The NonProfit Center

Cultural Life and the Arts -- Boston Metro     

Innovation

The first mission-based, multi-tenant center in Massachusetts created exclusively to house progressive social change organizations.

Description

Developed by Third Sector New England, the NonProfit Center provides eight floors of comfortable, functional office and meeting space for both large and small progressive nonprofit organizations. The building features a healthy environment of sustainable "green design" for tenants and the larger community, with energy efficient systems and natural, recyclable products. Most importantly, the NonProfit Center of Boston is providing the nonprofit organizations that are located there with:

• Secure, affordable rents that are stable and predictable
• An environment that fosters collaboration and creates synergy with like-minded groups
• Greater community visibility for social change work

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Civic Health -- Boston Metro     

The Coalition is a groundbreaking organization in metropolitan Boston established by the mayors and city managers of ten local cities: Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Melrose, Medford, Quincy, Revere and Somerville. The Coalition is a voluntary, collaborative forum where members exchange information and formulate solutions to common problems. The Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research awarded the Metropolitan Area Planning Council an honorable mention in its 2003 Better Government Competition for its role in facilitating the Coalition and supporting regional cooperation. Results have demonstrated the tangible benefits achieved through collective action.

• Have collectively purchased goods and services
• Facilitated a joint homeland security application that resulted in a $1.96 million grant
• Developed a municipal relief agenda

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 Commonwealth Legislative Seminar

Civic Health -- Boston Metro    

Innovation

Providing in-depth training on legislative advocacy to leaders from ethnic and immigrant communities.

Description

The mission of the Commonwealth Legislative Seminar is to open the doors of the State House to underrepresented populations by providing in-depth training on legislative advocacy to leaders from ethnic and immigrant communities. The Seminar is a six-week program designed to give community leaders a thorough understanding of the legislative process, introduce them to some of the key leaders in the legislature, and provide them with a forum to work with others concerned with similar issues. Over the next several years, the Seminar will train hundreds of community leaders who will emerge as sophisticated, effective advocates on behalf of their communities.

• Six-week legislative training program for leaders in underrepresented communities
• Over the next several years, the Seminar will train hundreds of community leaders
• Regularly briefs these leaders on major legislative issues

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 Blacksburg Alert 

                                      Civic Health -- National/International

Innovation

Revolutionary government-to-citizen communications tool that lets the town share information with the public instantaneously and provides citizens with the option to receive updates on topics of interest by phone, fax, or e-mail.

Description

Blacksburg Alert is an innovative solution for improving communications between government agencies, citizens, volunteer organizations, and the general public. After registering for the free service, Blacksburg residents can select which types of notifications they wish to receive. Many citizens value the service because of its immediacy and reliability, and the town staff sees the benefits of its efficiency and ease of information sharing. Notices are entered once into a web-based interface and are dispersed to all communication devices simultaneously. For the first time ever, citizens can receive timely information that is pertinent to their needs and in the format that works best for them. Blacksburg Alert has been recognized with a 2004 Government Technology Leadership Award.

• Topics include Traffic, Recreation, Refuse & Recycling, and Development News
• Emergency Notices let officials disseminate critical information
• Notifies parents when school lets out early due to bad weather
• Can receive weekly e-news synopses with web links

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Civic Health -- National/International

• Improves access to food, housing, and healthcare services
• A process that used to take hours in multiple locations now takes minutes
• Available in Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, and English
• Recognized with 2003 Government Technology Leadership Award

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Civic Health -- National/International     

• The Animating Democracy Lab, which profiles and resources 32 arts and cultural organizations
• City Lore (poetry dialogues about urban culture)
• The Kitchen (a jazz opera on Black male stereotyping)

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Civic Health -- National/International      

graphic courtesy of Kids Voting USA

The Kids Voting USA program combines innovative classroom activities with an authentic voting experience to help students gain knowledge, skills and confidence to be active citizens. What makes the program truly unique is that students have the opportunity to cast a Kids Voting ballot on election day, voting on the same candidates and issues as the adults.

• Children accompany their parents to the polls
• Kids Voting booths in more than 20,000 voter precincts
• Affiliates in 38 states, including Massachusetts
• Civic education curriculum reaches over 6,000 schools

Civic Health -- National/International

Thefacebook, founded by a Harvard student and launched in February 2004, is an online directory that connects people through social networks at colleges and universities. Over 300 schools participate, attracting one million users. Thefacebook is one of the first social networking sites to ground its online community in a physical one: the university. Students post photos and personal information on a profile and seek out peers with similar interests. They can accumulate "friends" on a running tally that can be seen by others.

• Users control privacy settings, choosing who can see the information they have posted
• Participating schools include Boston College, Boston University, Harvard, MIT, and Northeastern

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Civic Health -- National/International     

The Soliya Connect Program utilizes new technology to connect students from different cultures and teach them how to change their perceptions and impact their own communities.

The Soliya Connect Program uses the latest videoconferencing technology to link American and Middle Eastern university students, bridging cultural divides through group projects and discussions. Small groups made up of equal numbers of Middle Eastern and American students meet weekly over the Internet and access a website with a web log forum. They research data relevant to their discussions, learn to use video-editing software, and eventually create a media product showing what they've learned and develop an action plan on how to educate their own communities. The program's goals are to engage students in global affairs, sensitize them to the power of the media to shape our worldview, help them develop multimedia communication skills, and humanize "the other" through intimate communication and collaboration.

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