Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change
The Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change (SILC) sponsors programs, activities, and resources that help initiate social change for women, raise women’s issues to the state and national political level, and reach out to audiences diverse in age, class, sexual orientation, culture, and educational background. SILC-sponsored projects take place on the Simmons College campus and in the Greater Boston community, including conferences, lecture and discussion series, special events, and networking opportunities.
A collaborative model for community organizing
All SILC activities are carried out with the community, not for the community. Thus, the model for SILC is not the traditional charity or philanthropy organization, but genuine collaboration and active promotion of agency. Our collaborative model of community-based organizing emphasizes activism.
In the past ten years, SILC has developed supportive relationships with over 100 organizations and community leaders. Boston’s urban setting makes possible the rich, heterogeneous relationships SILC has forged with local individuals and communities. SILC has brought many important resources to the College, including the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry.
Promoting community partnerships
Due to a generous donation from a Simmons alumna, the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change (SILC) has been able to open Simmons’s facilities free of charge to thousands of women and girls from the Boston Community. SILC has brought Simmons to the community and the community to Simmons by hosting, co-sponsoring, and supporting many cutting-edge organizations. We also provide space and resources to support grassroots initiatives, community building, and positive change in Boston area neighborhoods. SILC continues to expand the number of organizations that view Simmons as a place to galvanize their efforts for social and political change.
Partners and programs
SILC-sponsored partners and programs include the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus annual convention; LUNAFEST: films by for and about women; Center for New Words Book Readings; New England Women in Photography workshops and conferences; Patriots Trail Girl Scout Leadership Conferences; Audre Lorde Breast Cancer Awareness Brunch; Boston International Women’s Day Celebration; Girls Get Connected Technology Conference; and dozens of other conferences, seminars, and meetings.
A tradition of education and empowerment
SILC was founded in 1991 with the goal to help women and girls individually and collectively transform their personal, work, and community lives by creating partnerships among academic, business, and community organizations. The partnerships that we encourage promote innovative strategies, activism, and social justice. When Boston merchant John Simmons founded Simmons College more than 100 years ago, his intention was to improve women’s lives through access to education. That goal has endured over more than a century, and it is fitting that SILC is housed in an institution dedicated to the education of undergraduate women, to the success of women as community leaders, and to social change and gender equity.
Contact Information
For more information about upcoming events, or about organizing a program or event, contact:
Diane Hammer
617-521-2480