July 28, 2024



~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time.

Frederick Douglass Reading 8th Anniversary

The 8th-anniversary celebration of the reading of Frederick Douglass’s famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" is hosted by Cindy Pendergast, President of the Frederick Douglass Neighborhood Association. This multilingual reading honors Frederick Douglass's legacy and highlights the historical importance of the area. In the video, various volunteers, including historian Willie Wilson Jr., participate in the reading and provide details about Douglass’s impact and the neighborhood's history.

Written by Naziya Khalifa, BuzzAround Intern

Video Courtesy of The Brockton Channels

VoluntTuesday - Brockton Outdoor Classroom Build

Tue July 30

10a-1p

125 Pearl Street 

Join a rewarding day of volunteer work and build and outdoor classroom at Hancock Elementary School. This event is part of the Brockton Kids Lead the Way initiative, funded by NOAA’s Environmental Literacy program, aimed at fostering a deeper connection to nature for city students. 

Register at: Wildlands Trust WB

Haitian TPS Clinics

Justice Center of Southeast MA

62 Main St, 3rd floor

A new announcement has just been made for a designation of TPS (Temporary Protected Status) for Haiti. Haitians who have been in the US since or before June 3, 2024 may be eligible for TPS.

• The application period begins on July 1, 2024
• People who already have TPS need to re-register between July 1,2024 and August 30, 2024
• People who do not currently have TPS have to apply between July 1, 2024 and February 3, 2026

The Justice Center is hosting free clinics for residents of southeast Massachusetts. For regularly updated information on our clinics as well as other places across Massachusetts, visit:

TPS Accouncement translated to Haitian Creole (tradui an kreyòl ayisyen)

The Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts Facebook

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Brockton School Committee Meeting

7-16-24

Video Courtesy of the Brockton Channels

Massachusetts Offers The First Statewide Arts Prescribing Solution

As of Jul 8, 2024

The Mass Cultural Council has just announced that it will be partnering with Art Pharmacy Services as part of the very first statewide art prescribing solution in the country! This means that healthcare workers will start prescribing art and cultural events as part of their healthcare treatment. This will provide a wider range of treatments to improve people's quality of life. The Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, Michael J. Bobbitt, stated, "The Mass Cultural Council believes this initiative will increase access to participation in the arts, help reduce healthcare costs, and support vulnerable communities in Massachusetts.”

The Art Pharmacy is an organization that combines decades of art and health research with a social prescribing model to treat complicated health issues in this country. Multiple countries, such as Great Britain, have used social prescribing as a treatment plan. Social prescribing involves referring patients to cultural and artistic events and organizations to address mental health issues like stress or loneliness.

Source: Mass Cultural Council

Brockton Mid-Summer Celebration Music & Art Fest

Sat, Aug 3

11a- 5p

Salisbury Park

250 Crescent St

Vendors, children's activities, history, live music, entertainment, food, fun, and more!

Get your vendor spot now!

For more info: Mid Summer Celebration FB Group

Vendors and Preschools interested in selling their goods ($15.00 non-refundable booth space), providing children’s activities or general activity booths, and especially volunteers are welcome at all events:

If you provide a free activity there is no charge for a table/booth, however, if you charge for any activity (asking $1.00 for ring toss on bottle, basketball toss, knock over cans) or sell crafts or other items the fee is $15.00 (non-refundable) for each vendor space per day. If you have an activity such as hula hoops, jump ropes, parachutes, or other fun games and do not charge, your booth is free! Fill Out This Form.

Cultural Affairs and Tourism Meeting 

Thurs August 8

6p

899 North Main Street or online 

Discover exciting events happening, or share your organization’s plans. These meetings are short and taped for Brockton Community Access to play on the local channel and spread the word. 

For questions, please reach out to Anne at 774-297-4939 or ambeauregard@oulook.com

Farmers Market

Every Fri, 10a-2p

Until Oct 25

The Brockton Farmers Market every Friday from 10a - 2p until to October 25. It is in a slightly new location this season due to City Hall construction. It will be on the south side of city hall in the park/plaza along VFW Parkway.

Source: Brockton Farmers Market Website

Brockton Rides ~

First Fridays

First Fridays of The Month

6-8:45p

121 Main St

Elevate Brockton and Brockton Beer Company present a Downtown bike ride on the first Friday of each month

Friday, August 2, Friday, September 6

Friday, October 4, Friday, November 1

We’ll ride for approximately 90 minutes and return to Brockton Beer (BBC) by 8 p.m.

The last call for BBC food orders is 8:45 p.m.

All skill levels & bike types are welcome. The initial route is relatively flat. Please wear a helmet.

For info, contact Jed at 617-510-6213 or jed@votejed.org

Brockton Beer Company Facebook

Climate Can Do:

Seasonal Food and Farmers Markets

Going to a farmers market is a wonderful activity to do with family, friends, or alone, and it also helps the planet. 

Local and Seasonal Food

Farmers markets sell primarily local food. Vendors travel from their farms to the market. Because the food travels a shorter distance from the farm to the consumer, less gas is burned for transportation. Local produce is seasonal— strawberries in late spring and early summer, peaches and watermelon in the middle of summer, grapes and apples in the fall, squashes in the winter. It is fresh, nutrient rich with more taste. Additionally, smaller farmers are more likely to pay their workers a living wage than huge factory farms. 

Avoid Monocrop Farming

Smaller farmers are less likely to use monocropping. Planting a single crop over and over again in the same space harms the soil, requires more pesticides, and adds harmful runoff of chemicals to local water supplies.

Accessibility

Farmers markets increase access to fresh, high quality food in lower income communities. Since farmers who sell at the markets typically travel around to different locations in the surrounding area of their farms, they can provide better, healthier food choices for communities that do not have access to them.

Reduced Plastic Waste

Farmers market products are not typically wrapped in plastic, or pre-cut and packaged, as in grocery stores. This reduces plastic waste. 

This Climate Can-Do Article was written by Vasilia Yordanova on actions we can do to live more sustainably. We can do it!

Source: news.climate.columbia.edu

Brockton Special City Council Meeting

7-17-24

Video Courtesy of the Brockton Channels

Brockton High School Secures $500,000 Skills Capital Grant to Improve Career Technical Education Programs

Brockton High School will expand two of its Career Technical Education (CTE) programs following a half-million-dollar Skills Capital Grant award from the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

The $500,000 grant will allow Brockton High to more than double the size of its Culinary Arts program and enable it to expand content and curricular areas in its Automotive Technology program. With the funding, Brockton High School will also double the number of students enrolled in the Culinary Arts program for the coming school year and will have the capacity to enroll up to 80 students by 2026.

The funding will support the purchase of a variety of needed equipment for Culinary Arts, including new tables, sinks, countertops, shelving, pots, pans and service supplies, as well as countertop induction equipment. These new tools will allow Brockton High’s culinary space to better reflect a real-world workspace and provide students more holistic training and broader skillsets.

In the Automotive Technology program, Brockton High will use the funding to purchase new alignment equipment, providing students with an opportunity to develop core skills they would need to work in the field. By augmenting both programs, Brockton High School will make meaningful progress toward empowering students to fill identified gaps in the local labor market.

Acting Superintendent Dr. James Cobbs said. “Through this grant, students will have new opportunities to explore key workforce opportunities and work with the same advanced technology that people already working in these fields use every day.”

To learn more about the Skills Capital Grant, or to get involved with Brockton Public Schools, please visit the Brockton Public Schools Website or call (508) 580-7000.

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