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From YouTube: Commissioners Corner - Amy Mahler, SPARK Boston
Description
Boston is growing and changing in tremendous ways. Now, more than ever, we need to draw a larger and more diverse range of Boston’s young adults into the conversation. That is SPARK Boston's mission. Host, Najya Mawasi, is joined by SPARK Boston Director Amy Mahler to discuss how SPARK Boston is reaching out to younger Bostonians to help set priorities and plan for Boston’s future.
A
Boston's
future
is
looking
pretty
bright.
Mayor
Marty,
Walsh
and
his
administration
are
committed
to
engage
residents
in
community
affairs.
Spark
Boston
is
the
city
of
Boston
initiative
that
aims
to
do
just
that.
It
empowers
the
millennial
generation
to
play
a
greater
role
in
planning
for
the
future
of
our
city.
Ami
Mahler,
director
of
spark
Boston,
is
joining
us
today.
Ami
will
fill
us
in
on
how
the
spark
Boston
initiative
is
forming
healthy
relationships
with
residents
to
strengthen
communities
and
encourage
youth.
A
A
B
We
are
an
organization
that's
been
around
since
2004
under
ameriie.
We
were
started,
then,
with
the
mission
of
really
understanding
and
engaging
the
civic
voices
of
people
between
the
ages
of
20
to
34.
As
most
people
know,
Boston
is
a
huge
city
that
attracts
thousands
of
young
people,
for
our
universities
are
incredible
economy,
and
we
have
this.
You
know
really
historic
place
of
attracting
young
people
who
want
to
get
a
real
start
to
their
careers
here
and
really
learn
what
we
have
to
offer,
and
especially
back
in
2004.
The
landscape
was
completely
different.
B
We
had
right
like
how
would
it
like
to
meet
somebody
right
just
to
meet
somebody
totally
brand
new?
You
were
lucky.
If
you
heard
about
it,
you
saw
a
flyer
somewhere
about
a
meet
of.
Maybe
you
heard
about
it
on
Friendster,
literally,
the
technological
landscape
of
how
you
would
meet
people
is
completely
different
and
then
also
the
way
that
the
city
operated
so
back.
B
Then,
if
you
really
wanted
to
get
somebody
interested
in
their
neighborhood
associations
showing
up
to
community
readings,
providing
feedback
on
anything
from
bicycle
lanes
or
food
trucks
all
across
the
gamut,
it
was
kind
of
a
trial
and
as
technology
has
involved
and
as
spark
has
really
emerged
as
one
of
the
first
big
young
professional
groups,
but
also
just
young
person
groups
across
the
city
and
really
grown
as
a
sort
of
leader.
In
that
civic
space.
We've
really
been
able
to
see
the
organization
grow
from
simply
convening
people
and
creating
a
sense
of
community,
especially
from.
B
Yes,
exactly
so
right
now,
so
where
our
mission
is
very
20
to
34.
So
right
now,
that's
the
millennial
generation,
but
soon
we're
gonna,
see
some
incredible.
Young
people
coming
up
through
Gen
Z
is
what
they're
called
I've
heard.
I
gen
but
I,
don't
love
that
as
much,
but
it's
basically
the
kids
that
are
in
high
school
right
now,
more
or
less
anybody
who's
born
between
2000
to
2020,
that's
2001
to
2020.
Those
are
really
the
the
next
group
that'll
be
coming
up,
but
right
now
we're
pretty
squarely
branded
as
millennial
you've.
B
It
was
just
too
incredible
of
an
opportunity
to
really
see
the
things
that
I
saw
the
grant
money,
the
technical
assistance
programs,
those
big
cities,
those
big
services
that
we
provided
across
the
Commonwealth
and
then
actually
observe
them
happening
in
time.
The
real
impact
that
they
gave.
People
so.
B
Thank
you
for
asking.
It
is
I,
think
the
biggest
thing
that
I've
really
learned
from
those
experiences
has
been
unless
you're
interfacing
with
government
on
a
day
to
day
basis,
whether
it's
your
job,
whether
you
work
with
a
foundation,
maybe
you
get
a
specific
kind
of
grant
funding.
You
don't
always
see
the
effects
in
your
life
and
for
me
it's
really
important
that
young
people
understand
you
know
they
may
not
see
Boston
as
their
forever
home.
