The Boston Indicators Project
Sector Convening Notes
Civic Vitality
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 

Brief Project Overview
The Boston Indicators Project is a collaborative project of Greater Boston’s civic community. Recognized for its comprehensive framework and selected by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) to help inform the development of national indicators, the project is coordinated by the Boston Foundation in partnership with the City of Boston and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Its goals are: to democratize access to high quality data and information; to foster informed public discourse, and; to track progress on shared civic goals. Since 2000, the project has released four biennial reports, the last three as a summary in hard copy and a detailed web-based report on the award-winning www.bostonindicators.org. The Boston Foundation is committed to issuing a biennial report through 2030, Boston’s 400^th anniversary. 

To begin to frame the findings of each report, the project hosts a series of convenings in each of the ten sectors it tracks: Civic Health; Cultural Life and the Arts; Economy; Education; Environment and Energy; Public Health; Public Safety; Housing; Technology; and Transportation. Each convening, chaired by stakeholders from within the field, includes a range of perspectives from academic experts, community-based practitioners, public agency and foundation staff, private sector representatives, and consumers. 

The convenings range in size from about 20 to 100 participants, the latter for large, complex sectors such as education, civic health and housing, which are broken into sub-sectors, each with its own co-chairs. Each convening uses the same structured agenda, eliciting views on key long –term trends, major developments and accomplishments of the previous two years, and key remaining challenges. The notes are then compiled, reviewed by the co-chairs for accuracy and completeness, and used to frame and prioritize the findings of the next Boston Indicators Report. 

What follows are the notes from the Civic Vitality convening.

In Attendance:

Plenary Facilitator: Sayra Pinto, Vice President for Inclusion and Community Learning, Mount Wachusett Community College

Joel Barrera, Project Coordinator, Commonwealth Legislative Seminar
Joe Beckmann, Consultant, Search For a Cure, Inc.
Barbara Canyes, Director, Massachusetts Campus Compact, Tufts University
Joyce Coleman, Staff Development Program Manager, Boston Redevelopment Authority
David Crowley, President, Social Capital, Inc.
Curtis Davis, Principal, ReBuildit Collaborative
Michelle Ekanem, Assistant Director of Civil Rights, Boston Housing Authority
Theresa Ellis, Executive Director, Impact Boston
Deborah Finn, Cyber-Yenta
Brenda Gadson, Executive Director, Boston Center for Community and Justice
Consuela Greene, SFCE Specialist, Boston Public School
Carol Hardy-Fanta, Director, Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Suzanne Jenkins, Programs Manager, Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston
Pam Jones, Program Officer, Boston Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Miriam Katz, State Street Corporation
Patrice Keegan, Executive Director, Boston Cares
Castagna Lacet, SFCE Specialist, Boston Public School
Che Madyun, Family Strenthening Small Grants Fund
Eugene Mahr, Senior Officer for University Corporate Partnerships, Northeastern University
Aaron Marquez, City Year
Kevin McCall, President and CEO, Paradigm Properties
Sean McDevitt, Alumni Manager, City Year
Mary Jo Meisner, Vice President for Communications, Community Relations & Public Affairs, The Boston Foundation
Nasim Memon, The New Majority Initiative
Beverly Morgan-Welch, Executive Director, Museum of Afro-American History
Susan Musinsky, Director, The Social Innovation Forum
Patricia Neilson, Associate Director, Center for Collaborative Leadership
David Ortiz, Project Manager, Civic Engagement Initiative, MassVOTE
Sayra Pinto, Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Community Learning,, Mount Wachusett Community College
Sharon Reilly, Director of Community Relations, The Food Project
Gibrán Rivera, Organizer, The Public Policy Institute
Mia Roberts, Chief Operating Officer, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
Greg Shell, Senior Equity Research Analyst, Columbia Management Group
Gail Snowden, Vice President for Finance & Operations, The Boston Foundation
Jeff Stone, Steering Committee Co-Chair, City-Wide Dialogues on Boston’s Ethnic and Racial Diversity
Charles Wibiralske, Associate Director for Community and Economic Development, Episocal City Mission

Welcome and Introductions
Sayra Pinto (plenary facilitator) welcomed participants to the convening and asked participants to describe the primary indicators that they worked with. 

