4Boston Launches New Advocacy Site

"The Social Action Committee grew out of our hope that, after coming across these issues and learning more about them, volunteers would want to be even more active in working for social change," McQueen said. "BC students are open to volunteering and are seeking opportunities for social change, they just need the forum to find these issues that need discussing. The hope is that this website will act as the go-to place for people looking to take action, or simply become more educated about issues of social justice in our world.

"I’m so glad we were able to bring this outside of just the 4Boston community and to all of BC. There are so many amazing groups on campus that are working to spread awareness of different social injustices they care about. Hopefully, this website can bring all of these groups together," said Willner, who is commited to bring this to BC.

Ellen Modica, resident minister and 4Boston moderator, and Marc Mescher, graduate assistant to 4Boston, helped Willner formulate the idea for the website and contributed feedback to the project. "The BC Advocacy website will leave a significant legacy long after David graduates, and we owe him a lot of credit for rolling up his sleeves and seeing this vision come to fruition," Mescher said. "He serves as a reminder to me of the difference one person can make."

For Willner, the idea for this website came not only from his volunteer work, but also from reflecting back on his years at BC and looking forward to his future years out of college.

"This year was the 20th anniversary of 4Boston, which a lot of alumni came back for," Willner said. "A lot of us were thinking about us coming back as alumni 20 years from now. If my placement will still be a 4Boston placement, will students still be teaching the same people I’m teaching in the prison today, or God forbid, their children? Is this a cycle we can do something to stop? I think volunteering is great and direct service that is extremely important, but while you’re trying to stop the bleeding of injustice, you also have to look for the cure. Service and advocacy are both vital."