Some
people
may
only
see
this
as
a
place
where
they
do
their
time.
They
get
their
degree.
B
They
get
that
start
in
that
career
that
they
know
that
that
opportunities
here
and
then
they
want
to
take
their
their
talents
elsewhere,
and
they
may
not
understand
why
it's
important
for
them
to
be
involved.
But
if
you
talk
to
a
young
person
about
rent,
you
talked
to
them
about
lunch
options
in
their
neighborhood
so
that
they
can
stay
healthy.
You
talk
to
them
about.
You
know
transportation.
These
are
the
things
that
we
really
need:
young
voices
on
on
the
local
level
when
you
go
to
the
community
meetings
to
neighborhood
associations.
B
B
You
know
if
you're
working
until
seven
eight
o'clock
at
night
on
a
regular
basis,
it's
really
hard
to
convince
somebody
to
go
out
to
a
neighborhood
association
meeting
and
so
and
seeing
that
you
know
seeing
the
real
difference
that
government
makes
it's
helped
me
really
be
able
to
speak
the
language
of
my
peers,
but
also
make
them
understood
why
they,
why
they
matter
in
that
Civic
process.
So.
A
B
It's
it's
funny,
they're
a
couple
of
the
different
things
that
I've
seen
that
have
been
challenges,
but
definitely
opportunities
is,
you
know,
I
think
if
you
have
never
been
to
a
Civic
Association
meeting
before
before
I
came
to
Boston.
There
was
really
no
civic
engagement
in
my
life,
like
I
would
do
volunteering.
B
B
I
think
that's.
The
thing
is
like
we're,
an
incredible
City,
where
we
attract
people
from
literally
all
over
the
world,
helping
those
people
see
themselves
as
part
of
the
Civic
process
and
also
that
they,
you
know
you
live
in
a
place.
You
don't
always
feel
like.
You
belong
to
a
place,
helping
them
see.
That
is
incredibly
important
and
that's
probably
been
the
biggest
challenge.
That's
how
I'm
sorry
and.
A
A
B
B
B
Talking
about
you
know,
if
you
have
a
new
idea,
whether
it's
extending
restaurants
and
out
establishments
to
later
times
providing
later
night
bus
service
in
a
way
that
makes
sense
from
a
tax
payer
perspective,
you
need
those
kinds
of
on-the-ground
understandings
to
help
inform
that
discussion.
Otherwise,
you
know
when
you
see
here
a
new
idea
be
pitched,
and
you
have
heard
it
a
bunch
of
times
before
and
you're,
understandably
a
little
reticent,
because
you
don't
want
to
waste
taxpayer
dollars
on
ideas
that
don't
work
having
voices
in
the
room.
B
That
say
this
is
a
part
of
my
regular
life
where
I
am
from
or
I
have
lived
in
a
place
where
this
is
as
normal
as
you
hopping
on
the
a
bus.
You
know
those
are
the
kinds
of
perspectives
that
we
need
to
help
make
sure
that
people
can
think
about
new
ways
of
seeing
their
own
community
with
the
comfort
of
somebody
who
wants
it
to
become
just
as
better
so
that
they
can
share
it
together.
You
know,
mm-hmm
the.
A
B
Yeah,
it
is
yeah
and
it's
I
think
the
biggest
thing
is
the
thing
I
love
the
most
about
our
council
is
that
we
have
people
from
like
I,
said
literally
all
over
the
world,
all
over
the
country,
totally
different
sectors
of
employment.
We
have
social
workers,
we
have
teachers,
we
have
fitness
instructors,
we
have
entrepreneurs,
we
have
public
servants,
we
have
you
know
coders,
we
have
students,
we
have
people
who
are
really
all
across
the
gamut.
We
have
community
organizers
and
all
of
those
people
unless
they're
put
in
the
same
spot
with
a
given
mission.
B
It
is
very
rare
that
they're
going
to
be
able
to
connect
with
each
other
and
you
what
you
find
so
often
that
I
really
appreciate
is
that
they
are
looking
for
that
connection,
they're
looking
to
meet
people
who
they
can
find
new
inspiration
from
and
then
also
help
try
to
see
new
ways
of
looking
at
old
problems.