• Racial and ethnic diversity
• High rates of social capital (trust in neighbors, etc.; also trust within communities of color, which need to achieve some kind of power in a majority-minority city)
• Volunteer activity and high level volunteerism
• Facilitating corporate giving
• Representative leadership on boards and as CEOs (including women, some focus particularly on Asians)
• Healthy race relations
• Leadership development (there’s a gap in nonprofits)
• Voter education, registration, and turnout
• Social justice (including community involvement)
• Intersections between civic health, social capital, representative leadership, etc.
• Demographically-representative leadership (ironically easier in the private sector than the public!)
• Measuring leadership and gauging diversity…events (like the Christmas tree lighting) are only being attended by people of one color (“fantasy indicator”)
• Stability and investment in our neighborhoods
• Welcoming, inclusive environment
• Strength of the nonprofit sector
• Building cross-sector relationships

Key Long-Term Trends, Recent Developments and Accomplishments, and Remaining Challenges
Sayra then asked participants to brainstorm key long-term trends, recent accomplishments and developments, and remaining challenges.

Key Long-Term Trends

• Numbers for diversity are increasing in Greater Boston and the region (data to support rapid demographic change) but aren’t reflected in leadership, city council, etc. (not fully visible)…how will this trend affect civic health?
• Kotkin, Ephemeral City: middle classes leaving…Keenes’ article, maybe Boston should be a gentrified city (we’re one of NY Times’ 5 superstar cities attracting the rich
• Shift in sentiment towards ideal of Boston as a city where everyone can live.
• Increasing civic dialogue in the community (“what kind of city are we becoming?)
• Corporate sector is unable to be creative at the board level…selection procedure means that many good people (women and people of color) are getting screened out…very long term problem.
• Need for housing stock is rising faster than nonprofits can build
• Parts of current housing stock are expiring.
• We’re underestimating how competitive other cities have become. Do we take our competitiveness for granted (just harvesting old investments)? 
• Nationally, there are an increasing number of well-organized, flexible volunteer opportunities.
• An increasing tendency towards a “lifetime of service” approach, as well as more deeply involved (not casual) commitments; individuals of all ages getting involved.
• More people are looking for truly meaningful lifetime work, and work that spans the for-profit/nonprofit gap.
• Lots of good, civically-engaged people are leaving Boston because they can’t afford to live here (early 30s).
• Massachusetts is near the bottom for philanthropy and volunteerism (TBF showed it as #6, not 49).
• Growing disparities between the haves and have-nots: “There’s the Boston where we’re sitting and there’s the Boston in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan”…“The widest river in the nation is the Charles.”
• Technology has various effects on civic engagement.  TV atomizes us (Putnam/Bowling Alone), but we could also use it to engage.
• Social service providers aren’t increasing diversity fast enough…philanthropy isn’t investing in the salary levels of people in social services (like volunteering).
• More collaboration within the sector has helped fuel heightened impact and cost-efficiency.
• Themedia continues to play a negative role…it portrays the situation poorly and has no accountability for how it stereotypes certain communities. 
• Negative media portrayals may reduce the willingness of volunteers to go into certain communities (need a media watchdog?)
• Funding is being spread too thin because of the appearance on new nonprofits.
• More mergers are occurring (e.g., Crittendon Women’s Union)
• Poverty on the streets is a problem to a degree not seen in a while
• Corruption in labor unions (people registering their children as infants so they will be senior members by the time they can actually join) is accepted as daily corruption.
• People unwilling to let go of Boston pride; limits our ability to deal with some serious issues.
• Racism (or structural racism) is still a problem we’re dancing around at the local and national levels…no one of color is in the pipeline to be the next police or fire chief; those departments are reversing old gains and moving towards all-white classes of new recruits

