Outreach Committee

Outreach Chair: Shomon Shamsuddin

The Sidney-Pacific Outreach Committee is actively involved in improving the interaction between the SP student community, the residents of Cambridgeport area, and the Cambridge community in general. During the year 2003-04, SPOC organized various activities which provided a platform for the two communities to interact and exchange ideas. The support of organizations such as MIT and the Cambridge City Council has been, and will continue to be instrumental to the success of this initiative. In order to build on this momentum, the new officers of SPOC have planned a wide array of activities for the year 2004-05.

CASPAR Volunteering Event

Cambridge and Somerville Program for Alcohol Rehabilitation Emergency Service Center (CASPAR ESC) is a shelter/service center, near MIT, for homeless people including those with alcohol or drug addictions. Sidney and Pacific is looking for people who are intersted in working with CASPAR to prepare food for the residents of CASPAR.
More on CASPAR

The fifth annual Graduate Student Volunteer Day (GSVD) will be held on Saturday, September18, 2004 from 8:30am to 3pm. We are looking forward to your participation!

Graduate Student Volunteer Day is an annual part of the GSC orientation program that each year brings together over 150 graduate students and friends from around campus for a one-day community service event. Participants will start and end the day together with first breakfast and then a BBQ at Kresge, but the volunteering activities are done in smaller groups of 10-15 people each. The volunteer sites have been organized by student groups at various service organizations around Boston and Cambridge. For example, this year we'll be cooking meals, helping clean up beaches and parks, painting houses, assisting with charity walks, and much, much more. For more details on the projects being offered at this year's GSVD and to register for this fun and meaningful event, please visit our website at: http://web.mit.edu/gsc/www/programs/gsvd. For any other questions about the sites or the day in general, please email gsvd@mit.edu or the group leader associated with the site.

This event is a great opportunity to make new friends, meet some of the student groups on campus, and make a difference in our community. While this is officially an orientation event, all graduate students are certainly invited to participate. We hope you'll join us as GSVD V once again brings graduate students together and into the surrounding community in a day of service. Again to register, please see: http://web.mit.edu/gsc/www/programs/gsvd. We'll see you there!

• SuPerkids Program

  MIT students got an opportunity to mentor school-going students (age group 10-12) with their school studies with focus on concepts and their applications. The program also featured visits to places of educational as well as leisure interests such as museums, art galleries, and aquarium.

  
  
  
• Networking Brunch

  SP Outreach Committee organized a Networking Brunch on September 14, 2003. Company representatives from various companies in Cambridge and Boston was invited to talk about their respective companies and interact with students over brunch hosted by SP Brunch Committee.

  
  
  
• Earned Income Tax Credit Workshops

  SP Outreach Committee conducted Earned Income Tax Credit workshops in Spring for Cambridgeport residents. Earned Income Tax Credit is a refundable Federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. Training was provided before the workshops to all the volunteers. For more information about this program, see this document (ppt). If you are interested in helping out for this event for this year, E-mail: sp-outreach-chair@mit.edu.

  
  

• Open house was organized in September 2002. Cambridgeport residents attended the dinner in large numbers and gave their input to the SP leaders and MIT administration about the further activities that may be organized.
  
  
• In collaboration with the Afro-American Association, organized in April 2003 a cultural-heritage lecture.
  
  
• Organized (jointly with MIT) and promoted the Pacific Street Park Party during May 2003. Event celebrates the transfer of park from MIT to City of Cambridge and serves as a step in bringing the Cambridgeport and SP communities closer.
  

Outreach Chair: Kyungbum (Kevin) Ryu ryu@mit.edu 617-452-4342

Outreach Vice-chair Esmeralda Megally megalles@MIT.EDU

For more information, please email sp-outreach-chair (at mit.edu)

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