Medford Community Engagement Team

The work aims to create climate justice and equity for our community members who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.  This connector leads initiatives to strengthen communities’ resilience to climate-based challenges such as extreme heat and flooding.

This connector’s recent work includes interactive climate education activities.  In addition, the connector has promoted energy efficiency and savings as well as climate emergency strategies.

This connector leads initiatives aimed at strengthening the financial well-being of residents, especially those from marginalized communities, particularly in terms of access to financial resources and services. This connector leads strategic efforts to improve financial literacy, support wealth-building initiatives, and promote sustainable economic security.

This connector’s recent work includes collaborating with local banking partners to offer multilingual financial literacy courses, in addition to working with Bunker Hill Community College and Mass Hire.

The ESOL/Immigration connector supports immigrant communities through initiatives like language access and integration services. This work strengthens the connection between the City and under-represented groups, helping immigrants and refugees with resources and language education (ESOL).

The ESOL/Immigration connector’s recent work includes collaboration with ESOL partners throughout the city including Medford Public Library, Medford Public Schools, Medford Housing Authority, Medford Family Network, The Welcome Project, and Mike Oliver at St. Mark’s Education.  This work provides new residents with important information about their rights in a changing legal environment.  It additionally provides connections to training and work opportunities through Mass Hire and Bunker Hill Community College.  

The food systems connector leads initiatives aimed at strengthening food security for residents experiencing food insecurity. The work focuses on developing a more resilient and equitable food system by improving access to nutritious food, supporting local producers, and addressing root causes of food insecurity. The food systems connector collaborates with community organizations, policymakers, and stakeholders to promote food justice and ensure consistent access to healthy, affordable food.

The food systems connector’s recent work includes collaborations with Mystic Market and other local pantries, Bread of Life, the farmers market, community gardens, and mini-pantries.  The connect has also been promoting enrollment in SNAP and initiating the Food Justice Council and Food Security Task Force.  

This connector designs and implements programs that foster emotional well-being and resilience in families with young children and teenagers. This work is crucial for building the emotional tools and support systems necessary to help these groups better withstand and navigate future crises, such as economic downturns, natural disasters, or public health emergencies.

The Families and Youth Connector’s recent work includes launching our “Welcome Baby” project and collaborating with elementary school parent-teacher organizations, or PTOs.  This work has also organized a Youth Summit on health and employment and also supports substance use prevention and mental health.

This connector leads engagement efforts for older adults and individuals with diverse physical abilities.  The work builds strong connections within these communities, ensuring they have access to vital resources, programs, and services that promote well-being, independence, and social inclusion.

The recent work of the connector for older adults and individuals with disabilities includes developing strategies to reach out to homebound seniors; working with a team to re-brand the Medford Senior Center; and collaborating with the City of Medford’s office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and our Disability Specialist.