 Developments and Accomplishments, 2004-2006 

• Trinity Church called its first female rector.
• There are more university presidents of color: Northeastern’s new president is Lebanese; MIT hired a woman as its new president (and other finalist was a black woman), as did Wentworth.
• Sam Yoon’s election through a multicultural coalition demonstrated the value of such a coalition.
• Having a black man and a woman run for governor, even if they don’t win, is an accomplishment, since it gets people excited about the democratic caucus and other institutions…more grassroots organizations are appearing to support minority candidates/officials.
• Pockets of people are people are talking about race…Disparities Project Alliance is helping to facilitate dialogues.
• Many immigrants are contributing significantly to the local economy (e.g., Brazilian community)…but all are being underreported (MIRA created).
• Earning the right for gay marriage was a major development.
• The Tish College of Citizenship was formalized at Tufts University.
• More minority students are attending exam schools (Community Labor United).
• White evangelical churches are starting to organize around social justice issues.
• Immigration issues are significant…Asian and Latino communities are connecting positively with each other.
• Governor and Mayor appointed commissions to analyze and make recommendations on disparities in health care outcomes.
• We have the technology to end AIDS as an epidemic.
• Leadership exchange: 40 groups have come together (2 events at TBF and presentation…building the collaborative gene).

 Key Remaining Challenges 

• Need to have more discussion about what direction we’re headed; why women and minorities aren’t in power (need to include them in discussion)…things we thought we were through with in the 80s are still problems.
• Beacon Hill is still an old boy’s club.
• The absence of corporate leaders has left a gap…where will we find new leadership, and what will the new format be?
• Did our political culture contribute to the Big Dig collapse (e.g., Ward commission years ago)?
• The retirement of Baby Boomers is leaving a new generation that is less civically engaged.
• Health care costs and disparities are a central concern…how are people going to pay for it?
• Companies need to become more invested in their communities and lessen negative environmental impact.
• The rise in violence in Boston over the past two years is a critical factor affecting civic health.  Need to recognize the different factors impacting violent behaviors in especially in young people.
• More diversity is needed (can’t just be 1-2 token people); particularly important on politically-appointed boards, where people of color are about 1%.
• Intergenerational relations is a challenge…additional cooperation and communication is needed across age groups, as well as racial and ethnic categories.
• Affordable housing is a major challenge.
• Increases in homelessness represent a added challenge to the city’s civic health.
• The dropout rate indicates that an increasing number of people are giving up on public education (expectations for student achievement are too low).  Additionally, we can start pushing harder on access to higher education.  Linked to this problem is the lack of sufficient job training programs for our youth (both high school grads and dropouts).
• Many community service agencies arelacking people of color to serve on their staffs and in leadership positions.
• Funding for civic health programs is a perennial problem. 
• Social entrepreneurship (people who just want their own nonprofits) is likewise becoming a funding competitor. 
• Research is needed to demonstrate how funding can make a difference in civic health.
• Massachusetts has too few uncontested legislature elections (near the lowest in the country).All groups (except African-Americans) have an increasing percentage of single or married but childless families with a BA or higher (Is this a problem?  Fewer “helpers?”).
• Despite their historic effectiveness, coalitions of vocational and academic groups have become increasingly separated.

Small Group Activity 

In small groups, participants first reviewed key long-term trends, development and accomplishments, and remaining challenges for their sub-sector.  Groups then discussed indicators to be highlighted in the next report and recent innovations. What follows is the highlights from these small group discussions.

 Electoral Politics

 Chair:Gibrán Rivera, Organizer, The Public Policy Institute

• HIGHLIGHTS: number of people of people voting is up but altogether still miniscule; general lack of constituency building organizations; some innovations: database being developed to track people of color being elected and politically appointed; Somerville: no incumbent for more than four years (good or bad?)
• Too few primary challenges in city elections; state party is regressive on primary issue…not enough support of candidates (should be a lot of support).
• No women of color have ever been elected to Boston City Council.
• Barriers and small possibility to make a difference make public office unappealing.
• Increased number of people of color voting.
• Why does voting happen in PR(?) and not in Boston?
• Lack of school boards in Boston.
• Innovation: move to create a database of elected officials of color and those on appointed board.
• Most talented people aren’t always attracted to politics.
• Noticeable lack of constituency-building organizations of color.
• Boston City Council as an entry point is powerless.
• Lack of elected school board.
• Dearth of bold ideas and true policy differences make electoral realm unappealing…few politicians stand out as being exceptional; what makes an average person care?
• Winning elections gets more people voting.
• Politicians might be behind (as in falling behind) what people want.
• Somerville is moving beyond lifetime incumbency.Why don’t women run for office?  Can’t make a difference and it takes too much away from everyday life.

