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Accomplishments

Since its creation, SCI has been a leader in demonstrating how communities can systematically weave a stronger social fabricconnecting its members. SCI increases social capital by training andsupporting young leaders; using the Web to make it easier forindividuals to find community activities and resources; recruitingvolunteers to welcome people new to the area and encouraging them toparticipate; and running events that build bridges and spark acommunity spirit.

Here are some of our Accomplishments from the first six months of the 2009/2010 program year:

  • 20 SCI AmeriCorps members have recruited 1,589 community volunteers and a total of 32,841 residents of Dorchester, Fall River, Milford, Lynn, Woburn, and Burlington have benefitted from their service.
  • 268 youth and young adults are developing leadership skills with SCI this Year, well above our target of developing 220 new leaders.
  • People are more connected because of SCI - 76% are more civically active, 82% report increased feeling of belonging in their community and 62 organizations report increased participation as a result of SCI.
  • Over 4,015 food & clothing items have been generated by SCI AmeriCorps members and volunteers for people in need during these difficult economic times.

Of course, numbers are an important part of reporting; but they onlytell part of the story. Here are some anecdotes that provide somegreater insight into what our AmeriCorps members accomplished:

  • Morgan collaborated with other local Woburn organizations to recruit 14 volunteers who served 3,164 lunches to needy kids this summer, at a time when these services are so needed. Without Morgan, this program wouldn't have happened.  Read more about this program here. 
  • The SCI Lynn AmeriCorps team, along with the youth they served, helped organize a foreclosure prevention & community resource summit in the Highlands neighborhood of Lynn. The event connected 400 residents to valuable resources to help them weather these difficult economic times.
  • Kevin reported that he had many Youth Council alumni share with him about the lasting impact the program has had, including this anecdote from a parent who told him about how the program contributed to her daughter's college success.  

SCI's new strategic focus on "Developing Social Capitalists"says that the most important way we will have impact over the long-termis by providing emerging leaders with community building skills andtools they can use not only to have impact while serving with us, butthat they can draw upon in a life of active citizenship. Thus, it seemsfitting to wrap up this post with a few reflections from AmeriCorpsmembers about what they learned with SCI:

"I now know how to network, connect people with resources and use my resources effectively."

"My facilitation skills, along with other professional skills, have really improved over the course of 10 months."

Many thanks to all of the funders, partners, board members, staff andvolunteers that made this success possible.

SCI has received widespread recognition for its outstanding programs.

  • SCI's programs were highlighted as promising for replication in 2 Boston Globe opinion pieces and in the Patrick/Murray Transition Civic Engagement Working Group report.
  • The SCI Woburn and Dorchester Youth Councils have both received national recognition as Daily Points of Light Award Winners.
  • The SCI Civic Welcome Wagon was highlighted by the Governor Deval Patrick’s Administration and in the Boston Globe as a model for statewide replication.
  • SCI was chosen as a Social Innovator by the Social Innovation Forum in 2003.
  • Featured in the Boston Globe, Mass High Tech, and the National Civic Review.
  • Asked to present on civic engagement, social capital and using technology to build community at dozens of conferences.