Joyce Sanchez
Historic Preservation Commission – City of Somerville
This semester, I worked as a Preservation Planning intern for the City of Somerville’s Historic Preservation Commission. Though the commission is a part of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Engagement, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission’s role is to keep Somerville’s history alive by protecting historic properties, collecting photos and documents, and educating the community about Somerville’s rich history through various events. So from helping making the Preservation Awards happen to planning the 2018 Somerville Jane’s Walk, I contributed to this effort in a unique way and truly enjoyed engaging with the community.
Three projects from my internship that I’m proud to highlight is shifting the volunteer docent program process to an online platform, building a media presence for the commission, and planning the city’s 7th Jane’s Walk.
Docent Program – Shifting the Scheduling to an Online Platform
From May through October, Somerville sponsors an all-volunteer Docent Program with 3 separate sites open to the public, which include the Milk Row Cemetery, the Prospect Hill Tower, and the Powder House in Nathan Tufts Park.
To make signing up for shifts easier for those that expressed interest in being a volunteer, I used the online platform called SignUp Genius, a FREE online software tool for volunteer management and event planning. On Sign Up Genius, volunteers can now sign up for shifts, cancel shifts, view everyone’s sign ups in real time, and much more independently. Though, because of the recent switch, I sent out step-by-step, detailed instructions on how to use features on the website.
Social Media: Building an Audience through Facebook and Email
In an effort to engage a larger audience for our events and programs, I took the lead on building a media presence on Facebook and through email. Aside from posting any upcoming SHPC events, I posted a “Somerville Fact of the Week”, engaging thousands of people on a weekly basis organically and though additional shares by our followers. During my time as an intern, the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission Facebook page consistently has at least 10 page visits every week, an average of 5 page likes per week, and went from reaching hundreds of people to reaching 15,000 people or more (posts, check-ins, ads, and social information from people who interact with your Page) on a weekly basis.
I also sent out emails to our database of followers using MailChimp, sending the SHPC subscribers created flyers and information about events coming up. Growing our list to nearly 1,000 people, the SHPC now has at least one-third of subscribers view every email sent. At most, we’ve have 40% of subscribers view an email, 31.7 percent being ages 25-34 and majority female.
2018 Somerville Jane’s Walk
Continuing our effort to engage and educate, I was granted the opportunity to organize the 2018 Somerville Jane’s Walk during my time as an intern. It was Somerville’s 7th year hosting a Jane’s Walk, a movement that encourages people to share stories about their neighborhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and connect with their neighbors hundreds of in cities across the globe.
In the weeks leading up the event, preparation that ensured success of the event included flyer creation, researching businesses, route planning, outreach to businesses for invitation and confirmation, email blasts, and social media promotion. On the day of the event, we had over 40 people — parents, children, college students, and retirees – on a Jane’s Walk that highlighted the recreational spaces and innovative entrepreneurship in the city. From selling athletic wear that helps funds clean water projects around the globe to bikers that deliver fresh food to residents, we visited businesses that gave tour attendees a deeper look into the city of Somerville, encouraging them to not only walk around their neighborhood more often but to support local businesses that make Somerville so unique. This event was a great success and I look forward to organizing Jane’s Walk in Boston next year.
What I Learned from Being a City Government Intern
Through these projects and just being in the office, I had an up-close opportunity to see how city government can educate a growing city and learned how important it is to learn how to connect with people from all walks of life. I spent the semester working around a team of dedicated, hard-working City Hall staff and had countless conversations with residents from all the different Somerville neighborhoods. So below, I share two of many takeaways from this experience.
- You can’t effectively meet the needs and wants of your city if you’re not engaging with your residents. Noticing how often public meetings occurred in Somerville City Hall, I found that their transparent, open way of engaging the community was one of the reasons why Somerville Residents are so happy with where they live. In fact, if you check out the City of Somerville Calendar you’ll see a variety events that anyone with any interest can enjoy on a regular basis. From public meetings to film festivals, the city works to engage every socially and politically which is an incredible thing to see personally every day.
- Historic Preservation is not only important, but necessary. Though we all probably know by now that a city’s identity is eternally tied to its history, in Somerville I seen on a regular basis how important it is to preserve what make the city such a unique place to live. Somerville has worked and successfully preserved places, buildings, and homes that date as far back as the late 1700s to the point that, I think, you know the moment when you enter Somerville. And that is so incredibly important. Being able to continue to keep a city look and feel that is so unique, so welcoming, and so historic as it grows is key to maintaining the culture of the city and residents long term.