Volunteerism

Co-Chairs: Patrice Keegan, Executive Director, Boston Cares; Sharon Reilly, Director of Community Relations, The Food Project

• HIGHLIGHTS: broader definition of civic engagement needed (beyond voting and volunteerism); need to engage people in lifelong volunteerism; volunteerism tough to do well, requires infrastructure to work effectively
• First time a “volunteerism” group has met at TBF…big volunteer push right now that is being publicly discussed; it is “cool” to volunteer, also more targeted volunteerism
• Diversity on boards: better on grass roots boards, but not older, more established ones.
• Need to take advantage of retiring Baby Boomers as a source of volunteers
• Lack of infrastructure to manage volunteerism makes it difficult for youth to become volunteers, and to find different volunteer opportunities as they go through life.
• Bad idea:  Food Project, volunteers pay to go and give food to homeless, which caused a dramatic drop in the # of volunteers.
• Lots of companies are volunteering for the 1^st time, though there are still many companies that don’t have volunteer programs.
• 96% of volunteers voted in the recent presidential election.
• 94% of volunteers give charitable donations.
• What does the above mean?  Do charitable/civic minded individuals volunteer, or does volunteerism prompt those actions?
• Who volunteers in the different sectors?  High tech tends to volunteer less than venture capitalist, etc.
• Different types of volunteering, based on life stages:  How does this affect volunteering?
• College campus involvement; Larry Bakow(?), Tufts, students often choose colleges based on how much involvement they can have with the surrounding community.
• How much of volunteer “talk” is just rhetoric?
• How can we continue youth volunteering into the 20’s, 30’s, etc.  With no infrastructure in place, there is no clear “next step” for those inclined to volunteer.
• Broader definition of civic engagement needed: current definition is narrow and hinders development of the field…funders see it as voter participation…others as volunteerism
• Lifelong continuum of volunteerism…needs to be resources/infrastructure to engage
• Skills-based volunteerism necessary…how do we measure volunteers’ impact?  Need an infrastructure system to support volunteerism
• Seasonal recruitment of volunteers?
• Volunteerism vs. giving…what’s the difference?  False dichotomy
• Number of companies which have not tapped into volunteerism…can create an opportunity
• Research volunteer base…who are they?
• Need to study community’s capacity to volunteer…high tech cases, especially
• Increase volunteerism in America by 10%...Hands on Network
• Alternative Volunteer Options…Volunteerism matched to life stages; Values different at Artists Business Council; Business on Board; National Points of Light, etc.
• Need to create a national volunteer infrastructure…national research on volunteerism (more emphasis on community involvement at colleges; Tufts?)
• At the corporate level, more younger employees are evaluating job selection based on opportunities to volunteer…many organizations don’t make it easy for volunteers to transfer within networks
• Pipeline to volunteerism: tension around funding?
• How are grads of Civic Engagement Programs giving back?
• Could track number of companies with volunteer programs, number of people volunteering, use of board members to reach highest potential (diversity of nonprofits?)

Race and Ethnicity

Co-Chairs: Beverly Morgan-Welch, Executive Director, Museum of Afro-American History; Jeff Stone, Steering Committee Co-Chair, City-Wide Dialogues on Boston’s Ethnic and Racial Diversity

• HIGHLIGHTS: (lack of diversity within the group!)…people are tired about conversations about race, but it’s a tough discussion *not* to have; inclusion is needed, since discussions have become multicultural and diffuse; people simply don’t know their history; ought to focus on what we have in common…we need to work together to be most effective (all want similar things); higher leverage point that communities of color can more effectively address within their own communities…lead other to do the right thing
• Not enough bilingual social workers to meet the need (e.g., Big Sister’s Association); same issues within the community development field…just not enough leaders of color representing constituents
• Challenge: Gibran Rivera (sp?) set an example for the Latino community even though he lost—still a challenge to change the political dynamics
• Incredible issue of funding: many attracted away from the nonprofit sector by higher salaries and not welcomed into the institution that originally recruited them (goes to issue of professionals of color more generally)
• People of color reluctant to volunteer when they see the challenges before them (labeled “people of color” when they raise issues of race).  Volunteering seems to be political and career suicide
• Don’t want to talk about racism in Boston (“been there, done that” attitude)
• People don’t have a sense of history and context to talk about the issue
• Boredom/exhaustion with issue in the mature black (and white) community…no freshness of thinking or action.  In younger black community, too far removed from the issues (“If I can’t succeed in school, why try?”).  White folks afraid to talk about it entirely…many people of goodwill in the region are simply tired of the issue (no headway made?)
• Goal: inclusion in decision making, leadership, mentoring…it’s tough
• Goal: focus on our similarities and shared goals…need to focus on how we’re all alike
• Generational differences…lack of taking responsibility for bridging the gap to young people; hip-hop/corporate profits are primary…loss of old values; parents need to be talking to kids about their family history…legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, civil rights movement hasn’t really been evaluated
• Too much division in communities of color, whether internal or by outside influences, like the media
• Need to reclaim Boston’s proud history