Just
what
they've
said
to
you
or
yeah.
B
Well,
it's
funny
it's
it's!
A
combination
of
you
know.
You
talked
about
like
why
your
job
is
hard.
You
talk
about
like
why
aspects
of
your
community
process
are
difficult
or
you
know
the
way
that
you
approach
an
old
problem
and
somebody
can
come
in
and
say
like.
Oh
well,
I
actually
work
in
this
particular
field
or
I
work
in
a
field
adjustment
adjacent,
and
this
is
actually
the
way
that
we
do
it,
and
we
have
found
this
to
be
incredibly
valuable.
B
A
It's
so
important,
especially
in
this
day
and
age
like
networking,
is
like
totally
big
thing
yeah.
So
there
are
some
initiatives
that
you
have,
that
do:
connect
people
and
our
opportunities
of
networking
and
entrepreneurship
and
empowerment
is
part
of
the
civic
engagement
in
connecting
youth
and
elders
with
city
leaders,
politicians
so
on
and
so
forth.
Could
you
talk
to
us
about
that?
Yeah.
B
So
I
think
the
thing
that
I
love
the
most
about
the
council
is
that
the
programming
that
we
put
up
with
primarily
comes
from
them
I
can
give
them
a
suggestion.
I
can
give
I
can
give
them
a
framework,
so
our
chief
chats
were
started
under
our
previous
director
through
our
previous
council,
this
council.
B
We
had
a
fantastic
chief
Chad
back
in
the
beginning,
back
in
March
with
Boston
Public
Library
President,
David
Leonard,
and
we
also
heard
from
two
of
the
librarians
that
work
at
the
BPL
who
are
also
in
our
demographic
range,
and
we
held
it
at
the
newsfeed.
Cafe
we
had
one
of
our
council
members,
be
the
sort
of
moderator
of
the
discussion
and
what
you
really
got
to
see
was
this
moment
where
everybody
in
the
room,
no
matter
where
they
came
from
at
that
one
point
in
time.
B
The
thing
that
they
cared
about
the
most
was
hearing
about
how
the
city's
library,
the
Commonwealth's
library,
was
evolving
to
serve
as
many
public's
as
possible,
and
everybody
was
invested
in
that
moment.
And
that
is
what
I
love
so
much
about
our
chief
chat
series,
because
we
do
that
with
different
cabinet
chiefs
across
the
City
Hall
across
those.
B
A
guest
here-
yes,
we
had
him
last
year
during
Earth
Month,
which
was
fabulous.
We
had
him
at
district
hall.
We,
let's
see
we
have
upcoming
Juli
Barroso
is
going
to
be
our
Chiefs
of
art.
Arts
and
Culture
is
going
to
be
doing
a
chief
chat
during
art
week,
which
we're
very
excited
about
the
founder
of
Bam's
fest
is
going
to
be
on
there
as
well
as
one
of
our
Boston
air
fellows.
So
we're
extremely
excited
to
hear
about
that.
B
B
It's
I
think
the
biggest
thing
that
we
really
come
across
is
that
you
know
people
want
to
understand
these
issues.
It's
just
so
often
it's
if
you
don't
already
have
a
firm
understanding
of
everything
that
goes
into
housing.
You
know
all
the
history
behind
this
development
or
that
development,
or
you
know
whatever
the
subject
matter,
is
trying
to
catch
up
and
really
get
a
grasp
of
it,
especially
if
you're
new
to
the
city
work.
A
B
A
lot
of
work-
and
we
really
try
to
reduce
the
burden
on
that
as
possible.
Honestly,
like
a
lot
of
our
programming,
is
about
reducing
the
emotional
burden,
but
also
the
work
burden
of
the
folks
who
are
coming
to
our
program.
You
know
we
do
open
houses
on
home
ownership
with
the
Boston
home
center.
What
we
do
it
in
fun
settings
we've
done
it
at
restaurants,
we've
done
it
coffee
shops
and
it
specifically
to
really
like
D
formalize.
How
important
the
the
idea
is.
B
A
B
Is
and
that's
why
we,
when
we
put
together
all
these
different
resources,
we
try
to
do
it
in
settings
that
are
extremely
accessible
by
public
transit.
