SCI’s mission is to strengthen communities by connecting diverse individuals and organizations through civic engagement initiatives. SCI provides communities with skills and tools to engage citizens to make a difference, with a priority on promoting youth success and healthy communities. A lean professional staff combined with 25 dedicated AmeriCorps members and strong partners enables us to serve over 20 Massachusetts communities and recruit thousands of volunteers each year. Major program areas include: Youth Leadership Guided by our SCI youth leadership curriculum, SCI empowers teens in 10 youth council programs to develop initiatives to address pressing community needs. Volunteer Outreach & Community Events SCI helps organizations increase their capacity to recruit and manage volunteers and successfully implement community events that unite diverse community members. Online Engagement SCI implements community web portals, social media and community outreach strategies that connect thousands of residents to opportunities to participate in civic life. Training Social Capitalists SCI trains emerging adult community leaders to collaborate effectively, make connections, bridge differences, and nurture social networks to make a difference. Uniting Diverse Communities While bringing diverse people together has always been an important part of SCI’s work, it has been a major focus in recent years. This has included co-facilitating community dialogues on race and diversity, and launching new programming to support Woburn’s increasingly diverse students. SCI is developing plans to replicate these diversity and inclusion initiatives in additional communities.