Have an aspiring scientist in your family or on your gift list?
The Concord Toy Box Science kits will inspire anyone to tap into their inner scientist! Stop June 9-12 and pick up a science kit or two, receive 20% off each kit when mentioning “Wacky Wednesday”!
June Journeys is a month-long series of community events focused on racial justice and social equity, hosted by local organizations to promote learning, unlearning, and action. June Journeys, coordinated by COAR (Communities Organizing Against Racism), features events sponsored by over 20 different organizations in Concord and Carlisle. Find all June Journeys events at coaraction.org or on instagram (coar_junejourneys).
Communities Organizing Against Racism (COAR) was founded by parents coming together to share experiences and learn from one another, so that we could engage in courageous conversations about race with each other and with our children.
Today, COAR is committed to racial equity and social justice by promoting inclusiveness, valuing diversity, facilitating healing, and addressing disparities in our community with an emphasis on our schools. We do this with respect, self-awareness, authentic engagement, and a willingness to learn from one another.
We strive to challenge ourselves and support each other to make a collective impact with tools and strategies that improve awareness for the well-being of all children, families, and community members.
Support self-learning and unlearning to be anti-racist
Actively engage in anti-racism efforts as individuals and as a community
Host a monthly community discussion group to promote self-learning
Connect with schools and community groups to share, listen, build understanding, and serve as collective anti-rascist voices
Identify needs in our community and schools regarding anti-racist learning and policies, and develop action plans to address them
— Cigna 2020 Loneliness Index
Young people are succumbing to the pressure of digital overload, 24/7 connectivity, and social media, which is fueling alarming rates of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicide.
Instead of having adults solve a problem they haven’t lived through, we get right to the source: by listening to and backing Gen Z, we can use personal experience as fuel for changing the way digital technologies are designed, regulated, and used.
LookUp is a “by youth for youth” 501(c)(3) social venture dedicated to discovering, empowering, and mobilizing youth leaders who are speaking up and taking action to address the youth mental health crisis through digital wellbeing and ethical technologies. Because youth agency is at the heart of our mission and programmatic DNA, we don’t tell them what to do. We ask them.
Since our launch in the fall of 2019, we have mobilized and reached more than 8,000 youth from 38 countries, invested in 70 social innovators and activists, and spawned LookUp India, UK, and Africa. By 2025, we aim to reach and mobilize 100,000 youth across the world by discovering and backing youth pioneers and risk-takers willing to challenge our digital ecosystems and social norms.
Gen Z Activists and Allies Examine the Promise, Peril, and Future of Being Born Digital.
If technology’s promise to keep us more connected is real, then why is Gen Z considered the loneliest generation in America? Why is youth anxiety, stress, depression, and suicide increasing at alarming rates? What role did and should big digital media companies, governments, and schools play in reversing these trends?
Join Julia Hoppock (The Social Dilemma), Bob Wigley, (Born Digital), Jon Gedney (MTV News), and youth activists Lars Bjork (17), Maddie Freeman (19), Hannah Chung (17), and Aliza Kopans (18) for a lively and candid discussion about what this generation is doing to “mount a revolution against harms from technology and create the future that they deserve.”
As MTV News recently posted, “The quantification of popularity on social media exploits our natural tendency for social comparison to create addiction for profit. It can make you the perfect target for advertisers… at the expense of your mental health and free will.”
This is a Mental Health Awareness Month Event
We’re looking for a highly analytical candidate interested in the program and organizational impact. Framed around our theory of change, this internship will work closely with the executive director and an external program consultant to evaluate the effectiveness of our current StartUp program, ensure the correct metrics and indicators are being used to accurately monitor, evaluate, and communicate our impact. Following a human-centered design framework, you will research and benchmark other organizations, make recommendations to improve our framework.
