2019-2020 SPARK Boston Council announced
Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the newly-selected Mayor's SPARK Boston Council.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the newly-selected Mayor's SPARK Boston Council. The diverse, 40-member group will spend the next 12 months working to continue to open up new lines of communication between young adults and leaders in City government.
"The SPARK Council has worked with my administration to highlight and advocate for their shared values - voter participation and activation, a more equitable and affordable child care system, comprehensive climate change policies, resiliency in our immigrant communities, and much more," said Mayor Walsh. "I am confident the 2019-2020 Council will continue to advocate for their ideas to make Boston better for all."
The 2019-2020 SPARK Boston Council members live in 20 different neighborhoods. The group is 60 percent people of color and includes environmental scientists, marketing experts, public servants, youth workers, consultants, urban planners, artists, students, and more. Approximately a fourth of the Council are native Bostonians, while others grew up as far outside of Boston as Ohio, Indiana, California,Texas, and Jamaica. Thirty five percent of Boston residents were between the ages of 20 and 34 as of 2015, according to an analysis from the Boston Foundation.
"Boston millennials are diverse, impactful, and committed to making Boston a home they can be proud of," said Amy Mahler, SPARK Boston Director. "With the 2020 Census on the horizon, this year's Council is committed to making sure all of our voices are counted. A major theme of our programming for this cohort will be raising awareness and increasing participation in the Census, as renters, those who live in dormitories, recent immigrants, and those with lower income or educational attainment are historically undercounted."
SPARK Boston, housed in the Mayor's Civic Engagement Cabinet, is responsible for advising Mayor Walsh on issues affecting the millennial population and working with City departments and community stakeholders to help solve those issues. The Council holds monthly meetings and puts on programs focusing on connecting millennials with partners. Programs include neighborhood meetups, voter registration pop-ups, salary negotiation workshops, and Chief Chats, an event series which allows citizens to hear directly from Mayor Walsh's cabinet members on a variety of issues.
"One of the main reasons I moved to Boston was to be closer to the action, in a place full of smart people doing the exciting work of building a dynamic and growing urban community, with the added benefit of more of those people actually being my age," said Intiya Isaza, a new SPARK Council member from Charlestown. "SPARK is a wonderful opportunity to tap into that network and have a seat at the table."
"It's an incredible honor to be selected for SPARK Council, one I certainly don't take lightly," said Audrey Seraphin from Allston. "As a lifelong Massachusetts resident, this opportunity to represent my neighborhood and the arts sector could be once-in-a-lifetime. I'm so thankful to both Amy and Mayor Walsh. I'm ready to get to work and advocate for the millennials of Boston!"
This year, the SPARK Boston program received 183 applications for the Council, showing a robust interest for involvement and engagement. Projects for this Council cohort have included voter registration pop-ups at local breweries, hosting Boston's Creative Economy Mingle for the Chamber of Commerce's FUNinBOS Festival, the Council's first hackathon in the Future of Childcare Challenge, an event partnership with Suffolk University centered on professional development, and the continuation of the Chief Chat series.
The 2019-2020 Council includes:- Audrey Seraphin, Allston
- Juan Cantu, Allston
- Cristian Morales, Allston
- Carrolee Moore, Allston
- Oscar Lopez, Allston
- Claire Coletti, Back Bay
- Frank Ulip, Beacon Hill
- Kat Waxstein, Brighton
- Lexi Kantor, Brighton
- Intiya Isaza, Charlestown
- Chris Canton, Charlestown
- Anita Yip, Chinatown
- Latia Holmes, Chinatown
- Kaitlin McCarthy, Chinatown
- Ayanna Polk, Dorchester
- Ellie Sanchez, Dorchester
- Stacy Cruz, Dorchester
- Kathleen Carroll, Dorchester
- Gabriela (Gigi) Coletta, East Boston
- Fernando Ortiz, East Boston
- Jared Staley, East Boston
- Shannon Montanez, East Boston
- Aaron Dy, Fenway-Kenmore
- Sarah Abkowitz, Fenway-Kenmore
- Monee Vance, Hyde Park
- Delanoe Johnson, Jamaica Plain
- Evelyn "Ellie" Hitt, Jamaica Plain
- Daphney Pacouloute, Mattapan
- Julia Gueron, Mission Hill
- Meredith Moshier, North End
- Nicole Shults, Roslindale
- KT Merseles, Roslindale
- Jhanel Chew, Roxbury
- Mark Martinez, Roxbury
- Kiara Kerr, Roxbury
- Ashli Molina, South Boston
- Nayeli Rodriguez, South End
- Mike McDermott, South End
- Alen Amini, West End
- Matt Murphy, West Roxbury
For more information, please visit the Spark Boston website.