波士頓、包氏2藝術中心合作跨市藝術家對話 藉Mimi Bai"躲迷藏"探討移民、家園及社區意義

BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS (BCA) AND PAO ARTS CENTER JOIN FORCES FOR INTERCITY ARTIST CONVERSATION

Artists explore migration, home, and community as part of Mimi Bai: HIDE AND SEE

Mimi Bai.

BOSTON, MA– On January 28, join NYC-based artist Mimi Bai for an intercity conversation with Boston-based artists Gohar Dashti and Ngoc-Tran Vu at Pao Arts Center. This conversation is in support of Bai’s solo exhibition Mimi Bai: HIDE AND SEE, curated by Amanda Contrada, that is currently on view at the BCA Mills Gallery. 

Drawing from different regions of the Asian diaspora, each artist utilizes varying conceptual approaches to explore themes of migration, home, and community through their work. Their overlapping and contrasting practices in video, photography, mixed media and public art raise anthropological and sociological questions around assimilation in new geographies.  

Curator Amanda Contrada

After the conversation, take a short walk from Pao Arts Center to the Mills Gallery, and   join artist Mimi Bai for an artist walkthrough of her solo exhibition, HIDE AND SEE. Artist gallery hours start at 4 pm that Saturday. This program is organized by Pao Arts Center and Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) in connection with HIDE AND SEE, a solo exhibition by Mimi Bai, curated by Amanda Contrada. On view at the BCA Mills Gallery from Friday, December 16 to Saturday, February 18, 2023. 

The following week, on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 4:00pm in the BCA Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts will host a film screening of Hide and See with an accompanying live score. Hide and See is an experimental narrative film collaboration between Sam B. Jones and Mimi Bai that activates Bai’s clay and textile sculptures, transforming them into shrouds for two ghostly figures. For this special screening, the film’s composer Zain Alam (Humeysha) will perform a blended live and recorded score, followed by a conversation with Mimi Bai, Zain Alam, and Sam B. Jones.

Agenda for Jan. 28, 2023

Mimi Bai, Track-makers, nylon webbing, plastic buckles,
4 Y-shaped sticks, 10 x 6 x 4.5 inches

2 PM | Pao Arts Center, Chinatown | Artist  Conversation: Mimi Bai in dialogue with artists Gohar Dashti and Ngoc-Tran Vu

4 PM |Mills Gallery, at Boston Center for the Arts, South End |Walkthrough with the artist Mimi Bai of her show HIDE AND SEE 

Agenda for Feb. 4, 2023

4:00pm | BCA Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts | Film Screening with live score followed by a Q/A with the film’s directors Mimi Bai and Sam B. Jones, and composer Zain Alam (Humeysha).

Quote from Julia Szejnblum Associate Director of Exhibitions, Boston Center for the Arts

This Artist Conversation is the first collaboration between Boston Center for the Arts and Pao Arts Center, two artist and community-driven organizations. We're proud to align our missions with our neighbors from Pao Arts Center for an intercity conversation connecting Mimi Bai, NYC-based artist of this exhibition, with Boston-based artists Gohar Dashti & Ngoc-Tran Vu, multi-disciplinary artists and activists in our own city dedicated to themes around migration, assimilation, and home.

Quote from Leslie Condon, Visual Arts Manager, Pao Arts Center

Pao Arts Center is a distinctive Chinatown neighborhood space that uplifts critical AAPI-centered narratives through dynamic cultural programming while providing important arts enrichment for the greater community. We are excited to host a conversation by artists Bai, Dashti, and Vu that connects their contemporary practices with broader community efforts and dialogues. By bringing these intercity discussions to the forefront, we hope to bring more visibility to the way that the arts can contribute to vital community-informed social action. 

