MPF Winter Newsletter No Images? Click here MPF NewsletterWinter EditionIn This Issue:
Celebrating 20 years of Empowerment Martin Luther King Jr. Day of ServiceEach year, Massachusetts Promise Fellows celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by engaging with community partners in a day of service. MPF's role in MLK Day service projects has grown over the past few years, evolving from Fellow participation to actual Fellow-led projects. With generous support from the Northeastern Center of Community Service this year, Mass Promise Fellow Josh Etienne helped to lead an incredibly successful day of service and community at his host site, Old Colony YMCA (OCY) in Brockton. Despite the wind, snow, and ice postponing some projects, Josh’s service project brought together over 100 people for a full day of music, learning, food, and community service. The Opening Ceremony, with speeches from Josh and OCY youth Amanda Trask guides the sorting of donations for families experiencing homelessness. Community member David Kaipu teaches the audience to make music. The African Dance workshop, led by Chefiatou Falana from Simba Simdaca African Dance. Ahead of the event, Josh led a focus group to learn what youth at OCY wanted to see from the day. “They had a hand in preparing and also participating” Josh says of the youth he serves. “We identified what images and themes they wanted to see in the mural.” Youth and volunteers paint a mural in the Welcome Center of the Y. Fellow Cassandra Antognazzi with youth she serves at Boys and Girls Club of Brockton. One of our host sites, Freedom House, also planned a service project to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Due to the weather, this project was rescheduled for April 17th, 2019. Please consider joining us! MPF Alumni in Environmental Justice:From Youth Work to Environmental CareersOne of the best parts of MPF is the program’s dedication to not only educating Fellows on best practices for working with young people, but also pushing Fellows to reflect on societal issues on a more macro level. Social justice and the intersection of a variety of systemic oppressions impact our youth and our communities in a myriad of ways, and the lessons Fellows learn about these systems inspire many alumni to incorporate these lessons into their work as they move forward from MPF. Here, three alumnae share their stories of how they approach equity, accessibility, and social justice in both their professional and personal lives through the lens of environmental justice.
Melissa Panter (Class 15) works for the National Park Service, where she currently works as an Education Technician at the Grand Canyon, traveling to classrooms across the area with a park ranger to talk with students about ecology, history, and the park. In the summertime Melissa works in Yellowstone National Park, where she runs a Youth Conservation Corps. With the Youth Conservation Corps, she works with 64 youth over the course of the summer, teaching them about the environment, how to do conservation and trail work, and being stewards of the land. For Melissa, her time serving with MPF shaped the way that she performs her work today. While a Fellow at the North Shore Community Development Coalition in Salem, Melissa worked with many young people who had never had the opportunity to leave that community. This not only helped Melissa better understand her own identity and privilege, but also opened her eyes to the discrepancies between different communities and what they give their youth. Because of this, Melissa now works tirelessly to incorporate equal access to environmental opportunities for everyone, which is a cornerstone of environmental justice. Meghna Marjadi (Class 13 & 14) is a PhD candidate in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She spends the majority of her time conducting research, teaching biology courses, and mentoring students. Meghna’s overall goal is to address environmental justice and food security by researching the relationships between people and fisheries. Her research focuses on climate change and human impact influence fish populations, and how these issues relate to food security and local economies. Meghna explains, “As humans, we often seem to forget that we are part of the broader ecosystem and that our economy and welfare are inextricable from nature and the natural resources on which we rely. For this reason, one cannot really address [environmental justice] without also considering other systems of oppression and barriers to quality life, including (but not at all limited to) access to education, economic success, and health care resources.” Genea Foster (Class 14 & 15) works at NYC Parks as a Project Development Coordinator. She works with New Yorkers to create and sustain community gardens on publicly owned land. She provides technical assistance and material support to community gardeners in low-income and historically marginalized communities. Like both Melissa and Meghna, Genea feels that MPF played a fundamental role in her journey to where she is today. Genea stated, “My MPF service years greatly impacted my career path and deepened my commitment to community-driven change. MPF taught me the importance of volunteering and remaining rooted in the power of community members to exercise leadership in addressing the issues directly impacting them.” This has inspired Genea to spend her spare time as an activist and organizer, dedicating herself to both the environmental justice movement and the Movement for Black Lives. These three alumnae provide a powerful example of the important and impactful work that Fellows go on to engage in after their service with MPF. Melissa, Meghna, and Genea, thank you for sharing your stories and for all of your hard work and dedication to environmental justice and our communities! Celebrating 20 Years of EmpowermentMPF's Annual Appeal, In Review!This year, MPF held its most successful Annual Appeal to date! Celebrating MPF’s 20th birthday and focusing on the message of Empowerment, the Appeal raised a record $6,900 during the week of November 26-30. During our Annual Appeal week we conducted an interview series entitled “Where Are They Now?” showcasing MPF Alumni from Class 1 to 20. Check out their stories here! Upcoming Dates and RemindersFebruary 13th: Pass the Wagon Host Committee Kick Off Meeting! February 20th: MPF Community Grant Review Mid-March:2019-2020 Host Sites Announced! April 23rd: Pass the Wagon!
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