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Every year since 2017, the Salem State Center for Civic Engagement hosts an Annual Advocacy Conference that brings students, faculty, and community members together to explore social justice topics and learn important activist skills. This daylong conference became a weeklong virtual conference in 2021.

This year we are celebrating our 7th Annual Advocacy Conference, reimagined into Advocacy Month for the second year. We are excited for the whole campus to be involved in a month's worth of advocacy education, exploration, and action.

Are you ready to be inspired and move from talking about community challenges to gaining the skills needed to take action? Join us as we explore social justice topics, gain important activist skills, and learn about building and addressing power for positive social change.

This year’s student chosen theme is Youth to Power: Watch us Rise!

The 2023 Advocacy Month Conference is Thursday March 2-Friday March 31, 2023.

Please check back for frequent updates and further details.

Advocacy Month Keynote Speaker: Auditor Diana DiZoglio 

Massachusetts State Auditor, Diana DiZoglio will join us to discuss her journey to public service and share her compelling story of speaking up and addressing power (which connects to the student-chosen theme of Youth to Power: Watch us Rise). In her talk, Auditor DiZoglio will discuss the importance of understanding, analyzing, and addressing power to create long-term positive social change. As a young leader, she has a long history of pushing back against the State of Massachusetts and holding them accountable.    

When: March 2, 2023, 12:15-1:30 pm. 

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Room.

Center for Civic Engagement and Politics, Policy, and International Relations.

Womxn's Month Kick-off Event. Womxn: Past Present and Future 

The National Women’s History Alliance has declared this year's Women’s History Month theme, “Celebrating womxn who tell our stories”. Keynote speaker Nadine Martinez is the Sr. Director of Visual and Performing Art works at West End House.

She has over two decades of experience as an arts educator and advocate in New York, Boston, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and London. Nadine’s mission is to instill the arts and arts education as an act of social justice. She believes that the arts are necessary and should be accessible to all. Come hear Nadine's story over a catered meal. More information to come. Seating is limited. An RSVP is required.  

When: Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 6-9 pm.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Vet’s Hall.

Intersectional Feminist Collective (IFC), Alliance, Asian Student Association (ASA), Theta Phi Alpha, International Student Association (ISA) and Latin American Student Association (LASO).  

Service Saturday: Salem Pantry (Rescheduled to April 15th, 2023). 

Join the Center for Civic Engagement for our Service Saturday at the Salem Pantry. Transportation will be provided. We will meet in the lobby in Meier Hall outside Dunkin Donuts at 9:15 am and volunteer until 12:30 pm.  

When: March 4, 2023, 9:15-12:30 pm. 

Where: Salem Pantry.  

Center for Civic Engagement. 

Commit to further expanding renewable solar energy!

Join MASSPIRG in writing letters to local media outlets to get the state to commit to further expanding renewable solar energy!

When: Monday, March 6, 2023, 4 pm. 

Where: Central Campus Viking Hall, Meeting Room #126.

MASSPIRG.

Workshop with Former Governor Jane Swift

This workshop will focus on how to land an internship or first job in public service. Bring your laptops and be prepared to get tips on your resume, LinkedIn, how to find internships, and more.

When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 9:30-10:30 am.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Room. 

Berry Institute of Politics.

Dressed to Kill: The Cost of Fast Fashion  

Costume / Clothing designer and Chair of the Fashion Design Department at MASSArt, Jennifer Varekamp will provide an overview of the issues surrounding Fast Fashion and ways we as designers and consumers can do better. She will also provide a list of resources and action steps for our campus community that considers all aspects of sustainability in the fashion industry. There are many areas of concern including environmental and ecological impacts, waste, ethics, social responsibility and more. Come learn more about this issue and how you can be a part of the solution.  

When:  Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 1:40-2:55 pm.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Vets Hall, Side A. 

Learn More About the Advocate: 

Center for Civic Engagement and Sustainability. 

Why Do You love Us?

This event is dedicated to understanding how people love Asian culture but will turn a blind eye to racism, hate crimes, and fetishization of the community. This event is to raise awareness on how to advocate for those communities.  

When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023, 4-5:30 pm.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Underground Room.

Asian Student Association. 

