Looking for fun, FREE activities to supercharge your summer and Meet your community?
MIT's PKG Center for Public Service has tons of opportunities for you and your friends to get to know Greater Boston better, tour the places that make our community great, and volunteer with local organizations.
Sign up today for any or all of these great programs!
Questions? Contact us at pkgsummerseries@mit.edu
SHAKESPEARE IN THE COMMON
August 1, 5:15pm - 11pm (Includes travel time from MIT to Boston)
Support free community arts by volunteering at Shakespeare on the Common, and enjoy Shakespeare's Cymbeline!
Shakespeare on the Common has become an annual Boston tradition, modeled along the lines of “Shakespeare in the Park” in Central Park and the many other free outdoor summer Shakespeare events throughout the country.
Past Sessions 2019
Taza Chocolate Factory Tour
July 20th, 2pm - 3pm
Tour a local fair trade business and sample their chocolate offerings.
Taza is a pioneer in ethical cacao sourcing. They were the first U.S. chocolate maker to establish a third-party certified Direct Trade Cacao Certification program. They maintain direct relationships with our cacao farmers and pay a premium above the Fair Trade price for their cacao. They partner only with cacao producers who respect the rights of workers and the environment.
*time listed includes travel time
free fridays at the arboretum
July 19th, 10am - 3pm
Free Fun Fridays! invites Massachusetts residents and tourists to visit designated cultural attractions on Fridays this summer with free admission and free activities. No registration or tickets required. Visit and enjoy!
At the Arboretum enjoy free activities like: Arborist Station - Meet an Arboretum arborist. See the arborist in action. Try on arborist protective gear and get up close and personal with the special tools used by arborists.
Watercolor Station - Become inspired by the beauty of the Arboretum and use that inspiration while creating a watercolor masterpiece.
Storyboard Walk – Read a book while exploring the Arboretum.
The Building Lab - Create your own fort under the lindens. Use branches pruned from trees in the Arboretum, bamboo and other found objects to construct a one of a kind fort.
Community Servings
JUNE 26, 3pm - 7:15pm
Volunteer at Community Servings for 2 hours, preparing meals for those with chronic illness. Afterwards, join the group for a picnic dinner to debrief what we did, who we met, and our thoughts on public health!
Community Servings is a not-for-profit food and nutrition program providing services throughout Massachusetts and in Rhode Island to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses. Their goals are to help their clients maintain their health and dignity and preserve the integrity of their families through culturally appropriate, home-delivered meals, nutrition education, and other community programs.
*time listed includes travel time
MIDDLESEX FELLS BOTANY CLASS
JUNE 22, 10am - 3pm
Explore the Middlesex Fells Reservation through a botany class and hike!
Middlesex Fells Reservation, often referred to simply as the Fells, is a public recreation area covering more than 2,200 acres in Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester, Massachusetts.
*time listed includes travel time
IMPACT HUB CONVERSATIONS: Farming while Black
june 6th, 6pm - 8pm
Today less than 2 percent of farms are controlled by black people—a loss of over 14 million acres and the result of discrimination and dispossession. The discussion of the book Farming While Black will cover the first comprehensive “how to” guide for aspiring African-heritage growers to reclaim their dignity as agriculturists and for all farmers to understand the distinct, technical contributions of African-heritage people to sustainable agriculture.
RSVP below. Tickets are limited!
Coffee conversations is a weekly gathering that brings people together to practice dialogue with an evolving range of topics, and it’s also an outstanding opportunity to meet other members!
This event is co-sponsored by the MIT Black Student Union.
Revision Urban Farm
july 11th, 8am - 1pm
Garden in a local urban farm that serves low-income community members in Boston.
Victory Programs’ ReVision Urban Farm is an innovative community-based urban agriculture project that grows produce in its own fields and provides access to affordable, nutritious and culturally appropriate food to residents of our ReVision Family Home and our extended community.
*time listed includes travel time
About the PKG Center
The PKG Center taps and expands MIT students’ unique skills and interests to prepare them to explore and address complex social and environmental challenges. We educate students to collaborate ethically and effectively with community partners to engage in meaningful public service, today and in their lives beyond MIT.
We offer over a dozen service learning programs for undergraduate and graduate students ranging from introductory to advanced, spanning all MIT majors. We believe every MIT student should have the opportunity to engage in public service. For this reason, we charge no fees to participate in PKG programs.