About the Artist: Mimi Bai

Mimi Bai is a visual artist born in Xi’an, China, and based in Brooklyn, NY. Working across sculpture, drawing, installation, and film, her work examines camouflage, labor, assimilation, and survival as both a lived reality and fantasy. Bai has presented work at Artists Space, A.I.R. Gallery, BRIC, Project for Empty Space, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her films have screened at Rooftop Films, the Rockaway Film Festival, and the Maryland Film Festival. Bai was a SIP Fellow at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop as well as a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow for Interdisciplinary Work and a recipient of two Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grants. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at organizations including the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, the Saltonstall Foundation, and the Santa Fe Art Institute. Bai was a participant in the Whitney Independent Study Program and is a graduate of Alfred University (MFA, Sculpture) and Wesleyan University (BA, Sociology). 

Website: https://mimibiyaobai.com/

About Gohar Dashti

Gohar Dashti received her M.A. in photography from the Tehran University of Art in 2005. For the past 16 years, she has been making large scale photography with a particular focus on social issues. Her work references history and contemporary culture, as well as the convergence of anthropological and sociological perspectives; employing a unique, quasi-theatrical aesthetic, she brings to bear a diverse intellectual and cultural experience to illuminate and elaborate upon her perception of the world around her.

In her most recent works, Dashti has explored, through her highly stylized, densely poetic observations of human and plant-life, the innate kinship between the natural world and human migrations. Fascinated with human-geographical narratives and their interconnection to her own personal experiences, Gohar Dashti believes that nature is what connects her to the multiple meanings of ‘home’ and ‘displacement’, both as conceptual abstractions, and as concrete realities that delineate and contour our existence. The result is a series of quirky landscapes and portraits, as lush as they are arch, inciting questions about the immense, variegated, border-eschewing reach of nature – immune to cultural and political divisions – and the ways in which immigrants inevitably search out and reconstruct familiar topographies in a new, ostensibly foreign land.

Website: https://gohardashti.com/

About Ngoc-Tran Vu

Ngoc-Tran Vu is a 1.5-generation Vietnamese-American multimedia artist and organizer whose socially engaged practice draws from her experience as a cultural connector, educator, and lightworker. Tran threads her social practice through photography, painting, sculpture and audio so that her art can resonate and engage audience with intentionality. Her work evokes discourse of familial ties, memories and rituals amongst themes of social

justice and intersectionality. She is currently an adjunct faculty in Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Tran works across borders and is based in Boston's Dorchester community.

Website: https://www.tranvuarts.com/ | @TranVuArts

About Boston Center for the Arts:

Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) supports working artists to create, perform, and exhibit new works; develops new audiences; and connects the arts to community, and has for over five decades engaged the creative community for public good. While the organization’s physical residence is in the historic South End, BCA touches every part of Boston’s cultural ecosystem. A leading force in the city’s cultural community, BCA has supported thousands of individual artists, small organizations, and performing arts companies, who add depth and dimension to the Boston arts ethos. Through residencies and programming, BCA serves as an epicenter for an expanding cohort of artists working across all disciplines, and has catalyzed careers by providing fertile ground for experimentation and artistic risk-taking.

To learn more about Boston Center for the Arts, visit www.bostonarts.org

About Pao Arts Center

Pao Arts Center was established in 2017 as a visionary program collaboration between Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC). Located at 99 Albany Street in downtown Boston, Pao Arts Center is Chinatown’s first arts and cultural center

Pao Arts Center represents the belief that investing in arts, culture, and creativity are vital to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and vibrant communities. Through its innovative approach, Pao Arts Center empowers creativity, connection, learning, and support.

Visit paoartscenter.org to learn more.