Pizza & Politics: Guns in America

Join the Berry Institute of Politics for an informal discussion on guns in America. This event is open to students and faculty of all political ideologies with the purpose of discussing recent events regarding gun violence and the surrounding political climate. Topics of conversation will include the Second Amendment, gun control, impact on marginalized groups, mass shootings, and potential solutions. Pizza and refreshments will be provided.

When: March 7,2023, 6-7 pm.

Where: Marsh 210, Petrowski Room.

RSVP: .

Berry Institute of Politics. 

Bad Old Days Posse  

Join us on a journey through the history of what life was like for women before Roe vs. Wade. Posse members will share their stories of their illegal abortions and how they engaged in abortion counseling.  

When: March 9, 2023, 9:25-10:40 am.  

Where: Zoom.

RSVP: .

Intersectional Feminist Collective, Women and Gender Studies Department, and Dr. Kimberly Poitevin.   

Women, Power, and Politics 

Rep. Vanna Howard, Select Board Member Bopha Malone, and Rep. Jessica Giannino (SSU Alumna 2014) will share their stories, journey to public office, and their experiences as women in politics. They will also share how they navigated the political world and how their identities and experiences shaped their policies. Our conference theme is focused on power so they will also share their experience with understanding power, how to work with power to create positive social change, and the importance of youth advocacy in social change. 

When: March 10, 2023, 9:25-10:40 am.   

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Room.

Center for Civic Engagement, Asian Student Association, Politics, Policy, and International Relations, and Dr. Vanessa Ruget.  

Hunger and Homelessness in the Salem

Join MASSPIRG in learning about Hunger and Homelessness in the Salem and ways to get involved in addressing food insecurity in the community. 

When: Monday, March 13, 2023, 11 am. 

Where: Zoom.

MASSPIRG.

Understanding Power with Community Organizer, Gabe Cohen-Glinick from Neighbor to Neighbor 

In this workshop, attendees will learn how to understand power in the context of organizing and navigating campaigns and what it means to build power, and then dive into how we think strategically about power (both ours and the opposition's) through power mapping/power analysis. 

When: March 20, 2023, 11-12 pm. 

Where: Meier Hall 316, Charlotte Forten Room.  

Center for Civic Engagement. 

Relational Organizing with Community Organizer, Gabe Cohen-Glinick from Neighbor to Neighbor 

In this workshop, attendees will discuss what it means to do relational organizing through deep relationships to bring people together around collective goals and will then discuss and practice the core of this approach, the one-to-one relational meeting. 

When: March 20, 2023, 12-1 pm. 

Where: Meier Hall 316, Charlotte Forten Room.  

Center for Civic Engagement. 

Debunking Mental Health Stigma: Breaking Down Treatment Barriers 

Learn more about the myths and facts about mental health diagnosis and treatment. Attendees will participate in a roundtable discussion with Dr. Melissa Kaplowitch and Dr. Mark Libon, faculty members of the Department of Psychology, about what it means to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder, how to best access treatment, and how to reduce stigma associated with both. 

When: Monday, March 20, 2023, 12-1 pm.

Where: Meier Hall 240.

Salem State’s Master of Counseling Program, Dr. Melissa Kapolwitch, and Dr. Mark Libon. 

Hunger Free Campus Initiative 

Join MASSPIRG in learning about the Hunger Free Campus Initiative along with ways YOU can help the issue of hunger. 

When: Monday, March 20, 2023, 12 pm.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Underground.

MASSPIRG.

Learn about Planned Parenthood Boston

"Planned Parenthood is one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality, affordable health care, and the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With or without insurance, one can always come to us for your health care." Come meet Arlenne Rodriguez-Gonzalez an Organizer of Planned Parenthood Boston to learn about the many services they provide.

When: March 21, 2023, 10 -12:30 pm. 

Where: Dunkin' Donuts. 

Center for Civic Engagement and Counseling and Health Services. 

Learn about City Year 

City Year is a full-time, paid service opportunity, where you can work alongside a team to create learning environments where all students can succeed. You can support students' social, emotional and academic development while providing schools with additional capacity to enhance learning and belonging. City Year is the perfect way to give back to your community while earning an education award and working toward your goals. Whether it be college, a career, or continuing your education, City Year will help you build upon your skills and grow as a leader. Learn more about City Year from East Region Recruiter Magdalena after spring break!  

