Initiative Leveraging the Power of Upcoming FIFA World Cup Tournament to Inspire Community Engagement and Enrich Dorchester Neighborhood
World Cup Boston 2010 Service Learning Day will bring together people of all cultures and communities to help restore and beautify Franklin Field at Harambee Park and Grove Hall, a vital community space. Volunteers will be on site throughout the day to take part in field and playground beautification projects, including resodding the field turf, planting and refurbishing a vacant Grove Hall lot to create an interactive space that will encourage community celebrations and recreation. Additionally, World Cup Boston 2010 will be hosting a series of community-oriented enrichment workshops ranging from dance and financial planning to self defense and creative writing, which will be held on-site at the Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club.
The day will also include South African Reading Circles for Elementary-aged children, featuring books from the World Cup Boston 2010 Book Project, comprised of books written and illustrated by South Africans, unavailable elsewhere in the United States, that incorporate themes of justice, hope and renewal.
In addition to leaving a lasting mark on a deserving community, the Service Learning Day helps to underscore World Cup Boston 2010’s mission to bring together cultures and communities for the betterment of our city. The initiative leverages the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament as a catalyst to open a dialog between Boston’s myriad cultures and communities through exciting events and programming focused on sport, education and culture.
Service Learning Day participants will enjoy activities and events for volunteers and guests of all ages, music and dance performances, appearances by the New England Revolution and Boston Breakers as well as refreshments throughout the day.
WHEN:Saturday, April 24, 2010
9am – 4pm (kick-off speaking program to begin promptly at 9am)
WHERE: Franklin Field at Harambee Park
Blue Hill Avenue and Talbot Avenue
Dorchester, MA
ABOUT WORLD CUP BOSTON 2010
World Cup Boston (WCB) 2010 is an 18-month, multifaceted initiative surrounding the 2010 FIFA World Cup that will bring the international spirit of competition and collaboration to Boston with public programming in soccer, culture, community and education for Boston youth and families. As a public, private and nonprofit partnership enthusiastically supported by Mayor Thomas Menino, WCB 2010’s mission is to unite members of Boston’s various socioeconomic, community and cultural groups to foster a renewed sense of inclusion, interaction, and involvement. With dynamic partners ranging from the Boston Public Library, the Boston Children’s Museum, Boston Public Schools, the New England Revolution and the Boston Breakers, and coordinated by South Africa Partners, a local nonprofit specializing in South Africa – U.S. collaborations, World Cup Boston 2010 brings the excitement of World Cup soccer to Boston’s public spaces and highlights Boston’s growing status as an international city.
