Hi There! My name is Gabby, I’m a senior at Emerson College in Boston, MA. I am working on a communications plan for a non-profit organization in Jamaica Plain, and am hoping to incite interest and enhance awareness of the large immigrant population in JP and in Boston. (Did you know there are 10,000 Somali immigrants and refugees in New England, and 75 -80% of them live in Boston?!)
To do this, I am putting together an Open House on April 26 from 10-12, at the Somali Development Center at 205 Green Street, Jamaica Plain. Abdi, the Executive Director, and I have been working on making this as inspiring and as educational as possible, and cannot wait to open the SDC’s doors to the community!
Last Spring, I walked into the Somali Development Center as a volunteer ESOL teacher, with no understanding of the organization or its clients. I quickly came to understand both, as much as I could, not having actually been a member of the community myself. I understood in such a way to become connected with the individuals I met, and to admire the organization and the services it provided.
This year, when asked to create a communications plan for a grassroots organizing class, I immediately thought of the SDC. I thought of how important their work is, and I thought of how few people will come to know that. I knew that the organization could use help generating interest and awareness in their services, as well as the Somali community that they serve, and decided that I could provide that help to them.
Consider this your formal invitation, and PLEASE, do come on Thursday, April 26th from 10AM- 12PM! There will be learning, music, and food! This Open House cannot happen without you, and the Somali community of Boston and I are so grateful for your interest!
Please check out http://www.sdcboston.org for more information, and email me at gabrielle_tassone@emerson.edu with any questions! Thanks so much!
– Gabby
Future Boston Alliance 
Ideally, this open house will bring together two facets of this community and introduce them to one-another and provide a platform on which to build partnerships and alliances. In this vein, a partnership is in the works with the Boston Parent Organizing Network (who will have a representative attending the open house) and the SDC.
Furthermore, the open house will serve to educate the larger JP community about the services the SDC offers first hand, and about the immigrants and refugees that it is serving. Staff members will be talking about the different aspects and departments of the organization, detailing what it is they do, and how they do it.
While ideally the ask is for a donation of some sort, whether it be monetary or time based (via volunteer work) I felt as though it was crucial to introduce the potential donors to the organization before asking them to donate. Hopefully a first hand experience with the organization will inspire action and future involvement. The open house is a first step toward this eventual goal.
Great idea!