More information:

·  Exhibition details: https://bostonarts.org/experiences/exhibitions/mimi-bai-hide-and-see/

·  Artist Conversation Event Page: https://www.paoartscenter.org/events/2023/mimibaitalk

·  HIDE AND SEE Film Screening with Live Score: Saturday, February 4, 2023 https://bostonarts.org/event/film-screening-mimi-bai-hide-and-see/

·  Images for Use: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1A62KsQO7dzvi8RoGjNWFs_xF4_lL2CRE&authuser=0&usp=drive_link

·  About the 1:1 Exhibition Series at BCA: https://bostonarts.org/1-1-exhibition-series/

麻州生物醫藥創投資金2022年報告出爐 歷來第2高共87億元

            (Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州生物科技協會 (MassBio) 今 (12) 日公佈2022麻州生物製藥資金報告，指出麻州在早期研發聚落上領先世界的地位，依然穩固，去年流進麻州的創投資金之高，達到87.2億美元，僅次於2021年的136億美元。

            這些流進麻州生態系統的私人經費，確保了實驗室及生物製藥空間的需求依然強勁，新創公司的形成及公司擴張，會為麻州帶來更多工作機會。

            根據該報告，在2022年中，全美的生物製藥投資經費，有大約25%流進了在麻州的公司。製藥業投資者基於經濟不穩定，市場在重整，上市窗口又關上了大門，對較長期投資會尋求更多資訊之際，行動更加謹慎，每一輪的投資金額都縮水了 (和2021年的5300萬元相比，2022年在3530萬元左右)，投資也流進更多公司 (246家公司有273輪投資和236家公司253輪投資相比)。

為了促進這產業的區域成長，在2022年內獲得創投資金的公司，有51%座落在劍橋市之外，比2021年的42%，有所增加。在劍橋市之外，有12個市鎮獲得2022年麻州創投資金總額的至少1%，比前一年的6個多，獲得資金的新市鎮包括貝德福市 (Bedford) 1億6000萬元，尚莫維爾市 (Somerville) 1億4500萬元，以及傅萊明罕市 (Framingham) 9150萬元。

麻州生物科技協會董事長暨執行長Kendalle Burlin O’Connell表示，資金在2022年流進地方上的生物製藥公司，就是投資者想要繼續成為這裡的早期研究及發展的一部分的證明。麻州的創新生態系統是第一流的，有了這些投資，就有新機會把這產業散盡州內心的角落，促進對病患有益的，令人興奮的科學。

不過從公司上市來說，麻州的趨勢和全美情況相似，2022年只有8家公司上市，平均規模為1億6200萬元。值得注意的是，在2022年內，麻州的公司上市數額占了全美的33%，而且儘管人們預測併購會很活躍，但是在麻州內的生物醫藥公司只收購了26家公司，比2021年的收購34家公司，以及2020年的收購28家少。這些公司收購的總額為59億元，比2021年的638.6億元少 (其中包括2次價格共超過500億元的收購交易)。

            Kendalle Burlin O’Connell還補充道，麻州在收受持續的，有意義投資上，地位仍然強勁，但採納縮減通貨膨脹法，加上美國食品藥檢數 (FDA)近年發出的批准少了，都給了投資者暫停的新理由。為了對抗這情況對創新的冷卻效應，以及處理會危及這行業在這兒成長機會的人才挑戰，麻州必須向這行業重申，已證明對麻州經濟有價值的承諾，讓麻州保持「什麼都可能之州」的名聲。

MassBio’s 2022 Massachusetts Biopharma Funding Report Shows Strong Industry Investment Despite Market Reset and Ongoing Economic Uncertainty

JAN 12, 2023

CAMBRIDGE, MA—January 12, 2023—The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio®) today released its 2022 Massachusetts Biopharma Funding Report that showed another strong year for Massachusetts’ world-leading early-stage R&D cluster. The calendar year ending on December 31, 2022 saw the second highest total of venture capital (VC) funding to Massachusetts-based biopharma companies, $8.72 billion, surpassing 2020’s $8 billion and only falling short of 2021’s $13.66 billion. This influx of private funding into the Massachusetts ecosystem will ensure that lab and biomanufacturing space will continue to be in demand, and startup formation and company expansions will lead to additional jobs.

