
2020 SOCIAL INNOVATOR
Boston HERC (Higher Education Resource Center)
The Boston HERC (Higher Education Resource Center), and its signature Passport to College program, equip low-income, first-generation youth to access and thrive in higher education, break the cycle of poverty, and transform their communities. This Latino-led, culturally sensitive program focuses on matching cohorts of first-generation students with first-generation college graduate coaches to lead them through the college process, and to develop the 21st Century Skills students need to succeed in college and careers.
ABOUT THE SPRING SOCIAL ISSUE TALK SERIES
This Spring, the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) will continue our annual Social Issue Talk Series. We will hold eight free educational events across the city where funders and community leaders can hear from leading experts in our social impact community and our 2020 Social Innovators about the latest trends, best practices, and exciting innovations across a variety of fields.