First annual Civic Engagement Week underway

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Office of Neighborhood Services today launched Boston's first annual Civic Engagement week, beginning Monday, April 24, and running through Saturday, April 29. This week will be dedicated to highlighting ways residents can become engaged in their communities and increasing awareness of events and projects they can participate in.

"As we head into spring, I encourage Bostonians throughout our City to engage with their local community, and get involved," said Mayor Walsh. "Civic Engagement week is a great opportunity for everyone to come together, meet their neighbors, and make our City better."

Mayor Walsh kicked-off Civic Engagement week at the Fenway Victory Gardens, where the Mayor began his summer-long neighborhood coffee hours, an opportunity for residents to meet Mayor Walsh, and engage with leaders from across City departments.

In addition to Civic Engagement week events, this week also begins Love Your Block, a high-impact spring cleaning program that encourages residents to improve their neighborhoods over the course of three weekends. Spring cleaning locations include community gardens, pocket parks, public schools and sidewalks. Love Your Block, previously known as Boston Shines, will now include year-round cleanups, applications for innovative beautification mini-grants and new uses for City-provided tool sheds. Residents can sign up to volunteer at Boston.gov.

"Civic Engagement week and Love Your Block cleanups are a great way for residents to get civiclly engaged and learn about City resources that can help keep their streets and neighborhoods clean," said Kaira Fox, program director of Love Your Block. "I want to thank everyone involved in the program for their commitment to becoming more engaged in their community."

Additional Civic Engagement week events include:

• SPARK Civic Engagement Workshop, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

• Boston City Hall, 1 City Hall Square, 9th Floor, Room 900

Using Generation Citizen's established curriculum of issue identification, combined with representatives from different City Government departments, residents will learn an action-based civics framework.

• Faith Leaders Event, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• Commonwealth Kitchen, 196 Quincy Street, Dorchester

Local faith leaders will organize food baskets for the community.

• City Services Info Fair for Seniors, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• 1179 River Street, Hyde Park

Ethos and the Elderly Commission will sponsor an information fair for seniors to learn about available City services.

• City Hall to Go in Roxbury, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
• 51 Geneva Ave, Roxbury

The City Hall to Go truck will be parked outside of BCYF Grove Hall in Roxbury. 

• City Hall to Go in South Boston, 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
• 200 D Street, South Boston

The City Hall to Go Truck will be parked outside BCYF Condon in South Boston.

• SPARK Millennial Social, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
• Sam Adams Brewery, 30 Germania Street

SPARK Boston will be hosting a Millennial Social at the Sam Adams Brewery, open to Boston Millennials 21 and older.

• Forums on the Future Series: The History & Future of Planing in Boston, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Edward M Kennedy Institute, 210 Morrissey Boulevard 

Imagine Boston 2030 will host the first Forums on the Future a series of panel discussions hosted by Imagine Boston 2030, designed to engage experts on questions around how Boston has changed, and the future of the City. RSVP here. 

• Love Your Block Cleanups, time and locations varied.

• Love Your Block Cleanups, time and locations varied.

• Elderly Commission Spring Fling 10:30 a.m.  (This is ticketed event)

Mayor Walsh and the Elderly Commission will hold the annual Spring Fling.

• Renew Boston Workshop, 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
• 640 Washington Street, Brighton

Members of Renew Boston will help residents learn how to save on monthly bills and make their home or rental unit even more enjoyable than it already is.

A full calendar of events can be found on Boston.gov.

Love Your Block began under the Civic Engagement Cabinet in 2015, established with grant money from the nonprofit Cities of Service. The initiative supports an annual mini-grant competition, neighborhood cleanups (formerly Boston Shines), and hosts the Civic Engagement Week as a way for residents to get involved in their local government. Please visit the Love Your Block website for more information.