Kerin Wells, far right, poses for a photo with colleagues at an internship at A天美传媒appD Head Start. Courtesy photo.
Kerin Wells, a final-year student in the master鈥檚 program at the Boston College School of Social Work, did not expect to publish an op-ed before graduating.聽
But she did, arguing in the March edition of聽The Fenway News that .
鈥淎chieving long-term goals in聽community organizing can feel like an聽arduous process marked by seemingly聽incremental changes, but it is well worth it,鈥� Wells writes in the op-ed, Long Local History of Organizing Shows the Need to Get Involved. 鈥淭he recipe for sustainable change includes civic engagement, community involvement, and direct-action organizing, but the active ingredient is you.鈥�
Her central message鈥攖hat community organizing can influence policy and improve neighborhood conditions鈥攔eflects her work as a macro social worker in the Fenway.
During her internship at , a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Fenway as a vibrant and diverse neighborhood, Wells helped lead a rent control campaign, collecting signatures for a ballot question that would cap annual rent increases at 5 percent. At a hearing at the State House in January, Wells learned that she and fellow organizers had gathered enough signatures to get the measure on November鈥檚 ballot.
Wells is also leading a canvassing project with undergraduate students to gather stories about rental conditions in the Fenway and helping organize tenants鈥� rights workshops in partnership with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. The workshops provide residents with practical tools and information to advocate for themselves, a thread that runs through the Fenway鈥檚 history of community organizing.聽
鈥淩esidents identify injustices or problems, engage in direct action by organizing to increase capacity and impact, and demonstrate to major institutions and聽corporations that they will not be silenced聽nor stifled in their pursuit of equity,鈥� Wells writes in her op-ed. 鈥淭o Fenway residents who love their community and want to help聽maintain its unique social and cultural fabric: Get involved!鈥�
Wells credits her coursework with giving her the tools to tackle challenges at the community, organizational, and policy levels.
She drafted her first op-ed in Basic Skills in Macro Practice and learned what makes a social change campaign successful in Community Engagement for Social Change. She is also pursuing a certificate in social work and public health, strengthening her interest in addressing the root causes of inequities in communities.
鈥淚 always knew I wanted to be a macro social worker,鈥� says Wells, who studies in the Children, Youth, and Families field of practice. 鈥淢any issues come down to systemic factors鈥攁ffordable housing, food insecurity, the built environment鈥攁nd there鈥檚 only so much you can do without changing systems.鈥�
After graduating in May, Wells plans to stay in Boston and continue working in policy, community organizing, and advocacy, with a focus on early education and housing. Her career goal is to combine policy and practice to drive long-term change.
鈥淚 want to use evidence-based research to uplift marginalized communities,鈥� she says.
Her op-ed, in that sense, is less a milestone than a preview.
