About Us

MyDorchester is dedicated to building community health via civic engagement and social capital improvement in Boston's largest and oldest neighborhood, Dorchester. MyDorchester's mission is to strengthen our community by connecting diverse individuals and organizations through civic engagement initiatives. Examples of our initiatives include:

• The MyDorchester.org website connects people & resources in & around Dorchester MA to improve community wellness through civic engagement & information exchange. Anyone who lives, works, plays and/or learns here can check the site any time to find out about civic meetings, community coalitions, and current events. Those new to Dorchester can find cool places to go and new things to do.
• The eBlast, a weekly e-newsletter that reaches over 3,000 subscribers
• The Volunteer Program

MyDorchester began as Social Capital Inc. (SCI)'s first flagship location. MyDorchester is now managed through Codman Square Health Center, and works to engage the Dorchester community and build social capital. Staff support comes from the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the federal AmeriCorps program. 

What is "Social Capital?" The concept that "relationships matter" is what social capital is all about. A more active community, with connected neighbors, helps individuals and the whole community become healthier. 

The term "social capital" encompasses a range of activities including volunteering, joining community groups, and participating in democracy.

For more information on the concept of social capital and its importance, click here.

How does MyDorchester build social capital? Social capital-building happens all over Dorchester, along the Washington Street corridor in Codman Square and on Dorchester Avenue in Fields Corner, in Adams Village, in Ashmont Hill and in Uphams Corner. Community enthusiasts are building social capital and increasing civic engagement on the doorsteps of beautiful, historic Victorian homes and on the bulletin boards of Dorchester laundromats, at monthly neighborhood and civic association meetings, at health centers, and at youth group gatherings. MyDorchester helps those who live, work, play and/or learn here connect with and benefit from the many resources and opportunities - community activities, programs, businesses and sevices - available here.  MyDorchester matches volunteers to volunteering opportunities, spotlights worthy endeavors, leads family-school partnerships, coordinates youth-led activities and programs and links residents to resources. For more details on how MyDorchester connects individuals and groups to increase Dorchester's social capital, please click here.