Sasaki Foundation

Happy International Women's Day to all the women in our lives, and especially to our trustees and full-time staff who identify as women!

Thank you to our partners at the Boston Children's Museum for hosting a wonderful site visit for our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Designers and educators Joel Reider, Robin Meisner, and Savannah M. showed students the thought and intention that goes into designing spaces that encourage play and learning. DESI interns also got to share their feedback and give suggestions on redesigning the Construction Zone exhibit to make it feel more welcome to kids of all ages and genders and their parents.

Join the Sasaki Foundation next week on March 12 for our Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Workshop. This interactive workshop with Betsy Leondar-Wright, coauthor of the book Is it Racist? Is It Sexist?, will help you unpack your own values and habits in judging ambiguous situations, let you practice tricky conversations about racism, and offer recommendations for more effective antiracism. Lunch provided with free registration. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eBQiz2Zp

Throughout the semester, we're highlighting each of our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Meet Ariyana Isabella Velasquez from Brighton! Ariyana is designing the rear of 100 Holton as an inviting communal space. Her program highlight so far is "being able to get insight from people from different fields and getting their insight."

Interested in applying for the 2025 Design Grants but don't know where to start? If you've checked out the overview video and FAQs but still have questions, sign up for a slot at our office hours, Fridays in March and April! And if you're looking for team members, don't miss our Design Grants Mixers, online on April 1 and in person on April 2. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eGGYJxac

Don't miss your chance to sponsor the Sasaki Foundation's Design Grants Pitch Night and support equity in design! Our Design Grants program funds community experts to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. Pitch Night, a public event showcasing the finalists, is only three months away. As Pitch Night sponsor,?you'll gain publicity around the event and throughout the year and have opportunities to engage with the winning teams. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ecpQW3ws

Thank you to Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) presenter Elyse Belarge, ENV-SP, a sustainability manager from the City of Somerville, for talking to our students about the way municipalities balance sustainability with existing zoning and other factors. She answered their questions and gave great suggestions about how to make their designs more sustainable using different tactics and materials.?

Last Saturday our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns attended the City of Boston's Mayor's Youth Summit organized by the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement at Artists for Humanity. The students had an incredible time celebrating together, taking pictures at the photo booths, and watching the dance and music performances. They got some awesome swag and saw some of our SEED and DESI alumni who are part of the Mayor's Youth Council. At the event, leaders read a proclamation from Mayor Wu declaring February 22, 2025, as Youth Day in the City of Boston. Events like this are an amazing opportunity for our youth to come together to celebrate each other and make new connections while having a great time.

Throughout the semester, we're highlighting each of our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Meet Nelly Bautista Matias from Malden! Nelly is designing a park along the Malden River to encourage people to visit, relax, and interact with the river and other amenities. Her program highlight so far is "getting to know talented people from the design industry and all the amazing projects they have worked on."

Last week we once again participated in Architecture/Design Thinking Week alongside Goody Clancy, Finegold Alexander Architects, and HMFH Architects, Inc. This week-long career awareness initiative from the Boston PIC (Private Industry Council)?and the Boston Society for Architecture takes place during February vacation week, and introduces Boston Public Schools high school students to design through a four-day studio. Last Tuesday, we kicked things off with an introduction to the design process for 43 students. Thank you to our Sasaki volunteers Emely Fernandez, Lee Robert, and Carlos Torres!