We
always
try
to
do
it
in
especially
something
that
city
wide
of
an
impact.
We
try
to
do
it
near
a
commuter
rail
station.
So
if
you're
somebody
who
lives
in
Hyde
Park
and
wants
to
buy
in
Hyde
Park,
we
try
to
make
sure
that
you
know
about
all
the
different
city
options,
but
also
you
can
hop
on
the
commuter
rail
home.
B
B
A
B
So
I
mean
it's
funny,
we
add
all
of
our
different
events,
my
favorite
thing
to
do
other
than
watch
my
councilmembers
shine
when
they
put
these
protists
programming.
It's
talking
to
people
who
are
friends
of
friends.
You
know
they
walk
past
our
event.
They
wanted
to
come
in
the
thing
that
I
hear
from
them.
The
most
is
they
don't
know
how
to
get
involved,
which
is
absolutely
why
we
stand
there
like
hi
nice
to
meet
you
we're
an
organization
that
are
we're
opening
up
our
applications
in
May.
B
We're
opening
up
our
impact
Awards
in
mid-april
we'd
love
for
you
to
participate,
come
to
our
programming
and
then
also
I
grab
a
coffee
with
literally
anybody,
especially
in
my
age,
demographic
cuz
I
want
to
recruit
them
to
apply
to
spark,
but
I
try
to
talk
to
as
many
people
as
I
can.
The
things
that
I
hear
are
I
want
to
find
a
career.
That's
meaningful
to
me
that
I
believe
in
I
believe
in
that
cause.
I
want
to
be
able
to
afford
to
stay
in
the
city.
B
I
want
to
be
able
to
have
normal
commutes
so
that,
if
I'm,
juggling
grad
school
or
a
family
member
or
you
know
even
something
as
simple
as
a
personal
life,
that
you're
gonna
be
able
to
do
it
logistically
and
safely
and
on
time,
and
those
are
I
think
very
common
things
that
a
lot
of
people
go
through
and
especially
in
folks
folks.
In
this
particular
demographic
they're
working,
multiple
jobs,
they
have
a
side
hustle
in
addition
to
whatever
they're.
B
The
time-
and
they
are,
we
have
so
many
different
needs,
yes,
Oh
totally,
and
also
just
like
finding
the
way
that
you
can
turn
your
creative
outlet
into
something
that
can
actually
help
your
livelihood
is
really
hard.
We
partner
with
a
lot
of
different
city
departments,
to
figure
out
how
to
better
connect
them
those
resources.
You
know
we
were
doing
a
credit
workshop
in
Mattapan
at.
B
Fabs
well
and
the
best
part
about
it.
That
was
an
event
that
literally
came
out
of
a
sit-down.
We
had
with
the
Rue
de
Celestine
who's,
the
mayor's
liaison
for
Mattapan
and
the
Haitian
community,
with
Yusuf
Ali
who's,
one
of
our
council
members
and
then
Shanice
Wallace
who's,
one
of
our
council
members,
and
they
said
you
know
it
would
be
really
great
if
we
could
get
these
sort
of
financial
services
to
the
neighborhood,
and
so
we
Rooney
I,
myself,
Yusuf
and
Shanice,
reached
out
to
Constance
Martin
who's
over
at
the
office
of
financial
empowerment.
B
So
this
is
our
first
one,
but
we're
going
to
see
his
office
financial
empowerment
does
regularly
offer
these
kinds
of
programming
I
think
it's
twice
a
week
in
Roxbury,
okay,
but
so
we're
trying
to
see
if
the
model
works
in
different
neighborhoods
and
then
trying
to
figure
out
okay.
What
Reid
idea?
Thank
you.
B
Well,
unlike
figure
out,
where
can
we
replicate
this
potential
success
and
what
makes
it
most
effective
I
consistently
find
that
if
you
want
a
really
effective
event
with
a
lot
of
folks
in
it,
partnering
with
other
neighborhood
organizations
is
the
way
to
do
it.
They
help
you
get
the
word
out.
They
help
add
that
credibility
that
you
might
not
exactly
have
in
that
neighborhood
and
it's
honestly
people
are
looking
for
opportunities
to
make
their
lives
better.
