The Summer Institute: Transforming Place Through Neighborhood Leadership brings together community leaders from across the country to focus on ways of accelerating the impact of cradle-to-career place-based solutions to improve economic and social mobility for all children and youth.
William Julius Wilson Institute (WJWI) at Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) and The EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education will co-host the Summer Institute: Transforming Place Through Neighborhood Leadership, a three-day event focused on accelerating the impact of organizations advancing cradle-to-career place-based solutions. The nation’s most promising neighborhood leaders and organizations will come together to engage on critical issues, including:
- Engaging schools and local government through cross-sector collaboration
- Developing cradle-to-career public policies
- Cutting-edge research on place-based strategies
- Assessing gaps on opposite ends of the cradle-to-career continuum
- Assessing and tracking impact along the cradle-to-career continuum
- Building a funding pipeline and best practices around both public and private funding
- Developing investible narratives for neighborhood-based cradle-to-career work
You will be able to find the detailed Summer Institute agenda here prior to the Summer Institute. On Wednesday, July 10th, you may check-in from 9 AM to 12:30 PM at the registration table located on the 1st Floor of the Monroe C. Gutman Library. A light breakfast will be available starting at 9 AM and lunch at 11 AM. The Summer Institute programming will start promptly at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, July 10th in the Conference Room located on the Garden Level of the Monroe C. Gutman Library. Greeters will be stationed at the front of the building to welcome you and provide instructions. The Summer Institute will end on Friday, July 12th at 12:30 PM.
Speaker biographies will be posted here prior to the Summer Institute.
A participant list can be found here once registration is complete.
You will be able to find a compilation of all the session slides from the event here.
Event Location
The Summer Institute will be held at the Monroe C. Gutman Library at Harvard Graduate School of Education (6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138). View the Harvard Campus Map to familiarize yourself with the campus. You can also search for locations of interest using the search bar at the top of the map webpage.
Things To Do
The following are links to suggested activities and places to eat in Cambridge and nearby Boston:
- Local Attractions and Dining
- Where to Eat and Drink in Cambridge’s Central Square
- The 38 Best Restaurants in Boston
- Black-Owned Restaurants in Boston
- Things to Do in Boston
- 17 Best Things to Do in Boston
- Things to Do in Harvard Square
- American Repertory Theater
Attire
Attire is business casual.
Hotel
Guests traveling from out of town will receive a hotel confirmation with the hotel location and the process for checking in. Guests will be staying at The Charles Hotel (1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138), which is within walking distance of The Monroe C. Gutman Library. Hotel check-in time is 3 PM on Wednesday, July 10th and checkout time is 12 PM on Friday, July 12th, unless you have worked directly with the hotel for modified stay dates. Upon arrival, please check in at the Charles Hotel front desk. You will need to provide a credit card for incidental charges. If you plan to stay at the hotel for additional nights, please submit a credit card for payment. Taxi/rideshare are at your own expense, with the exception of guest speakers.
Parking
Parking is at your own expense, with the exception of guest speakers.
Technology
Wireless internet can be accessed on campus. Login information will be provided each day of the Summer Institute. You can also review information on how to access Harvard University Wi-Fi here. Participants are welcome to bring laptop computers or tablets to the Summer Institute.
Meals & Dining
The following meals will be provided during the convening:
● Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks: Wednesday, July 10 through Friday, July 12
● Cocktail Reception on the 1st Floor of the Monroe C. Gutman Library: Wednesday, July 10, 5-6 PM. Guests are responsible for their own dinner on Wednesday night.
● Formal Dinner Reception at The Charles Hotel Ballroom: Thursday, July 11, 5:30-8:30 PM. Guests can arrive as early as 5 PM, ballroom doors open at 5:30 PM, and the plated dinner starts promptly at 6 PM. The evening presentation is 7:15-8 PM followed by dessert and coffee service in the foyer.
Press & Media
Summer Institute sessions will be recorded and photographed, and recording and photographs may be made publicly available online. A media/photo release and consent to being filmed and photographed was included in your event registration.
We encourage guests to follow coverage and post about the Summer Institute on social media.
- Follow @WJWInstitute on Instagram and X.
- Follow @EdRedesignLab on Instagram and X.
- Use the hashtag #PowerOfPlace in posts.
- For posts on Instagram and X, mention @WJWInstitute and @EdRedesignLab.
- For posts on Facebook and LinkedIn, mention @HarlemChildrensZone and @EdRedesignLab.
The EdRedesign Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education:
Founded in 2014 by Paul Reville, Francis Keppel Professor of Practice of Educational Policy and Administration at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, EdRedesign provides catalytic support to the cradle-to-career place-based partnership field to drive systems-level change and open personalized pathways to well-being, educational attainment, civic engagement, and upward mobility. To support this growing field to effect transformational change that serves the needs and talents of individual children and youth, our work focuses on talent development, actionable research, our Institute for Success Planning, and our By All Means initiatives. Our mission is to ensure the social, emotional, physical, and academic development and well-being of all children and youth, especially those affected by racism and poverty.
William Julius Wilson Institute (WJWI) at Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ):
William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone is the leading authority on and resource for place-based, people-focused solutions that close opportunity gaps nationwide. Led by Geoffrey Canada — founder and president of HCZ — and guided by a generation of evidence, WJWI delivers insights, influence and impact by tailoring solutions locally and scaling results nationally. Together with on-the-ground collaborators and national place-based partners, WJWI opens pathways to social and economic mobility in neighborhoods across America. It is named in honor of one of the nation’s most prolific African American scholars on poverty and inequality. To learn more, visit hcz.org/william-julius-wilson-institute/.