 Social Capital

Co-Chairs:David Crowley, President, Social Capital, Inc.;Sayra Pinto, Associate Vice President for Inclusion and Community Learning, Mount Wachusett Community College

• HIGHLIGHTS: relationships among different groups of color need to be strengthened; role of technology (enhance or detract)?  Various higher ed innovations
• Definition: relationships and networks we have in and across communities—function as assets for “bridging social capital”
• Polarization: people with money are so far away from real needs (less of a divide in other communities)
• Cross sections between different groups are so far apart that there is no opportunity to meet (including between groups of color)
• Work of faith-based organizations has increased: ESOL, work w/poor, reach to larger community and social service agencies
• Deep racism is still out there, but kept under wraps…unwilling to discuss clash of subgroups in public spaces (negatively affects the way we interact and appreciate each other’s assets)
• Indicator: Extent of the way people perceive themselves as participants in making decisions
• Indicator: Participation of people of color in school governance, events, etc.
• Where are dollars spent in fostering social capital?  Who is being enabled?
• Religious involvement: map it before 9/11
• What is the level of experience of diversity in social settings and immediate neighborhoods?  Do you have a neighbor you can rely on?  Smile/say hello to strangers in your neighborhood (c/c by neighborhood)
• Building social capital in the workplace (connecting with diverse people)
• Formation of Commonwealth Civic Roundtable is a plus
• Social networks between higher education institutions and the communities is a gain…higher ed institutions come forward and connect with BPS grads to offer programs to access (clear, tangible gains)
• Gaston Institute: connection with middle/high school students
• BPS: School connection with family and community…public ed dollars go to bring families and communities in
• Online volunteering (reuniting people separated by Katrina) is a new development
• Main St. program in Jamaica Plain working to build local social capital (“First Thursdays” program)Mt. Wachusett Community College has a center working to guild social capital Use of arts in Roxbury: Hibernia Hall; ACT Roxbury

New Leadership

Co-Chairs: Patricia Neilson, Associate Director, Center for Collaborative Leadership, UMass-Boston; Joel Barrera, Project Director, Commonwealth Legislative Seminar & Project Director, Metro Mayors’ Coalition 

• HIGHLIGHTS: need to track new blood, business ownership, and home ownership (first time buyers…homeownership *is* leadership); track leadership (esp. of color) at community-based organizations (need to make founders aware of the need to invest in leadership pipeline)
• Gains made in increasing home ownership
• Increased turnout in municipal elections (accurate?)…Sam Yoon a big boost…also lots of energy around the gubernatorial race
• New Asian-American organizations making headway, becoming more effective, esp. in Chinatown (ACDC group, AARW, Sam Yoon)…will this continue to happen in other groups and communities?
• Lack of intergenerational connection also an issue in Asian communities
• Lack of information is a problem for people who want to be engaged…makes it hard to be qualified to run for office or get in the door of an organization/train to be leaders in an organization
• Need for leadership of color to fill positions in nonprofits…needs also for long term professional development and opening doors for training, etc.
• Integrating immigrants into civic life despite backlash is necessary
• Elected and appointed diversity necessary (“new blood”)
• Teach leadership—community based organizations (what about diversity of Boston teachers?)
• Home and business ownership (not sure how this relates)
• Boston can be “closed” unless you “know someone”…insular civic culture (as discussed in Economy convening).  You need to know someone just to get a job (50% of people with government jobs “know someone”), which doesn’t make them representative of the community