Announcement – Page 21 – WalkMassachusetts

We’re hiring a WalkBoston Intern

By WalkMassachusetts | February 18, 2022

April 2022 update: this role has already been filled; thank you for your interest!

WalkBoston Internship Job Description

WalkBoston makes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities. WalkBoston is committed to centering racial equity and justice in our work as well as evaluating the ways in which our work overlaps with efforts related to affordable housing, food access, harm reduction, transit access, and more.

WalkBoston is looking to fill an internship opening with our organization. Interns with WalkBoston gain experience in transportation-related design and planning, community engagement, advocacy, and community revitalization efforts. Interns contribute directly to the project and advocacy work of WalkBoston. Interns provide valuable substantive contributions to our work, and have the opportunity to help select the projects that best fit their skills and interests. Examples of WalkBoston’s current projects and programs include: Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion program, Connecting Children and Families to Parks in East Boston, Walkability @ Boston Public Housing Developments, Gateway Cities: Transit Oriented Development, Age-Friendly Walking, alongside other advocacy and coalition efforts.

Responsibilities:

Assisting with walkability assessments and advocacy training
Researching and preparing white papers on transportation-related topics that affect the communities WalkBoston serves or are related to current programming efforts.
Collecting and analyzing crash data as it pertains to various projects
Representing WalkBoston at community events and public meetings
Other duties as assigned

Desired Qualifications:

Graduate student pursuing a degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Transportation Planning, Public Policy, or other related field
Experience leading community conversations with a variety of stakeholders
Ability to work independently, collaboratively and productively in a team environment
Commitment to and understanding of racial equity and strong analysis of the root causes of inequities, and how racism intersects with walkable communities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (e.g., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
Proficiency in virtual work software (e.g., Zoom, Google Suite, Slack).
Spanish fluency a plus

Commitment, Compensation, Location:

10-15 hours per week, preference for students who can commit to the entire school year
Interns would be working remotely, we do not currently have an office space, however some in person events (walk audits, other programming) may be required.
Pay range is $18-20/hour, depending on experience, with a preference for students who have federal work study.

To Apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by sending a resume and cover letter to jobs@walkboston.org.

Meet Kyle Robidoux: WalkBoston’s 2022 Annual Celebration Keynote Speaker

By WalkBoston | February 10, 2022

We are pleased to announce that our 2022 Annual Celebration Keynote Speaker this year is Kyle Robidoux!

Kyle is a tireless advocate who has focused his professional and personal career on building community. He has spent 20 years working in the nonprofit sector, including as a housing advocate helping individuals staying in shelters find permanent homes and as a community organizer. Most recently he has directed three programs for a local blindness organization.

Accessibility is a matter of great importance to him, not just as an advocate, but as an individual who was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye disease that first affects your night vision and often leads to complete blindness, at age 11 and was declared legally blind at 19.

Kyle can also personally attest to the power of walking and why access to safe walking environments is crucial. In 2010 Kyle was close to 250 pounds, heading down the path to type II diabetes, and having a hard time playing with his young daughter. He began to walk. Then he began to run. Today he has completed over 25 marathons and ultramarathons, including five Boston Marathons and three 100-mile races.

Kyle now works for the City of Boston as the Assistant Director of Housing Stability for the Mayor’s Office, after a short stint as Chief of Staff for Boston Mayor Kim Janey’s District Council/President’s Office. Prior to working for the city, over the last 15 years Kyle has worked for three mission-driven nonprofits: the Director of Volunteer Services and Community Planning for MAB (Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired), the Director of Community Planning and Leadership Development for Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the Director of Civic Engagement for United South End Settlements. In addition Kyle is an active volunteer, serving as Board Chair for FriendshipWorks and a member of the Commission for People with Disabilities.

Want to hear what Kyle has to say about accessibility and walkability? Join us on Wednesday, March 30 at 5:00pm on Zoom.

Stay tuned for the announcement of our 2022 Golden Shoe Awards winners!

WalkBoston Receives $165,000 Grant from Point32Health Foundation

By WalkBoston | February 10, 2022

WalkBoston was awarded a three-year $165,000 grant from Point32Health Foundation to advocate for policies that support, advance and result in age- and dementia-friendly walkable communities.

“WalkBoston is a leading advocate on transportation issues important to older adults and a strategic partner to the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative. The grant will support WalkBoston’s work to engage older people in walk audits in communities with significant needs and train new advocates. The new trainers will collaborate with state and local agencies to share the data and advocate for transportation solutions that support healthy aging in communities across the state.”

Building on the legacy of service and giving established by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. This is one of 10 new community investments to organizations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island totaling more than $1.1 million. The grants support community-led solutions to remove barriers that perpetuate inequities and advance policies and practices that create more inclusive communities

“The pandemic has revealed significant gaps in our transportation, housing and food systems that disproportionately affect older people and communities of color,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Point32Health Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “To create communities that work for everyone, policies should honor and reflect community voices.”

About Point32Health Foundation

Building on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s values of service and giving, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. The Foundation advances equity-focused solutions in healthy aging, access to healthy food and behavioral health in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Board Spotlight: Welcome Tony Wain and thank you to our departing board members!

By WalkBoston | February 9, 2022

We are excited to welcome Charles Anthony “Tony” Wain as a new WalkBoston Board member!

Prior to joining us he was a Senior Lecturer at Babson College in Accounting & Law. He also spent 30 years working in financial and management consulting for Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte) and Digital Equipment Corporation. His areas of interest are business modeling and financial planning and analysis. Tony was a two-term member of the board for Community Action Partners (CAP) of the Harvard Business School Association of Boston and is a Trustee and Treasurer for the Native Plant Trust (formerly New England Wild Flower Society). He currently consults through CAP with non-profit agencies in the areas of general management, business plan development and management control systems.

We also want to take this moment to express our gratitude to our outgoing board members: Amy Branger, Erik Lund, and Greg Rogers for their leadership and guidance over the years.

Thank you for helping us make Massachusetts a safer and more walkable place!

Boston University video storytelling partnership: tell your story!

By WalkMassachusetts | January 28, 2022

WalkBoston is excited to partner with Boston University’s Cross-College Challenge (XCC), BU Hub’s interdisciplinary project-based elective course open to upperclassmen. The XCC engages students in team projects that address a real-world problem or an enduring human question — students in the course will utilize video storytelling to explore walkability and mobility through diverse perspectives.

WalkBoston began the project by giving students a Ped 101 presentation to establish a walkability knowledge base. We’re now looking for participants who live, work, or walk around the City of Boston (or within a 10-15 minute transit ride of the City) to be interviewed by the students.

These interviews and documentaries are looking to capture what walking and mobility looks like in an effort to reframe how these terms are understood and defined in the mainstream and by those with power — to encourage a more intersectional and justice-focused approach to mobility. In particular the project aims to capture perspectives from those who have been historically excluded from the transportation discussion (e.g. BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, low income, undocumented, disabled, non English speakers, and more). If you or someone you know would like to share your experiences navigating the public realm through walking (or not walking), please reach out to us at info@walkboston.org by February 25th.

As part of this project, participants will need access to Zoom to engage in a preliminary interview and, if comfortable, be filmed while walking (or attempting to walk) in and around Boston during the month of March. Participants who speak languages other than English are encouraged to participate, as interpretation and translation will be available for all involved.

Participants will be compensated with a $25 gift card for their time and will have final approval over what is published from their interviews. Participants under 18 are welcome, though a guardian’s release will be required.