“At MIT, we believe that public service can be – and should be as powerful, meaningful, and intelligent as the work of learning. intelligent, creative. ”
Institute president L. Rafael Reif shared that sentiment with a dedicated alumni at the 2021 Alumni Leadership Conference (ALC), where the MIT Alumni Association (MITAA) officially launched the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative. Similar sections to social networking sites, workplaces, project partners, and newsletters, these connect MIT alumni working to create a better world through volunteerism and sustainability, public health, STEM education, social justice and justice, and more.
“The people of MIT are unstable, looking for endless use of our minds and hands – and hearts – to solve problems, big and small,” says Annalisa Weigel ’94, ’95, SM ’00, PhD ’02, 127 president of the Association. “Through the charity work, we hope to shed light on alumni who are making a difference in their careers. and by devoting their time and skills to meaningful service. ”
Through the MITAA digital platform, the service enables alumni to connect with their peers around the world. There are three ways to participate. Alumni are asked to donate working projects to enhance their visibility and recruit others who want to participate. Alumni who want to participate in new volunteer opportunities can search for existing projects with a variety of reasons to find ways to share their skills and knowledge. Finally, the Association is recruiting “work ambassadors,” or volunteers who have been able to work on the 143,000 alumni network to provide additional support for the project.
Encouraging others to take action
Although the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative is a new undertaking, serving the community has been a pillar of the MIT alumni movement since the Institute’s early classes. The council itself was founded in 1875 “to promote the benefits of the Institute in schools and each other.” Later, in 1896, the Association of Class Secretaries became one of the first dedicated MITAA groups, and efforts to research the history of the classes and keep their affiliate members continue today, in the pages of this book.
Although the Institute has benefited from a large group of activists — during the MIT Campaign for a Better World, more than 27,000 alumni and friends have served as volunteers — the new project is global in scope. (See right-hand side of the latest examples of working alumni.) The event will also be honored when the Association presents its first MIT Alumni Better World Service Awards spring in person whose service provides inspiration to fellow alumni.
With the launch of the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative, MITAA hopes that successful examples will encourage others to share, connect, and elevate their contributions, combining strengths to make a significant contribution.
“The vision of the Association is to ‘do and strengthen the MIT global team to create a better world,” said Whitney T. Espich, executive director of the Association. “If we want to live up to that promise, we must use all our power, and that includes realizing the potential of our alumni to serve others.
Looking at the Service
The culture of helping others runs through the history of the MIT alumni team. Recent examples: