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Volume 12, Issue 10: October, 2025
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." - Barack Obama
Dear [name],
Thank you for your continued community and readership of our local Boston Network Connector Newsletter. In this edition, you will find featured stories from our VVN community, upcoming in-network events, opportunities in our community, and our monthly research highlight, the scoop on the stats.
- Village Voices: Nominate your Community Heroes!
- Application Opportunities: Social Justice Mediation Program, Community Data Ambassadorship, 2026 Community Food Systems Fellowship
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A special Children's Mental Health Storytelling Opportunity: Connected: Fathers and Children Reading and Reflecting Together + regularly scheduled CMHS
- Save the date for the final NOW Webinar of 2025!
- Explore opportunities in your community with VVN Partners
- October Scoop on the Stats:
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Nominations for the 2025 Unsung Hero Awards are Open!
Vital Village is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Unsung Hero Awards! We invite you to join us in this opportunity to recognize and celebrate our community champions. Nominate heroes in the VVN community who inspire, advocate, lead, and mentor in service of child, family, and community well-being!
Visit our online portal / https://cutt.ly/2025UnsungHero for more information, and submit your nominations by Oct. 31 at 11:59 pm ET.
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Network Events & Resources
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Apply for the 2025 Social Justice Mediation Program (SJMP)
Application Deadline: October 13th at 11:59 pm ET
In this free, 40-hour in-person training, attendees will learn about mediation and have the opportunity to practice their developed mediation skills through a 6-month service learning pathway. The training is an empowering opportunity to deepen your skills in mediation, conflict transformation, and community leadership.
The training will be held in person at Speak for the Trees - 60 Clayton Street, #201, Dorchester, MA 02122.
There will be 5 training sessions and attendance to every session is mandatory for program participants
Learn more and submit your application here / https://cutt.ly/2025SJMIApplication
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Submit your Application to become a 2025-26 Community Data Ambassador
Application Deadline: October 13th at 11:59 pm ET
Over the next six months, the selected community data ambassador team members will build upon the important collaborative work accomplished by concerned residents, social justice leaders, community members, and the 2024 and 2025 Community Data Ambassador teams during the survey and data collection phases.
The goal is to raise awareness, amplify all concerned voices through petitions and housing insecurity stories, and advocate for essential policy changes that can improve lives both now and in the future. Your leadership is vital to advancing this significant mission!
Apply today to help create solutions for the housing justice crisis!
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Applications are Open for the 2026 Community Food Systems Fellowship
Application Deadline: November 10th at 5:00 pm ET
This 18-month leadership program aims to increase opportunities for diverse local food system leaders to build their skills, capacity, and networks through a series of community design labs on participatory engagement and human centered design approaches, monthly learning sessions with other food systems leaders, and individualized technical assistance. Through these opportunities, the fellowship hopes to strengthen community engagement and leadership of caregivers/families, uplift strengths-based narratives, and foster collaborative leadership that scales community identified solutions and cross sector partnerships.
Selected fellows will receive a stipend and can also apply for project innovation grants that can total up to $5,000.
Learn more about the fellowship and submit your application here / https://cutt.ly/CFSF2026-apply
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Children's Mental Health Storytimes, Connected: Fathers and Children Reading and Reflecting Together
October 15th - November 20th, 2025 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Global Ministries Church in Dorchester, MA
Join us for this Storytime Series for Fathers, father figures (uncles, grandfathers, positive male role models in the lives of younger children) in the Community. At each reading, enjoy dinner, storytelling, and meaningful conversations that support emotional well-being and connection. All participating families will receive a free, curated book kit.
Learn more and register for the series on Eventbrite here / https://cutt.ly/Storytimewithfathers
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My “Self” in the World Children’s Mental Health Story Times with the Boston Public Library
Virtual Storytimes on Thursdays from 3:30 - 4:00 pm ET on Zoom | In person dates, times, and locations vary:
Vital Village Networks and the Boston Public Library partner to offer Children's Mental Health Story Times both on Zoom and at your local libraries across Boston. Join us for live readings, reflections, songs, activities, and more! Story times are intended for children ages 3-8 years old, however older and younger siblings are welcome to join the fun! We require a caregiver to attend with their child. See October dates, times & locations on the VVN website Calendar and register for virtual sessions here / https://cutt.ly/CMHS-Web-Registry
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2025 NOW Webinar Series: Save the Date for Centering Disability Justice in Intergenerational Movement Building
November 20th, 2025 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET on Zoom
The final installment of the NOW Webinar Series, Centering Disability Justice in Intergenerational Movement Building, is scheduled for November 20, 2025 from 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET. In this conversation, we’ll hear from intergenerational leaders about the importance of centering accessibility and disability justice within movement building spaces. Join us to learn from their reflections around strategies to ensure full participation and uphold dignity and collective care across generations.
Register here / https://cutt.ly/NOV2025_NOWWebinar
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Events & Opportunities in Our Community | | | | |
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Innovative Learning Concepts - Mental Health Awareness Celebration
Saturday, October 11th | 9:30 am - 12:00 pm ET | Mattapan Public Library, 1350 Blue Hill Ave, Mattapan, MA 02126
Learn more & reserve your spot on Eventbrite here / https://tinyurl.com/kmksupport
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Free BSO Community Chamber Concerts
October 12th, 2025 - March 29, 2026
BSO musicians bring intimate, one-hour performances to neighborhoods across Greater Boston. Free tickets must be reserved in advance.
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Volunteer Opportunity - DeeDee's Cry Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS) Team
Info Session: October 15th | 1:00 pm ET
One of our partners is looking for volunteers to serve on their Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors (LOSS). Please consider registering. "We’ll be hosting an information session on Wednesday, October 15, at 1:00 pm for anyone interested in learning more about the team and how they can support families impacted by suicide."
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Black Boy Joy Summit 2025
October 18th | 9:00 am - 4:00 pm ET | Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, Roxbury, MA
A one-day gathering affirming, celebrating, and uplifting Black and Brown boys in Greater Boston. Includes youth workshops and adult learning tracks. Location: Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building, Roxbury, MA.
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Widening the Gap: The Unequal Impacts of
'One Big Beautiful Bill"
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The “One Big Beautiful Bill" is a U.S. federal law enacted by the 119th Congress, proposed by President Donald Trump that will significantly impact the lives of American citizens across tax brackets and income levels.
What Experiences the Greatest Losses and Disadvantages?
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Low-Income household: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that taxpayers earning less that $15,000 could ace significant increases in federal taxes in the incoming years.
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Corporations Gain the Most: Tax breaks, deregulation, and fossil fuel subsidies create hundreds of billions in benefits for large corporations, reinforcing existing wealth and power imbalances.
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Rural Communities Face Mixed Outcomes: Although a $50 billion rural hospital fund provides targeted relief, widespread Medicaid cuts and reduced provider reimbursements place rural hospitals and residents at risk of service loss.
Additional insights:
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Clean Energy Rollbacks Widen Inequities: Rolling back renewable incentives and favoring fossil fuels undermine emerging clean-tech jobs, disproportionately affecting communities of color and younger workers poised to benefit from green transitions.
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Intergenerational Impact: The bill's benefits and burdens are distributed unevenly across time - while corporations gain immediate tax advantages, communities face compounding losses in healthcare, food security, and economic opportunity.
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The bill amplifies corporate advantage at the expense of s households across the country, creating systems that disadvantage historically under-resourced communities, communities of color, rural populations and lower income households. Far from leveling the playing field, it deepens racial, economic, and geographic disparities and threatens raising concerns about long-term equity and sustainability.
References:
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Stay connected and explore more of our engagement pathways and opportunities across Vital Village Networks programming. You can view upcoming events and opportunities through the gallery snapshot below, by following us on social media, or keeping up with our website calendar and Linktree. | | | | |
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