Initiative funded by Baker-Polito Administration Regional Pilot Project
Grant includes equity-focused paid internship programs for college local students
(Cambridge and Somerville, MA) – The Cambridge and Somerville Chambers of Commerce today announced the appointment of interns who are participating the “Cambridge-Somerville COVID Resilience & Recovery Urban Partnership.” This partnership is a pilot program that emphasizes economic empowerment and revitalization among disadvantaged populations in the two communities.
Partnership interns include:
• Mary Fan, a graduate student from New York City who attends Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and is seeking a Master’s Degree of Public Health
• Claire Furse, an undergraduate student from Houston who attends Tufts University as a member of the Class of 2022 with a Concentration in Political Science
• Nattalie Gualdron, an undergraduate student from Boston who attends Tufts University as a member of the Class of 2024 with a Concentration in Community Health
The Urban Partnership program, which was made possible by a $160,000 grant award from the Baker-Polito administration, features distinct elements led by the successful “Dining Passport program that directly supports restaurant workers in Cambridge and Somerville who endured severe economic harm due as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative seeks to highlight economic development opportunities and needs for disadvantaged populations in both cities while facilitating public discourse about the post-pandemic workplace within the healthcare, life sciences and technology sectors.
The Partnership’s interns will prepare and deliver an academic research report to the Massachusetts Office of Business Development analyzing and identifying best practices for possible future adoption by other regions across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Together, the Cambridge and Somerville chambers are working in partnership to promote disadvantaged businesses and elevate public awareness about the ongoing urban economic rebound within each city’s respective commercial districts. The program expects to benefit hundreds of small, independently-owned establishments in respective communities that have endured deep economic pain. The Cambridge-Somerville Urban Partnership was one of 37 projects awarded Regional Pilot Partnerships for Recovery
grants by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development. The statewide program supports recovery solutions based on specific economic needs of individual regions and uniquely local concerns.