According to the report, about 25 percent of national VC biopharma investments flowed to Massachusetts biopharma companies in 2022. In a sign that biopharma investors are acting cautiously by seeking more data on a longer time horizon amid economic uncertainty, a market reset, and a closed IPO window, the average round size shrank ($35.3 million 2022 compared to $53 million in 2021), and investments flowed to more companies (246 companies over 273 rounds compared to 236 across 253 rounds). Furthering the industry’s growth regionally, 51 percent of companies that received VC funding in 2022 were located outside of Cambridge, up from 42 percent in 2021. Twelve municipalities outside of Cambridge received at least 1% of the total VC funding statewide in 2022, up from six the previous year. Among the communities newly featured are Bedford ($160M), Somerville ($145M), and Framingham ($91.5M).

“The VC funding that flowed into local biopharma companies in 2022 is proof that investors continue to want to be a part of the early-stage research and development happening here,” said Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, President and CEO of MassBio. “The Commonwealth’s innovation ecosystem is second to none, and with these investments comes new opportunities to spread the industry into new corners of the state and advance exciting science toward patients.”

Though the cool IPO market in Massachusetts matched national realities, a few Massachusetts-based initial public offerings (IPO) did occur, with 8 companies going public and an average deal size of $162 million. Notably, the Massachusetts IPOs represented 33% of all biopharma IPOs in the U.S. in 2022. While many predicted an active year for mergers and acquisitions, the total number of Massachusetts biopharma companies acquired was just 26, down from 34 in 2021 and 28 in 2020, again matching national trends. The combined value of the acquisitions was $5.9 billion, down from $63.86 billion in 2021 (a total that included two deals worth over $50 billion).

“Massachusetts remains in a position of strength to receive continued, meaningful investment, but the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, coupled with the fewest U.S. FDA approvals in years, will give investors new reasons for pause,” added Burlin O’Connell. “To counteract these chilling effects on innovation and address the enduring workforce challenges that endanger the industry’s future growth here, the Commonwealth must renew its commitment to an industry that has proven its value to the state economy and its residents and send a clear message to investors that Massachusetts remains the state of possible.”

The 2022 Massachusetts Biopharma Funding Report is a supplement to MassBio’s annual Industry Snapshot released in August and is produced in partnership with Evaluate®, the premier source for commercial analysis of the pharma and biotech sector.

美商務部長Raimondo公佈觀光旅遊顧問委員會32人名單

 Board Advises the Secretary on Matters that Relate to the Travel and Tourism Industry in the United States

Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the appointments of 32 leaders from businesses and organizations in the domestic travel and tourism industry to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB). TTAB members advise the Secretary of Commerce on how government policies and programs affect the travel and tourism industry and offer counsel on current and emerging issues to support sustainable growth of the travel and tourism industry as our nation’s economic engine.

"Travel and tourism returned with force in 2022 as we opened up our country once again to visitors from around the globe,” said Secretary Raimondo. “Since day one of the Biden Administration, the Commerce Department has taken decisive actions to support this industry’s recovery. The U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board plays a vital role in providing expert recommendations and industry insight to optimize the American travel experience. I look forward to working with new and returning members.”

TTAB was first chartered in 2003 and has been re-chartered nine times. Past boards have provided advice on a wide range of policies and issues, including travel facilitation, visa policy, infrastructure, aviation security, tourism research, climate and economic sustainability.

The membership for the 2023-2024 term of TTAB listed below includes representatives of state and regional economic development teams, businesses, and organizations:

·  Reggie Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Cvent

·  Balram Bheodari, Aviation General Manager, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

·  Adam Burke, President and CEO, Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board

·  Brian Chesky, Cofounder and CEO, Airbnb

·  Julie Coker, President and CEO, San Diego Tourism Authority

·  Brad Dean, CEO, Discover Puerto Rico

·  Christine Duffy, President, Carnival Cruise Line

·  Fred Felleman, Commissioner, Port of Seattle

·  Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director, Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism and Film

·  Matt Goldberg, President and CEO, Tripadvisor, Inc.