It
is
my
job
as
a
public
servant.
B
It
is
the
council's
job
as
people
who
are
committing
to
a
year
of
making
the
city
better
to
take
what
they
hear
on
the
streets,
as
you
said,
and
bringing
it
to
City
Hall
and
having
that
authenticity
and
that
authority
to
really
be
able
to.
You
know,
speak
as
a
representative
of
their
community,
but
also
know
how
to
have
that
conversation
too.
B
A
Mayor
Walsh
is
the
best
yeah.
He
really
is
he's
doing.
Amazing
I
think
he's
doing
an
amazing
job
here
in
the
city
of
Boston,
but
he
seems
like
he's
really
committed
to
transparency.
Inclusion
diversity
talk
to
us
about
your
work
with
the
mayor
as
far
as
spark
Boston
and
how
you're
able
to
push
through
these
initiatives.
Yes,.
B
That
is
one
of
the
best
things
that
you
can
provide
to
a
planner,
a
project
manager,
because
then
they
can
get
feedback
on
programming
that
you
know
either
they
have
a
new
idea.
They
want
to
test
me.
They
they
don't
live
in
that
particular
neighborhood
and
our
council
members
understand
that
you
know
this
is
a
space
to
be
honest
and
kind.
We
always
try
to
start
off.
Our
council
meetings
by
you
know,
kicking
things
off
with,
like
everybody
here
is
coming
in
with
good
intentions.
Yes,.
A
B
Keep
that
tone
and
keep
that
spirit,
and
as
a
result,
you
know
they
have
these
very
fruitful
conversations,
whether
it's
you
know
figuring
out
how
to
make
solar
check
in
so
so
the
green
of
eight
Boston
team.
They
have
a
program
where
they
walk
through
your
home
and
they
do
inspections
and
they
help
you
figure
out,
basically
how
to
make
your
home
more
energy-efficient
and
for
a
lot
of
people.
The
answer
is:
okay,
well
offer
them
after
work.
B
Most
of
the
programming
really
is
during
the
day
so
telling
a
young
person
who
works
on
nine-to-five
job
to
make
time
during
their
work
week
to
have
somebody
come
in
and
maybe
they'll
be
able
to
save
you
a
hundred
dollars
over
a
year,
it's
hard
for
a
lot
of
young
people,
especially
if
they're
working
after
school,
especially
if
they
have
multiple
jobs.
So
some
of
the
feedback
that
we've
provided
have
been
you
know,
offer
the
programming
a
little
bit
later.
B
Maybe
looking
into
you
know
having
a
checklist
that
you
can
fill
out
and
then
have
somebody
come
in
and
like
check
through
for
you
and
maybe
doing
you
know
walkthroughs
on
the
weekends
as
well,
and
this
is
a
sort
of
feedback,
hello,
that's
the
thing
is,
like
you
know,
it's
up
to
those
program
managers
to
understand
the
constraints
of
their
programs,
but
it's
our
job
to
help
them
see.
These
are
the
things
that
would
actually
help
me.
The
most
and
I
am
telling
you
this
because
I
want
you
to
succeed.
A
B
Great,
we
had
a
really
fabulous
event
a
couple
weeks
ago
with
state
senator
Eric
lesser.
He
was
talking
about
his
millennial
engagement
initiative
and
that's
a
something
that
he
and
his
colleagues
in
the
state
Senate
who
are
in
that
sort
of
millennial
generation,
they're
trying
to
pass
student
loan
Bill
of
Rights.
B
They
are
trying
to
really
focus
on
transportation,
they're
interested
in
hearing
more
about
housing,
and
what
we
are
really
seeing
is
that
young
people
want
to
connect
with
elected
officials,
but
it
is
either
not
always
within
their
reach
or
they
need
to
be
branded
too.
Specifically.
So
when
we
have
our
spark
socials,
we
had
one
last
month
with
a
turtle
swamp
brewing
and
to
make
a
plain
counselor,
Matt,
O'malley
came,
can
I
tell
you
how
bright
the
eyes
were
in
that
room.
B
Listening
to
him
talk
about
his
work
on
environmental
issues,
you
know
trying
to
make
the
city
a
healthier
place
just
listening
to
why
he
cares
about
the
city
and
what
he
has
done
to
really
be
able
to
serve
it.
