June 2023 Updates
The weather is finally heating up, bringing new experiences and memories within the Foundation. June encompassed a lot of endings as well as new beginnings.
With graduation at the start of the month for our BridgeUP + OUT Scholars, they have all delved into their summer activities. The BridgeUP Environment NYC Conservation Leadership Corps 2023 school year crew wrapped up this month. Over the course of the school year, the crew completed hands-on conservation projects at six locations throughout New York city with agencies from city, state and national levels. The mighty team of 10 improved 150 feet of trail and 100 feet of shoreline and installed three drainage dips on a trail. In addition to admirable environmentalism, the team learned new skills from plant identification to trail navigation, while fostering an appreciation for green spaces.
The BridgeUP Environment summer crews are gearing up for their start while students have gone off to Camp Coniston to spend a few weeks in New Hampshire with BridgeUP Summer Camp! Their summer is underway and they are enjoying the beautiful weather and nature. Additionally, our BridgeUP Health program has officially launched this summer and we are so excited! Look out for next month's update because it will include information from our upcoming site visit!
At the beginning of the month, there was an incredible convening for the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle in New York City. It brought together the artistic directors and associates who are a part of the Circle. They shared stories of how they become passionate about theater as well and what inspires them and their work. It is truly a special group of women - a real testament to how important community and support is to the collective’s success and well-being.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute had it’s Presidential Summit on Women and Science. It was moderated by Dana-Farber president, Dr. Laurie Glimcher, and consisted of a panel of 3 trailblazing women in the medical field. It was such an insightful discussion and really wonderful to see women leaders in positions of power making real changes within science and medicine. The foundation has supported 4 cohorts of postdoctoral fellows who identify as women. These are the Helen fellows who are mentored by distinguished individuals within the science community, Helen Mentors.
There are oftentimes too few women and people of color being a part of the important decisions and conversations taking place. By strategically recruiting women and supporting them in growing their careers, a real change can be made. It is important to recognize and name barriers that exist for certain demographics in order to mitigate them. Women make up less that ⅓ of the STEM workforce. Community, mentorship, and sponsorship, are 3 pinnacles that are crucial to achieving gender equity within the field.
We are so looking forward to all of our updates for the month of July!