·  Mufi Hannemann, President and CEO, Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association

·  Russ Hedge, President and CEO, Hostelling International USA

·  Bill Hornbuckle, President and CEO, MGM Resorts International

·  Peter Ingram, President and CEO, Hawaiian Airlines

·  Stephanie Jones, Founder and CEO, Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance

·  Andrew Leary, Director of Sustainable Tourism and Partnerships, Leave No Trace

·  Eric Lipp, Founder and Executive Director, Open Doors Organization

·  Casandra Matej, President and CEO, Visit Orlando

·  Peter Millones, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Booking Holdings, Inc.

·  Will Morey, President and CEO, The Morey Organization

·  Tricia Primrose, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Marriott International

·  Lana Ramos, Vice President, Marketing and Community Relations, Locally Grown Restaurants

·  Carroll Rheem, Founder and CEO, iolite group

·  Dan Richards, Founder and CEO, The Global Rescue Companies

·  Adam Sacks, President, Tourism Economics

·  John Sage, President, Accessible Travel Solutions

·  Stephen Scherr, CEO, Hertz Corporation

·  Greg Schulze, Senior Vice President, Strategic Travel Partners, Expedia

·  Monica Smith, President and CEO, Southeast Tourism Society

·  Jerry Tan, President and CEO, Tan Holdings

·  Donald “D” Taylor, President, UNITE HERE

·  Peter van Berkel, President, Travalco USA, Inc.

The National Travel and Tourism Office, housed within the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, serves as the Executive Secretariat for the TTAB.

波士頓市推出文化投資獎助 跨年撥備1000萬元

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF $10 MILLION CULTURAL INVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM   This multi-year transformative investment funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) aims to grow and sustain arts and cultural organizations that have a clear vision of a creative, equitable, and more just city.

