SSU Civic Engagement Fellows

04/14/2025

🧠 Join us in garnering support for Bill H.595, which would mandate mental health professionals in K-12 public schools!

💌Catch us while we’re tabling so you can write a letter to your local representative in support of this bill. You write it and we mail it out! 📬

We’re excited to advocate for this bill and continue our mental health advocacy work! Join us as we work towards change! 🫂

10/24/2024

SSU Civic Fellows x Beyond Walls Lynn 🎨

Us Civic Fellows got the opportunity to take a walk through Lynn and learn more about the beautifully immersive murals plastered all over the city! Beyond Walls works to support artists in their efforts to create art that both represents and weaves together community. “Activating Space to Strengthen Communities”, civic fellows discussed the importance of art in creating a sense of belonging and as a tool in responding to community needs. Working with the community and in service of the community, Beyond Walls does some amazing work creating opportunities for advocacy and conversation. 🖌️

04/11/2024

Hard at work in the Makerspace in the library! Join us as we create portraits for the Dear Professor, I Am More Campaign. 🎨🖼

In collaboration with North Shore artist, Amy Kerr’s “I Am More”, the “Dear Professor, I Am More” campaign engages our campus community in conversations about mental health and college students' challenges. We encourage students to speak openly about their mental health by creating self-portraits and statements. With this display, we hope to spread awareness among faculty about the challenges students face outside the classroom. “Dear Professor, I Am More” offers students an opportunity to express themselves through art using different mediums and find hope for overcoming mental health challenges and ending stigma.

Can't join us this afternoon? We will be in the makerspace Thursday April 18 and 25th from 4:30 - 6:00 pm with all the supplies to create your masterpiece!

12/21/2023

Our Throwback Thursday is of the Mobile Market Launch Party earlier this month!! Civic Fellows helped out to scoop ice cream, give tours of the Salem State Pantry, and helped students register to shop for free at the Market. A huge thank you to our friends at , , mobile market student volunteers, and the faculty and staff that made this possible. We also want to thank Professor Kunbergers graphic design students for their awesome marketing for the SSU Pantry. Interested in addressing hunger on campus? Contact Civic Fellow Co-chairs of the SSU Hunger Free Campus Coalition and or email [email protected]!

10/05/2023

On Monday, the Civic Fellows met with Mayor , Chief of Staff Lisa Peterson, and Constituent Services Director & Latino Affairs Coordinator & LGBT Liaison Julio Mota. They learned about the role of the mayor’s office in city government, the pressing issues that impact Salem, and learned about these leaders’ career trajectory and how their lived experiences shaped their civic identity and current work. Afterwards the team joined the mayor and Julio in a flag raising for Italian heritage month and met with the Planning and Community Development Department to learn more about their work and role in our community. 😊

08/05/2023

Last night, current and former fellows celebrated at the 1st Annual Civic Engagement Fellows Reunion! This group networked, socialized, and shared what the Fellowship means to them.

06/05/2023

The Salem State University community and the CCE team had a great time attending and presenting at the 2023 Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (CLDE23) conference in Boston last week! The SSU team had opportunities to present, network, and engage in civic-minded professional development opportunities through workshops, sessions, and working meetings.

We were grateful that all our conference proposals were accepted this year! Our SSU team led FOUR workshops this year and gained excellent feedback on the work that is happening at the University. There is a reason we are the Commonwealth’s Civic Engagement State University! The sessions led by Salem State leaders were:

• Working Toward Anti-Racist Community Engaged Pedagogy: A Case Study with Assistant Professor in Education and CCE Faculty Fellow, Megan Murphy and Assistant Professor in Psychology, Christopher Mark.
• Designing a Student Leadership Program to Increase Civic Skills and Advocacy Education with Assistant Director, Kate Adams and SSU Civic Engagement Fellows and Senior Program Assistants, Lizabeth Davis and Norah Conway.
• Developing Equitable Community Partnerships through Critically Engaged Civic Learning (CECL) with Executive Director, Cynthia Lynch, Director of Development at LEO Inc., Lisa McFadden, Associate Professor in Media and Communication Department at Salem State University, Cindy Vincent and Assistant Professor in Occupational Therapy, Kathleen Schlenz.
• Integrating Equity-Based Community Engagement in Media Literacy Education with Associate Professor in Media and Communication Department at Salem State University, Cindy Vincent.

Want to learn more about our work? Please contact us at [email protected]!

06/02/2023

The SSU Hunger Free Campus Coalition wanted to thank Senator Joan Lovely for filing this amendment to establish the Hunger Free Campus Initiative Bill S.835/H.1293

Happy Thursday! On behalf of our SSU Hunger Free Campus Coalition we are excited to share the news that Senator Lovely’s amendment #663 for the Hunger Free Campus Initiative (S.835 / H.1293) was adopted at $1 million with bi-partisan support! 🥳🎉

Thank you Senator Joan B. Lovely for being a fierce advocate for this legislation and supporting students in accessing basic needs. 🧡

Thank you for everyone's advocacy! It made a difference and you can all be proud of the progress made! 💙

04/19/2023

Applications are now being accepted! This unique fellowship provides students with the opportunity to explore their strengths, values and passions in order to begin or continue forming their civic identity and individual role in working towards social change. The fellows meet twice a month for meetings, service projects, developing advocacy campaigns, leadership training, and a chance to build a sense of community amongst the cohort. The priority deadline to apply is April 28th.

To Apply: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CivicFellowApp23-24

04/03/2023

03/08/2023

Join the SSU Hunger Free Campus Coalition whose goal is to reduce food insecurity on campus. We meet bi-weekly on Mondays from 12-1 pm in a hybrid format.

Please email [email protected] if you would like to join or if you have any questions