Vital Village Network

Home
United States
Boston, MA
Vital Village Network

Call Directions Website Contact the organization

Vital Village is a network of residents and organizations committed to maximizing child, family, and community well-being.

Our place-based, community engagement network mobilizes collective investment from residents, community organizations and institutions to seed scalable and sustainable community change around child protection and promoting healthy social and emotional development in early childhood. The Vital Village Network is using a collective impact approach to supporting deeper collaboration among educators, clinicians, social service providers, legal advocates and residents to strengthen prenatal, early childhood education, and economic security and preventive legal resources that support family and community protective factors. We have developed hubs of innovation within and a formal collaborative network across three Boston Neighborhoods: Dudley (Roxbury/North Dorchester), Mattapan, and Codman Square (Dorchester). We align preventive efforts across sectors to enhance existing services for children. This approach is sustainable because we embed community-driven preventive strategies in the context of existing systems for child health and education and community development. We strive to connect and strengthen opportunity structures that support protective factors and family strengths within existing community resources. We couple community-based participatory research and improvement science methodology to drive progress.

10/17/2026

Meet Our Opening Plenary Speaker: Brooke Rodriguez
What does it mean to reclaim our histories and create futures rooted in Indigenous sovereignty?

We are honored to welcome Brooke Rodriguez of the Borikua Taíno Foundation to the 2026 National Community Leadership Summit!

Brooke's work brings together Indigenous nation-building, cultural revitalization, and the reclamation of Taíno ancestral lineages through community-led data stewardship and the preservation of Indigenous knowledge.

Join us October 22–23 at the Revere Hotel Boston Common.
Register at www.vitalvillagesummit.org

10/16/2026

Meet Our Opening Plenary Speaker: Chasity Salvador
What do seeds, birth, land, and ancestral knowledge teach us about nurturing future generations?

We are honored to welcome Chasity Salvador, an Indigenous birthworker, farmer, and traditional seed keeper from Acoma Pueblo, to the 2026 National Community Leadership Summit!

Chasity's work connects Indigenous birth practices, traditional foodways, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge, reminding us that caring for families and caring for the land are deeply intertwined.

Join us October 22–23 at the Revere Hotel Boston Common.
Register at www.vitalvillagesummit.org

10/15/2026

Meet Our 2026 Summit Artist-in-Residence: Perla Mabel!
We're delighted to welcome Perla Mabel (they/them), also known as Plátano, a Boston-born, Afro-Caribbean interdisciplinary artist whose work celebrates ancestral memory, cultural identity, healing, and the power of storytelling.

At this year's Summit, Perla will invite us into a collective art-making experience inspired by medicinal gardens, ancestral knowledge, and the possibilities of what we can create together.

An invitation to Tend. Persist. Rise. And to imagine what becomes possible when we create together.

Join us October 22–23 at the Revere Hotel Boston Common.
Register at www.vitalvillagesummit.org

10/14/2026

Join us for an inspiring session by Ruth Ifakemi Jeannoel, Held by the Elements: Circle Keeping for Community Healing - Remembering What Sustains Us! October 22-23, in Boston, MA www.vitalvillagesummit.org/register

Ruth invites us into a collective experience of reflection, connection, care and healing. Drawing from circle keeping, ancestral wisdom , and the elements of nature, we will explore what sustains us, what helps us persist, and what becomes possible.

10/08/2026

Nominations are open for the 2026 Unsung Hero Awards! Who do you know in the Vital Village Network that champions service to children and families?

We invite you to join us in honoring and celebrating these community heroes! Nominate people in our Village who inspire, advocate, lead, and mentor in service to child, family, and community wellbeing.

Submit your nominations before the deadline on Friday, October 30th at 11:59 pm ET!

Learn more at https://connect.vitalvillage.org/unsung-hero-nomination-form

10/05/2026

Applications are open for the 2027 STRIVE Learning Community Fellowship!

This fellowship is a chance for Boston Pre-K community-based educators to build on their strengths, address trauma, and create safe, equitable, inclusive classrooms for every child. Fellows learn alongside peers committed to supporting the children and families in their care.

Learn more about the fellowship at the virtual info session: October 14, 2026 12:00 to 12:30 pm ET. Register here: https://cutt.ly/2027-STRIVE-Info-Session

Application deadline: November 2, 11:59 pm ET
Apply here: https://cutt.ly/2027-STRIVE-Fellowship-Application

Powered through partnership with STRIVE, Boston Pre-K, and Vital Village Networks.

10/01/2026

Children's Mental Health Storytime Calendar for the Month of October 📚 Join VVN and Boston Public Librarians for in-person and virtual offerings all month!

📚 Virtual events -> Register at the link in our bio - or use https://cutt.ly/ctuMuubx
📚 In-person events -> No registration needed! Just visit your local branch

Can't make the live session? Check out our library of recorded storytimes on the VVN YouTube page. You can access the full Storytime schedule on the Vital Village Networks website calendar 🗓️

We hope to see you there!

09/24/2026

📣Announcing Signature Plenary Speaker: Jeanette Charles-Márquez. Join us for an inspiring session, Building the Movement's Capacity to Care: Healing Justice, Immigrant Organizing, and Collective Power. Register today: vitalvillagesummit.org/register

Jeanette is a daughter of the Haitian Diaspora and German-Austrian immigration, born and raised in working-class Los Angeles. She is an organizational leader, historian, media producer, and coach with nearly two decades of experience in international solidarity, transnational movement building, political education, and communications.

09/23/2026

Join us for a special evening, celebrating the 2026 Certified Breastfeeding Scholar Cohorts and honoring the dedication, learning, and growth that have shaped their journey.

Wednesday, September 30th at 6:00 pm ET on Zoom. All are welcome!

Register at https://cutt.ly/SSN2026

09/15/2026

Have you registered for the 2026 Summit? October 22-23 is right around the corner. Momentum is building and we’re looking forward to gathering with you all soon. Get your tickets: vitalvillagesummit.org/register

Taking a look at last year’s Summit memories is already making us excited for another inspiring Summit. Join us and invite your community members, as we gather with energy, joy, and curiosity.

Address

801 Albany Street
Boston, MA
02118

Telephone

(617) 414-3674

Website

http://www.vitalvillage.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Vital Village Network posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Vital Village Network:

The PinkDrive USA

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Boston?