BOSTON - Thursday, January 12, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture (MOAC) today announced the launch of the City of Boston’s Cultural Investment Grant, a $10 million multi-year investment in transformative growth opportunities for an equitable arts sector in Boston. The Cultural Investment Grant is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) as part of the City of Boston’s recovery efforts. The grant responds to the overlapping, devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector and on communities of color across Boston. “This unprecedented City investment will help growing arts and cultural organizations strengthen their roots in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This program will elevate and scale arts and culture organizations, particularly in underserved communities, and make transformative, new investments that will deepen the connection to arts for all our residents.” The grant will direct funds to build capacity for arts and cultural organizations working in partnership with communities in Boston most impacted by the pandemic, particularly communities of color. Grant amounts will be between $600,000 and $3 million. Distributed over four years, the grants will provide investments in the cultural sector that will give organizations a path to thrive and sustain in Boston, create long term opportunities for all of Boston’s communities to have access to the arts, and strengthen the local arts ecosystem with new and unprecedented investments.  Boston-based arts and cultural organizations that have both budgets under $3 million and 501(c)(3) status or fiscal sponsorship can apply. Priority will be given to organizations located within or working with communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizations will also be evaluated on their demonstrated commitment to equity, the representation of the communities with which they work in their visions, missions, and programming, and their active partnerships within their communities. The funding structure of the Cultural Investment Grant is divided into three tiers to include a range of arts and cultural organizations for which these funds will be transformative. The amount of funding allocated to each tier is informed by an organization’s operating budget: At least three grassroots organizations with operating budgets under $500,000 will each receive up to $600,000 over four years. Up to two organizations with operating budgets between $500,000 and $2 million will each receive $1 million over four years.  Up to two organizations with budgets between $2 million and $3 million will each receive $3 million over four years. “Creativity is vital to a healthy, equitable, and thriving community, and investing in increased access to the arts and creative expression throughout the city is crucial,” said Kara Elliott-Ortega, Chief of Arts and Culture. “We hope this transformative funding enables cultural organizations to anchor themselves in their communities and build sustainable futures for lasting impact.” “This grant opportunity will amplify and empower grassroot organizations, creatives, and cultural leaders who continuously keep Boston’s rich, diverse history front and center,” said Mariangely Solis Cervera, Chief of Equity and Inclusion. “This is the first step in creating sustainable solutions for celebrating and preserving local arts and culture.” "This grant for Boston's arts and culture organizations is both a pivotal moment and a necessary direction for our city,” said Catherine Morris, Director of Arts and Culture at the Boston Foundation and Founder and Artistic Director of BAMS Fest. “Our local organizations are not only the backbone of our neighborhoods but are vital lifelines to ensuring that programs are accessible, available and affordable; and that the next generation of cultural workers, artists, leaders and the like have pathways to economic freedom, space, career development, and creative autonomy. We, at the Boston Foundation hope that this type of grant opportunity inspires people to see the value and contribution that local organizations provide, and invest in the people within the arts and culture ecosystem, so that it remains sustainable, strong, and deeply connected." “It is wonderful to start this year with an announcement like this,” said Elsa Mosquera, Principal and Co-Founder of Àgora Cultural Architects. “This is an absolutely extraordinary initiative because it acknowledges the transformative value that arts and cultural organizations have in their communities. This type of support represents an enormous opportunity for these organizations to have the economic stability they need to carry out their mission in an organized way, with well-paid cultural resources, while simultaneously amplifying the work they carry out in their communities. “Boston needs to invest in organizations and artists that have been working to provide high quality and culturally responsive programming the BIPOC community for a long time, like Veronica Robles Cultural Center (VROCC), which serves more than 200 Latinx artists in the city and provides them with a venue and paid opportunities to showcase their talent," said Veronica Robles, Executive Director of Veronica Robles Cultural Center. "We are very excited about the transformative investment in Boston's cultural sector through this $10 million multi-year funding opportunity.” “Across the City of Boston in the last few years, creativity and culture have been instrumental in strengthening bonds and providing connection and healing,” said Cynthia Woo, Director of Pao Arts Center. “Art is embedded everywhere in our lives, in places we may not expect or take for granted. The arts have the power to bring people together for important conversations and to share joyful experiences. You'll find arts, culture, and creativity as crucial components of programs at community centers, in religious spaces, and in public spaces and parks. The City’s new investment in communities of color is a much needed start to supporting work that has been vital to the wellbeing of our neighborhoods, including Pao Arts Center's own Chinatown neighborhood, as we move forward to visioning a Boston that is not merely surviving, but thriving.” Interested organizations are invited to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) by February 1, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. More information about the LOI and application process can be found here. To learn more about the Cultural Investment Grant, visit boston.gov/cultural-investment-grant.

全世界交通最擠塞城市 波士頓排名第四

             (Boston Orange 編譯) 分析交通公司INRIX的年度調查稱，在全世界交通最堵塞的城市中，波士頓排名第四。在波士頓開車的人，去年平均有134小時堵在路上。

             根據該公司對全世界不下1000個城市的調查報告，塞車情況最糟糕城市的排名，依序為倫敦156小時，芝加哥155小時，以及巴黎138小時。

              製作這份報告的交通分析師Bob Pishue表示，人們的生活正在恢復正常中，不幸的是塞車情況也逐漸回到新冠病毒大流行之前那樣，如果不改善，恐怕人們的生活品質，社會的經濟復甦都會受影響。

                排進全世界10個最擠塞城市名單的還有哥倫比亞的波哥大 (Bogota) 122小時，義大利Palermo 121小時，加拿大多倫多118小時，美國紐約117小時，墨西哥Monterrey 116小時，美國費城114小時。

             根據INRIX10日公佈的調查報告，每個在波士頓開車的人，因為這些交通擠塞，去年平均損失2270元。

             麻州交通廳發言人Jacquelyn Goddard表示，INRIX的報告，正確反應了該部門對波士頓地區交通情況的內部數據及觀察。該部門工程師正持續採行各種方法來改善交通安全，評估多元交通選擇來舒緩擠塞。麻州交通廳 (MassDOT)還經由撥發特定補助款方式來致力改善地方市鎮道路。

