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Overview
Overview
The purpose of the Violence in Boston newsletters is to provide donors and subscribers with insight on what VIB has accomplished as the year progresses and updates on current happenings.
Goal?
Goal?
The goal in creating newsletters is to capture the work that VIB has done and continues to do to better the lives of the people in the communities that it serves. It also serves as a way for donors and subscribers to not only see where their donations are going, but encourage them to continue their support so that VIB stays supplied with the resources that they need to continue their work in underserved communities around Boston.
Our Process
Our Process
During our Tuesday morning classes, our lab group would meet with Monica, Coco, and Renesha over Zoom to discuss what content they would like to feature in the upcoming newsletter.
After deciding on the material, we first outlined the newsletter in a Google Document, then wrote out all of our content, looked over and finalized it, and finally transferred to our self-designed template on Mailchimp.
Once the newsletter was fully finished by us, we sent a test email to the team at VIB to receive (note-find better word?) their approval and any notes.
Then when we received confirmation, we sent our newsletter out to VIB's nearly 3,000 subscribers.
Visiting the Social Impact Center
Visiting the Social Impact Center
Our group visited VIB's newly opened Social Impact Center in Hyde Park, MA
Staff member Renesha Jackson gave us a tour of the building which featured amenities such as a food pantry, a recording studio, a podcasting room, a radio broadcasting room, and more
All over the walls on both the first and second floor are murals by local Black artists
Going to the SIC in person allowed us to see the happenings of VIB firsthand
What We Learned
What We Learned
We had a one of a kind “behind-the-scenes” experience while visiting the Social Impact Center, giving us a new perspective as outsiders on what it means to run a non-profit organization and open a community center.
Learning that the founders and staff of Violence in Boston are extremely busy and have their unique routine and schedule that does not exactly align with our class’s one day a week meeting time, we realized why exactly we could not have consistent weekly meetings with them. As people who have the responsibilities of taking care of their growing families, homeschooling their children, keeping up with the many different tasks and challenges that come with running a non-profit organization, and simply living their lives, getting back to us was understandably not one of their top priorities.
One of our team members visited the Social Impact Center for their Thanksgiving Drive, where she volunteered with the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district, Joe Kennedy. To be in the presence of a Kennedy, an individual of that status and of that power, was truly inspiring for Vanessa. It made us realize that people who are directly affected by the violence and poverty in Boston are not the only ones who desire to actively make a difference in Boston, and that the communities in need are not being ignored.
Work by Caitlin Park, Aliysha Malone, AJ Enwereji, & Vanessa Jean-Gilles
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