Gain experience using a human-centered design framework to evaluate and improve programs
Learn how to use logic models and a theory of change to translate a social venture’s mission into high impact program activities and outcomes
Gain knowledge and experience researching best practices for social impact monitoring, evaluation, and communication for multiple audiences
This is not your typical internship. We are definitely a “lean-startup” and intend on remaining so, which is why we rely on and follow the lead of our youth leaders and interns. If you want to do real work, be heard, be a part of strategic discussions, and be a part at the forefront of a youth-led movement, then we want to hear from you.
Self-starter, outgoing, friendly, driven, personable, not afraid to talk to strangers
Familiarity with Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design
Able to work independently and part of a team
Proven background in research and analytical skills
Passion for youth mental health, digital wellbeing, and ethical technologies
Enrolled in a higher-education degree program
Strong desire to work in the social sector
Stipend: Varies by position
Approximate Hours/Week: 10-20 hours week, flexible schedule
Dates: June 8 – August 13th, 2021
Hiring Manager: Julie Barrett O’Brien
So much happening in West Concord!
May 19th – May 22nd:
Sidewalk sales, plant sales, art displays, scavenger hunt, gift card giveaway, music, ice cream, arts & crafts, story walk, blood pressure clinic, free samples & the Art Scramble Mural!
The Big Reveal of the Art Mural, Art Scramble II : Our Local Farms happening May 20th!
Art Scramble II: Our Local Farms is a community made mural that celebrates the past and present of Concord’s farm, with an emphasis on those close to West Concord center. It is the second mural initiated by the West Concord Junction Cultural District Committee to develop a sense of history and identity, as well as bringing beauty to the cultural district of West Concord.
Be sure to participate in the Scavenger Hunt!
CONCORD FLOWERS:
135 Commonwealth Avenue, Concord
(Sorry, not available on deliveries or online)
Joy Street is JOY Central!
Stop by to stock up on items for your next celebrations and gifts for family & friends. Treat yourself to something, too – there is so much to choose from in this wonderful shop. Good news – you can also shop online!
Spend $50 and receive a new mask (while supplies last)
A wonderful outcropping of rocking horses has become a bit of a hidden institution in Lincoln, Massachusetts. The unofficial name, Ponyhenge. Little is known about why or how the first horse was placed in the fields, but now more than 48 bucking broncos have joined the herd. Winding down the two-lane country roads with bucolic fields falling to the right and left provides part of the attraction. Signature New England stone walls hem the drive the nearer you get to the henge. If you are looking to unwind and have a bit of fun, just getting to Ponyhenge can provide a sense of calm.
Head towards Route 126, then onto Waltham road (which then turns into Old Sudbury Road) and there you will find Ponyhenge. Sitting politely, tucked into the side of the road, is a group of children’s rocking horses arranged in concentric circles. The arrival of rocking horses began years ago, though no one knows (or is saying) how or why. Over time, the ponies have grown in number year after year. They are varied in style and material. Some are classic solid wood rocking horses with yarn manes and wood rockers. Others are large plastic horse figures decorated with looped stirrups, footrests, and handles near the bridle to help little ones hold on tight while riding their pony. The springs in the base provide the giddy up for young riders. The ponies range in color from hot pink to blonde/chestnut bodies with ivory and sky-blue saddles. Some have a theme — a silver knight in shining armor, a Gene Simmons KISS face, and a lone rocking duck are just a few. Each is adorable, unique in its own right and ready to be admired!
At times, magically, the herd has changed its formation from concentric circles to what appeared to be a straight line of horses set up to begin a gallop off to the races. Local lore says that this realignment happened during the start of the Triple Crown race season. Given the proximity to the road, it is amazing that no one has been witness to (or has shared the knowledge about) the changing of formation.
It is nice to see a bit of childhood nostalgia available for everyone to enjoy. Walking around Ponyhenge brings back memories of childhood rocking horses and merry-goround horses that have a joyful element to them — a bit of fun and whimsy.
Stop by the Verrill Farmstand on Wednesday, April 28th and receive a coupon for one Verrill Farm tomato seedling with a $25 purchase!
Coupon must be presented when picking up the seedling, beginning May 17th.