            一名波士頓市發言人表示，在城市持續擴張之際，人們出門不能只靠汽車。減少交通時間的唯一方法市推出可靠，可負擔，以及安全的替代方法。市府政致力改善公共交通，自行車騎行等，以期這些方法能夠成為對人們來說具可行性的選擇。

             另外一個緩解交通擠塞的想法是擴大道路收費範圍，以鼓勵開車人是選擇大眾交通工具。

            “更好城市”的政策、政府及社區事務資深顧問Tom Ryan表示，大波士頓是全美交通擠塞最糟糕的城市之一，麻州地鐵 (MBTA)也有不夠安全、可靠的顧慮。人們應該重新審看高速公路的收費辦法，並且應該開始認識到目前的方法不公平。人們應該把收費點公平的擴大到新地點去，同時給那些住在收費點附近的低收入開車人士及居民折扣。

波士頓市長宣佈新設青年參與及進步辦公室 撥款150萬元資助60個青年組織

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES NEW OFFICE OF YOUTH ENGAGEMENT & ADVANCEMENT WITHIN THE HUMAN SERVICES CABINET; NAMES GRANTEES OF LATEST YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FUND

Total of $1.5 million in grants distributed to 60 youth organizations

波士頓市長吳弭 (後左二) 宣佈設立新的青年參與及進步辦公室 (OYEA)，並指派 Pedro Cruz (前) 為首位主任。 (周菊子攝) BOSTON - Thursday, January 12, 2023 - Mayor Michelle Wu today announced the creation of the new Office of Youth Engagement & Advancement (OYEA) within the Human Services Cabinet that will support the development, engagement, and empowerment of the city’s young people.  Mayor Wu also announced that Pedro Cruz will serve as the office’s inaugural director, starting in February. Cruz will be charged with leading the work of the Mayor’s Youth Council and the Youth Lead the Change participatory budgeting initiative that were formerly organized under the Department of Youth Engagement and Employment (DYEE), among other projects. The Mayor made the announcement at the Blackstone Community Center joined by Blackstone School leaders, students, and community advocates from youth-serving organizations.  “Developing and supporting young people across our neighborhoods is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a City,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The creation of OYEA will ensure that we are working closely with community to wrap around our youth, connecting them with crucial city services and enriching opportunities year-round. I’m grateful to our non-profit grantees for their critical work in our neighborhoods, and look forward to working with Pedro and our community partners to make every opportunity available for Boston’s young people.” In addition to continuing the existing youth leadership and engagement programs, the new Office will be tasked with bringing youth voices into city decision-making and working to identify gaps in the array of youth programming, including youth sports, that is offered across the city. OYEA will field a first-ever citywide survey of young people to learn more about the challenges  and opportunities of youth in Boston and reinvigorate the annual Mayor’s Youth Summit. OYEA will also serve as a technical assistance provider to city agencies looking to engage young people in their planning and will support the professional development of youth workers across the city. In September, Mayor Wu announced the move of the city’s youth jobs program, also under DYEE, to the new Worker Empowerment Cabinet, led by Chief Trinh Nguyen.  “Today’s young people are tomorrow’s leaders,” said José F. Massó, Chief of Human Services. “Making investments today in their healthy development and leadership skills will make Boston stronger now and in the future.”  "Like I always say, it takes a village to educate our young people," said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. "Through the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement, young people will have even more opportunities to develop their social skills, build self-confidence, and participate in various activities that help further them gain skills and knowledge. I thank Mayor Wu and my colleagues in the City for their continued leadership and commitment to Boston's young people. This funding will be pivotal in bringing much needed resources to students across BPS.” Pedro Cruz is a youth development advocate, artist, poet, and lifelong South End resident currently serving as the Director of Youth Development at Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción. Cruz has 15 years of experience in youth development work, dedicating his career to connecting with young people. He credits formative experiences in Boston’s community centers with helping him find supportive adults that guided his career in youth development and helped him find pathways to self-expression as an artist.   “I am grateful to Mayor Wu for this opportunity,” said Pedro Cruz. “I am a prime example of what happens when a city receives a family with open arms and provides them with housing, education, opportunities, and resources. In my new role, I promise to do my best to make sure every youth in this city has access to the same opportunities and resources that were given to me.” Building on the newly created office, the City of Boston also announced the grantees of the latest round of Youth Development Fund (YDF). Totalling $1.5 million, the grants will be distributed to 60 youth-serving nonprofit organizations in Boston that serve young people ages 10-24. Grants range from $2,000 to $60,000 to support a wide variety of programming including arts, leadership development, mentoring, sports, and entrepreneurship.  This year’s applicant pool numbered more than 120 applications, which was narrowed through a review process that considered each program’s potential to contribute to positive youth development and engage youth who are most impacted by community violence. The programs funded will serve all neighborhoods in the city, with a higher number available to youth in Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan.   “Love Your Magic is thrilled to be a recipient of a Youth Development Fund grant,” said Ivanna Solano, Executive Director of Love Your Magic. “This award will give us the opportunity to serve more Black and Brown girls and gender expansive youth and provide them with the resources they need to thrive.” This year’s YDF grantees will enhance the landscape of positive youth development opportunities that are available to young people in Boston. Research shows that positive youth development programs help youth to develop their social skills, form healthy relationships with their peers and with caring adults. YDF grantees seek to meet youth where they are - in neighborhoods and schools.  For more information about OYEA, please visit here.

