Supporting each other in new ways

Editor’s note: This is part 1 of our 2021 Year in Review Series. You can read the intro post here. You can follow along with these and other projects on our (new!) Instagram account (@newurbanmechanics) or Twitter (@newurbanmechs).

MONUM has often been called an innovation team. But innovation can mean so many things: — technological solutions, “thought leadership”, boundary-pushing. Some of these definitions get further away from the heart of our work: people. So in recent years we’ve started exploring a new definition. What if we reframed innovation as care?

With this mindset, we’re focusing our projects on caring, creative support. Here are six projects from 2021 that explored new ways to support each other.

Moving Through The Budget

Moving Through the Budget (MTTB) was a community-based residency that used collaborative storytelling, dance, and movement to engage Boston residents on the City Budget.

The curriculum combined fiscal education, movement and dance, and facilitated group discussions. These activities prompted participants to creatively process their lived experiences with the Budget before providing feedback.

The pilot focused on reaching residents of a single neighborhood (East Boston) in order to build community and generate conversations among residents with a common neighborhood context. By engaging with residents in a new way, we hoped to access new voices and perspectives and create a more informed, trustworthy, and supportive environment for conversations about the Budget.

What was “the question” this project was answering?

• What are the systemic biases and discriminatory patterns that prevent residents from engaging with the Budget?
• How can we better support mental health and wellness in the public engagement process?
• Can a creative approach improve residents’ capacity for engagement?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

Engagement should feel impactful. When residents take the time and energy to learn about the Budget, they expect their feedback to have an impact they can feel. It’s crucial to align learning opportunities to moments when resident engagement will lead to concrete outcomes.

Creative modes of engagement are also a mental health service. Movement and dance held therapeutic value for participants, providing much-needed relief around challenging topics. Participants reduced the stress associated with learning about a City decision-making process that historically excluded them.

By providing this service, and including both mental health and creative professionals in the public engagement process, the City created a healthier environment for Budget discussions and creative problem-solving. Residents want new ways of communicating with the City to make themselves heard. Many participants were seasoned and vocal advocates for their communities. While they already held knowledge about the aspects of the Budget which affected them directly, residents were looking for a new point of entry to share their experiences and needs.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?

We are working with the Office of Budget Management to define next steps and determine if the project will be repeated or scale to additional languages and neighborhoods. With the passage of a participatory budgeting ordinance, we’re hopeful this work can be a bridge to a new model of more deeply engaging residents in the Budget-making process and supporting them along the way.

Check the project website for any updates on future versions of the program.

Indigenous Peoples Day Executive Order

Since 2019 MONUM has participated in an interdepartmental Supporting Indigenous Efforts (SIE) working group. The SIE group seeks to address the City’s lack of formal representation or framework for directly understanding, supporting and addressing the particular concerns of our Indigenous and Native communities. In order to provide a space for common understanding of and support for city efforts with Indigenous and Native Tribes and community members, this group began to meet with the intention of strengthening the case for a clear investment and channel of support from the administration. Over time, the SIE group grew to include members from several departments including the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Environment Department, Archaeology, the Digital Team (DoIT), Resilience and Racial Equity, and many more. After a meeting between then-Mayor Kim Janey, United American Indians of New England (UAINE), North American Indian Center of Boston (NAICOB) and members of the Massachusett tribe in the fall of 2021, the SIE group was asked to develop an executive order declaring the second Monday of October of every year to be Indigenous Peoples Day in lieu of Columbus Day. On October 6, 2021, the City of Boston issued the Executive Order, and affirmed the City’s commitment to reconciliation and support of the rights of Indigenous peoples. The Executive Order also included a list of proposals to support the City in celebrating Indigenous histories and futures.

What was “the question” this project was answering?

How can the City take meaningful, concrete steps towards:

• denouncing its racist and colonial history with respect to native peoples,
• building stronger relationships with its Indigenous communities, and
• providing meaningful channels of support and representation?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

We learned that supporting Indigenous people and issues is deeply necessary, but also a complex and long term project. Due to the historic and traumatic nature of Boston’s local indigenous history, time, healing, and trust-building is needed in order to continue with this work. Essentially, the City will also need to consistently show that it has made a commitment to changing its ways and demonstrate this commitment through actions, not just words. In collaboration with Indigenous community leadership and activism, the SIE group has developed a series of proposals as the beginning of a long-term healing process. These proposals include land acknowledgment, expanded capacity within the City to support Indigenous efforts and to engage the Indigenous community, additional staff and support within Boston Public Schools to address and accommodate the needs of Indigenous families and students, and increased focus on the housing, economic and workforce development for tribal members.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?

Stay in touch and check the City’s social media feeds for updates on our work.

City of Boston Donation Drive for Haitian Migrants

We helped launch a holiday donation drive to assist the hundreds of families who arrived in Boston from the border. In partnership with the Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) and SPARK Boston, the Mayor’s civic engagement council for millennial and Gen Z residents, donation bins were installed in City Hall lobbies to collect household goods, including winter clothing, menstrual products, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and diapers.

