Action in Dorchester

We believe that it is the propositional nature of creativity—the making something, rather than only breaking something down—that defines the true spirit of this work. When community organizing is truly “creative,” community members come together to envision an alternative, an image of how things might be. Everyone not only speaks out on what must change but also creates and seizes opportunities for stepping into a new way of being. With this approach, community organizing becomes an inspired form of activism, reminding everyone that each moment is an opportunity to ACT—for people’s rights and for the community imagined. 

What's your Tool?

 2006 Community Campaign. Designed with a cohort of stakeholders, community members, youth and colleagues, this campaign aimed to turn domestic and sexual violence into a "front porch" issue.

Who's Talking? We are.

2007 Community Campaign. Building on 2006 Campaign, the "We are Talking." Campaign collected stories and messages from the community and published them on a special, living section of the website.

SOS (Sharing Our Stories)

2008 Youth Journal. As a youth-led initiative, this journal was developed and produced to get youth and adults in writing and expressing their personal experiences with domestic and sexual violence. Download a copy of the journal here.

Dorchester Mural

2008 Dorchester Mural. Led by an active youth team, the Dorchester Mural was a collaborative effort to raise the visibility of Close to Home and issues of Domestic and sexual violence in Dorchester.

1000 Actions

2009 Community Action Campaign. With strong community partners, this campaign aimed to get community members engaged and actively working to prevent sexual and domestic violence through measures that were both small and large.

Know your Neighbor

2012 Community Campaign. Building on the 1000 Actions Campaign, Our 2010 Dorchester campaign aimed to build a stronger social fabric in Dorchester by simply getting neighbors engaged with one another, building a stronger neighborhood by building stronger personal connections.