麻州州長奚莉新內閣再添一人 Lauren Jones將出任勞工及人力發展廳廳長

             (Boston Orange 麻州報導) 麻州州長奚莉 (Maura T. Healey) 和副州長Kim Driscoll今 (11)日宣佈將指派Lauren Jones出任勞工及人力發展廳 (Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development) 廳長。

               Lauren Jones目前是麻州企業圓桌會的執行副總裁，之前曾在波士頓前市長馬丁華殊 (Martin Walsh) 麾下工作，也曾在前州長Deval Patrick任內的勞工及人力發展辦公室工作。

             奚莉表示，麻州面對嚴重的人力短缺問題，對麻州的就業者、雇主及經濟競爭力都有負面影響。Lauren Jones在和企業及勞工合作，擴大人力發展機會，吸引新企業進麻州，給勞工及雇主所需的幫助等方面，都有成績，她和副州長Kim Driscoll對Lauren Jones都很有信心。

              Lauren Jones在地方及州政府，非牟利機構，以及私人企業有17年專注於人力發展上的工作經驗。在擔任麻州企業圓桌會副總裁期間，她曾領導該機構的人力發展政策及策略。她也曾經為非牟利的Apprenti在麻州和公司合作，經由註冊學徒方式培養多元化技術人才。她為波士頓市長馬丁華殊創立經濟發展辦公室，率屬下支持企業，和市政府互動。在那之前，她曾經在麻州前州長Deval Patrick麾下擔任過勞工及人力發展辦公室通訊主任，前任副州長Tim Murray的政策及通訊主任，以及在企業發展辦公室擔任經濟發展獎勵計畫的資深項目經理。

             作為圓桌會議的執行副總裁，Lauren Jones是勞動力解決方案小組的聯合主席，並擔任麻州勞動力協會董事、職業技術教育聯盟執行委員和麻州企業教育聯盟、波士頓私營企業協會的顧問。之前她曾在未來工作委員會工作，還是白血病和淋巴瘤協會新英格蘭分會董事，以及大波士頓地區逃家女孩 (Girls on The Run) 的董事會成員。 她擁有東北大學公共行政碩士學位，普域敦斯學院政治學學士學位。 她住在波士頓。