John Hancock and Healthy Places by Design Announce Activating Boston: an Initiative to Enrich and Enhance the Longevity of Bostonians
Activating Boston Program Will Create Accessible, Age-Inclusive Outdoor Spaces in Four Boston Neighborhoods that Strengthen Community Connection, Health, and Well-being
BOSTON, May 20, 2024 – Today, John Hancock, the US division of Toronto-based Manulife, announced that it will lead an expansion of the Activating Boston pilot program in collaboration with Healthy Places by Design, the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission and other city agencies, AARP Massachusetts, and UMass Boston. The program will create welcoming outdoor spaces in four Boston neighborhoods which will encourage people of all ages to connect with each other and live longer, healthier, better lives. This initiative aligns with Manulife’s Impact Agenda, which outlines the company’s key social and environmental commitments in areas where it has the greatest ability to instill positive change.
The expansion of the pilot program builds upon its initial results within the Chinatown and Dorchester neighborhoods. Now, the program support four neighborhood projects, each of which a community-based nonprofit will lead. Each project will receive a grant to engage residents, co-design, plan, and implement effective social infrastructure strategies to advance social connection, well-being, and human longevity. The Activating Boston program addresses two factors contributing to longevity: social connection and access to inclusive green spaces.
“The Activating Boston program reflects John Hancock’s firm commitment to investing in both local and national initiatives that advance the longevity of all Americans, and studies show the effect that green spaces can have on our health and well-being,” said Lindsay Hanson, Chief Marketing Officer and Global Head of Behavioral Insurance Strategy and Delivery of John Hancock. “We’re proud to continue our support of Healthy Places by Design to increase access to socially connected environments that help further our mission of helping people live longer, healthier, better lives. We’re excited to see the incredible spaces the four grantees will develop through the program.”
The goal of the Activating Boston program is to co-create inclusive and intergenerational public greenspaces that build and support social connections, health, and well-being. To identify the four program grantees, Healthy Places by Design worked with Boston partners in a thorough neighborhood selection process considering health disparities; areas of historic disinvestment; diversity of residents; and opportunities for building on existing, community-led efforts for improving public greenspaces.
The four 2024 Activating Boston Program grantees represent vibrant and differing areas of Greater Boston. Each grantee has defined a unique vision and will take a different approach in leveraging their grant to create more accessible, age-inclusive outdoor spaces that strengthen community connection, health, and well-being. The 2024 grant recipients are:
Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC): ACDC will bring together, and work alongside, Chinatown residents, community artists, and neighborhood partners to advocate for a park next to a permanent public library branch coming to Chinatown’s Hudson Street in the next one to two years. Local high school-aged youth will be among the community event organizers who will work with ACDC staff.
Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation (CSNDC): CSNDC will work with their partner The Boston Project Ministries to lead a project in Dorchester to improve and activate a vacant lot, currently owned by the City of Boston, located on Wentworth Street and activate the space by hosting clean-up days, pop-up events, performances, and a mural painting project. The partnership will engage community to begin the land acquisition process with the City’s Grassroots Program with the long-term goal to develop the space as a permanent greenspace for residents to enjoy.
EASTIE Coalition: EASTIE Coalition with the support of De Nosotros Foundation will be promoting and conducting cultural, wellness, and social programming in Central Sq Park. Local artists will be invited to build a safe environment by offering art, music, and theater workshops. The EASTIE Coalition will also lead beautification and illumination projects in the park.
Madison Park Development Corporation (MPDC): MPCD will focus on activating a parcel of land within the Grove Hall neighborhood, in collaboration with celebrated artist Ekua Holmes. Although the site has been vacant for decades, it has a long history that can be traced back through the period of urban renewal and corresponding community activism, rooted in a fight for racial justice and community agency. As MPDC sets out to ultimately develop this site into new affordable rental and homeownership housing, it plans to leverage the activation project as an innovative strategy for meaningful community engagement and input on the site's eventual buildings and community amenities.
The four grant recipients have extensive experience working with community members on neighborhood improvement efforts, coordinating programs, public events and “place-making” projects, which enhance outdoor green spaces to encourage activity and social connection. In addition to assembling a team of residents and neighborhood partners to create an activation project, each grantee will develop a plan for future priorities and steps for advancing social connectedness in their neighborhood.
For more information about the Activating Boston Program, visit: https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/project/activating-boston-pilot-project/
About John Hancock and Manulife
John Hancock is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better by providing financial advice, insurance, and wealth and asset management solutions. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as MFC on the TSX, NYSE, and PSE, and under 945 on the SEHK. Manulife can be found at manulife.com. One of the largest life insurers in the United States, John Hancock supports more than ten million Americans with a broad range of financial products, including life insurance and annuities. John Hancock also supports US investors by bringing leading investment capabilities and retirement planning and administration expertise to individuals and institutions. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
About Healthy Places by Design
Healthy Places by Design is a national non-profit organization that helps community leaders, coalitions, and organizations create healthier and more socially connected communities. Healthy Places by Design works with health and other funders who invest in equitable, place-based initiatives that strive to advance community health, justice, and wellbeing. Additional information may be found at healthyplacesbydesign.org.