When: March 21, 2023, 11 -12:30 pm.

Where: Lower North Dining. 

Center for Civic Engagement. 

Workshop with Climate Expert Eugenia Gibbons: Developing Impactful Climate Communications Strategies

This skill building workshop will focus on how to develop and use strategic communications in your advocacy campaign to influence public opinion and catalyze action. You will learn how to shape the narrative about the social issue your advocacy is focused on and how to share that narrative. This event will use climate and sustainability as a sample, but the lessons learned can be applied to any issue. Speakers include Eugenia Gibbons, Berry IOP Fellow and clean energy policy expert, and Emily Dahl, climate and communications strategist. Emily Dahl’s experiences include the Director of Communications for the  and Founder of Climate Ambition, LLC which works with NGOs, governments, and businesses on advancing climate policy and action.

When: Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 9:30-10:30 am.

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Room. 

Berry Institute of Politics.  

2023 Career Closet Event

The Career Closet will provide ����ֱ�� students access to new and gently-used professional attire. All students are welcome to attend the event and encouraged to choose professional dress items at no cost to them!

When: Wednesday, March 22nd through Thursday, March 23rd, 2023, 10 am-6 pm. 

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Room 105.

Read more about the Career Closet.

Career Services.

LGBTQ+ Charity Concert by the Alliance 

Join the Alliance and campus partners for a LGBTQ+ Charity concert to raise money for Boston Glass. "GLASS provides a continuum of services to LGBTQ+ youth of color and their allies in the Greater Boston and Framingham area. Tickets will be sold for 15 dollars each and all proceeds will be donated to GLASS.  

When: March 24, 2023, 5-11 pm.

Where: Central Campus, Marsh Quad.  

Orange Peaks, Alliance and Campus Partners. 

Human Rights Education Workshop with Dr. Audrey Osler

Do you ever wonder about what we can do to change attitudes of intolerance and advocate better for justice?  Solutions can be found in this workshop on how to integrate Human Rights Education (HRE) into your courses & organizations. Dr. Osler is one of the world’s experts in human rights education (HRE) and is coming to conduct a workshop for educators and public leaders. Her publications include Teachers, Human Rights and Diversity: educating citizens in a multicultural society, Changing Citizenship: democracy and inclusion in education, Girls and Exclusion: rethinking the agenda. Contact yvissing@salemstate.edu to register or for more info.

When: Monday, March 27, 2023, 11 am-1 pm.

Where: ONLINE or in person on Central Campus, Viking 123.

Center for Childhood & Youth Studies, Center for Teaching Innovation, the Department of Healthcare Studies, the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Voices Against Injustice. 

Textbook Affordability Campaign

Join MASSPIRG for a virtual letter to the editor event where they will be writing letters on textbook affordability locally.

When: Monday, March 27, 2023, 12 pm.  

Meeting ID: 787 3995 6302 Passcode: E21rm3

MASSPIRG.

Reproductive Justice Civic Dinner  

Join us for an evening of food, networking and learning from local reproductive justice advocates. Leaders will share with us information about their organization, the important role they play in the agency, and their trajectory to a career focused on reproductive justice. They will also provide insight on some of the current issues impacting our community, share advocacy efforts their team are engaged in. and how students can be effective advocates.   

Advocates represent the following organizations: Planned Parenthood of Boston, Reproductive Equity Now, Free the Pill, Health Q, and Counseling and Health Services at ����ֱ��. 

When: March 29, 2023, 5:30-7:30 pm. 

Where: Ellison Campus Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Room.  

Center for Civic Engagement, Counseling and Health Services, and Intersectional Feminist Collective (IFC).

MASSPIRG Lobby Day: Hunger Free Campus Bill 

Join MASSPIRG for a lobby day at the Massachusetts State House to advocate for the Hunger Free Campus bill SD691/HD3873. Our meeting with Senator Joan Lovely begins promptly at 10:00 am. Meetings with elected officials will follow.

When: March 30, 2023, 8:30-12:30 pm.

Where: MA State House.

RSVP: 

MASSPIRG and SSU Hunger Free Campus Coalition.