Hull Lifesaving Museum Chosen as 2009 Boston Social Innovator
Posted December 12th, 2008 by Heidi Hall
The Hull Lifesaving Museum's Maritime Apprentice Program, which offers intensive, multi-year training for DYS-committed youth preparing them for careers in the Maritime Trades, is among six area nonprofits selected as a 2009 Social Innovator by the Cambridge-based Social Innovation Forum to receive over $100,000 in cash and services.
The Forum was launched by Root Cause to help organizations like the Hull Lifesaving Museum who have the field expertise, innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit to develop the business frameworks and skills required to make a lasting social impact and grow to capacity.
"We believe that the Hull Lifesaving Museum is demonstrating an innovative and highly effective solution to the youth drop-out and unemployment crisis" said Susan Musinsky, director of the Social Innovation Forum. "We are thrilled to have the chance to help them refine their model and make a lasting impact in Boston."
Hull Lifesaving Museum was selected as a 2009 Social Innovator for its unique approach to addressing the social alienation, cycles of failure, and hopelessness experienced by Boston's most high-risk youth. The organization won the Social Innovation Forum's School to Work: Creating Pathways for Productive Employment for Older Youth category, which was co-sponsored by United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
"We are honored to have been selected by Root Cause and the Social Innovation Forum for this exceptional opportunity to further develop the Maritime Apprentice Program," said HLM Executive Director Lory Newmyer. "We anticipate strengthening services to our students, learning how to more effectively advocate for the city's most disadvantaged youth, and exploring ideas about program expansion and replication. This is an unprecedented opportunity for our organization."
Through the Forum, Hull Lifesaving Museum will participate in a twelve-month support program that provides the organization with consulting services, executive coaching, and introductions to a network of venture philanthropists looking to support innovative nonprofits in greater Boston.
On May 5, 2009, Hull Lifesaving Museum will participate in the Social Innovation Forum's showcase event-modeled after venture capital forums in which early-stage organizations present their ideas directly to investors-where the organization will present its work to more than 200 Boston-area business and philanthropic leaders. After the event, Hull Lifesaving Museum will join the Social Innovation Forum's growing community of graduates, who are eligible to receive additional support services as they continue to expand their impact. Hull Lifesaving Museum's 2009 cohort includes: Raw Art Works, Bessie Tartt Wilson Children's Foundation, ACCESS, Hearth Outreach Program, and More Than Words.
As a Social Innovation Forum innovator, Hull Lifesaving Museum will receive financial support from United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
Root Cause is a nonprofit organization that advances enduring solutions to social and economic problems by supporting social innovators and educating social impact investors. Root Cause does this work through business planning and implementation, leadership development, research, and the creation of networks that unite the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
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