You
know
from
his
days
in
the
Clinton
White
House
to
working
on
the
municipal
level.
To
you
know
doing
projects
that
have
gotten,
you
know
huge
press
to
the
smaller
stuff.
You
know
he's
worked
on
everything
from
like
free
sunscreen
in
public
parks.
B
We're
really
looking
to
have
having
more
of
these
community
voices,
and
especially
district
city
councillors,
we're
lucky
enough
to
have
a
whole
new
crop
of
city
councilors
who
are
looking
to
engage
with
this
population,
and
so
we're
trying
to
reach
out
to
them
to
see
if
they
can
come
to
our
different
events
and
just
creating
that
fundamental
opportunity
to
actually
connect
with
somebody
who
can
impact
your
life.
Yeah.
A
It
makes
such
a
difference
all
the
way
around
yeah
I
want
to
go
back
to
the
spark
impact
Awards,
because
that's
a
pretty
big
event
that
you
have
yeah,
pretty
impressive,
actually
I
was
on
the
website
and
learning
about
all
the
nominees
yeah.
You
talk
about
the
side,
hustle
mm-hmm.
These
nominees
have
some
serious
side.
Hustle
talk
to
us
about
that.
They're.
B
Amazing,
it's
funny
I
love,
oh
my
god.
The
thing
I
love
the
most
about
the
Impact
Awards
is
that
it
is
really
an
opportunity
to
look
at
the
people
who
make
up
your
friend
groups,
your
professional
networks,
your
peers,
the
people
you
take.
The
tea
with
every
day
see
the
heroes
that
are
in
every
single
one
of
those
people.
B
Question
so
our
process
is,
we
will
have
a
forum
up
during
civic
engagement
week,
it'll
be
open
from
mid-april
it'll,
be
closing
Friday
May,
18th
and
basically
it'll
be
a
Google
forum.
You'll
write
out
the
information
about
the
NAM
about
the
person
you're
nominating
and
then
our
selection
committee
is
going
to
go
through
slicked,
select
a
couple
of
finalists
per
category
and
then
we'll
be
having
an
online
voting
period
and
then
at
the
end
of
June,
we'll
be
honoring.
Those
nominees
at
our
event
actually.
B
Get
from
those-
yes,
oh
my
God,
we're
so
excited,
so
we
are
opening
up
applications
for
our
new
council
at
the
beginning
of
May,
okay
and
basically
it's
the
opportunity
to
serve
your
city.
You
know
if
you're
a
Boston
resident
between
the
ages
of
20
to
34,
you
have
a
passion
for
making
the
city
better.
It
could
be
a
brand
new
passion.
We
got
a
ton
of
people
who
applied
after
the
last
presidential
election.
You
know
we
get
people
who
apply
always
in
response
to
life
changes
or
moving
here
and
wanting
to
get
connected.
B
They
learned
that
a
family
member
used
to
be
an
elected
office
or
they
saw
something
that
really
transformed
them
or
even
just
I,
want
to
make
new
friends
I
want
to
understand
how
I
can
help
my
city,
you
know
even
it's
something
is
like
sort
of
simple
and
intrinsic
it's
that
mm-hmm
could
really
make
the
best
councilmembers
yeah,
and
so
we
so
that
process
opens
up
in
the
beginning
of
May.
Applications
will
be
closing
in
mid-june.
We
have
a
second.
B
Our
selection
committee
will
review
the
first
round
of
applicants
and
then
our
second
round
is
group
interviews.
We
always
try
to
make
sure
there's
an
amazing
team
fit.
You
know
we
want
people
who
are
going
to
naturally
gravitate
towards
each
other,
but
also
listen,
I,
think
that's
the
biggest
name.
B
A
Welcome
spark
Boston
is
looking
for
the
next
generation
of
civic
leaders
in
our
city.
Could
that
be
you
if
you're
interested
in
learning
more
about
what
we've
discussed
in
the
spark
Boston
initiative?
Please
visit
Boston's
Jacov
forward,
slash
spark.
You
can
also
follow
spark
boston
on
twitter
at
spark
boston.
Thank
you
for
joining
us
on
commissioner's
corner.
I'm
nadia
aussi.