What was “the question” this project was answering?

How do we support new residents in our city who have little to no resources?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

Even if you’ve put everything in its right place before a project begins, a crisis can bolt in and muck around all the plans and responsibilities. When the Omicron variant surged, our partners at Public Facilities were hit hard, so they weren’t able to transport donations from City Hall to IFSI’s site in West Roxbury. Our team and SPARK Boston volunteers stepped in to carry on that work. We learned that a Plan B is always needed, especially in a pandemic.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?

You can check out IFSI’s work here.

B-Local

B-Local was an ambitious adventure leveraging CARES Act funding to invite residents to be a part of Boston’s economic recovery for small businesses. Residents downloaded the B-Local app, linked their payment method, and were automatically rewarded with “Boston Points” when they supported small businesses in the program. Boston Points could then be spent like cash for discounts at participating small businesses, who were reimbursed by the City $1 for every 1 Boston Point spent.

What was “the question” this project was answering?

Can a tech platform make it easier for residents to aid in Boston’s economic recovery?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

The age-old lesson, “One size does not fit all.” Businesses had varying degrees of success implementing B-Local due to their own technology access or staffing constraints, or vision alignment in the first place. If there’s not enough time for one-to-one interactions, it’s probably best to slow down.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?

You can download the next iteration of the B-Local app when it’s available (on the Apple and Google Play Stores). And continue to support local businesses!

Youth Civic Design Fellowship

How can we help young people participate more in the work of government? Over the years we’ve asked ourselves this question, as we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with youth from elementary and middle schools, high schools, undergrad programs, and beyond. Recent years have allowed for a new way of supporting youth. In 2020 we piloted a three-week Youth Civic Design Fellowship program through the City of Boston’s SuccessLink Program. With one participant for a short duration we tested how we might roll out a full program. In 2021 that prototype yielded more exploration: we hosted two high school youth for a paid opportunity to learn about, engage with, and practice design in a government context (virtually, in that iteration). Through group projects, learning sessions with partners, week-to-week reflections, and general exploration the two Youth Civic Design Fellows immersed themselves in the work we do. In turn, those fellows’ work has opened new opportunities for us: we’re now on Instagram and are hosting our inaugural Zero Waste Youth Ambassadors. We’re excited to host a new cohort of Fellows in person for the summer of 2022!

What was “the question” this project was answering?

• How might we directly support youth exploring the practice of civic design?
• How can we make meaningful space for youth perspectives on the future of Boston?
• How might we help young people associate exploration, experimentation and reflection with government?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

Young people hold great creativity and sources of knowledge. We’ve found that we can not only have an impact on the trajectory of these youth and their future practices, but also benefit greatly from their leadership and guidance.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?:

Definitely read the blog posts written by Janice and Maggie as well as the zine they created! We’d also love for folks to spread the word about our Youth Civic Design Fellowship when applications are open next year. We encourage folks to reach out to our team (no matter your age!) if you have an idea or interest in shaping the city. Whether it’s through a formal program, a conversation, or an individual project we want to see youth share their perspectives and thrive as the change-makers they are. Please be in touch!

BPL Wifi Hotspots

The Mayor’s Office and Boston Public Library’s HotSpot Lending Program worked to expand Wi-Fi access in Boston communities by providing 200 free Wi-Fi HotSpots to Boston community-based organizations, small businesses, and community-facing City departments that serve under-connected communities. Our partners have used these hotspots to empower youth organizers in the field, provide connection to public housing residents, connect farmers’ market and food pantry clients with easy access to SNAP and recipes online, make telehealth a reality for our most vulnerable neighbors, offer digital English classes to Afghan refugees, and much more.

What was “the question” this project was answering?

How do we bridge the digital divide in Boston? How do we make digital access easier for residents who aren’t digital natives?

What lessons did you learn from this work?

An intuitive form of technology like a hotspot makes digital equity easier to market and easier to deliver to patrons of all ages and languages. Hotspots offer enormous flexibility for mobile internet use on devices and phones, making them a perfect access for residents on the go, those with costly cellular data plans, and anyone with a shifting housing situation, like refugees or unhoused residents.

How can the public be involved moving forward? Where can folks follow along with the progress?

The next iteration of this program is the city-wide offering of over 2,000 home Wi-Fi routers and Chromebooks available through the Boston Public Library’s Long-Term Device Lending Program. The program is open to any adult resident of the City of Boston who does not otherwise have access to equipment or services sufficient to meet their educational needs. The program began with 3,000 routers and 3,200 Chromebooks and additional funding has been requested for an additional 3,000 Chromebooks to distribute to residents. Learn about the Long-Term Device Lending Program and sign up for a Chromebook and/or LTE-enabled Wi-Fi router by visiting bpl.org/long-term-lending.

What new ways are you trying to support your communities? What should we keep thinking about for the rest of this year? Stay tuned for our next Year in Review post, all about tinkering with what already exists.