Young Activism

On Sunday, February 12, members of the Dana Hall community will participate in the Winter Walk in Boston, an event that raises awareness and supports organizations that prevent, support and care for the homeless community in the Greater Boston area.

This is the first year Dana Hall is participating in the event. B. Bassick ’25, who is organizing a group of Dana Hall participants along with Director of Community Service Programs Angela Macedo, learned of the event through her brother’s school. “The organization handles talking about homelessness in such a way that people of all ages are able to learn more about how they can help and how anyone can be struggling from homelessness,” Bassick said.

When she was younger, Bassick lived in Boston and remembers seeing a few people struggling with homelessness during her daily walk to school, she said. “I was young and didn't understand why they were there, so I feel like this walk is a great way to teach and raise awareness about homelessness, especially since it is a rising problem in the U.S. and shouldn't be something that we ignore or look at negatively.”

"Bentley has dedicated herself to bringing the Winter Walk to Dana Hall,” Macedo said. “She brought the idea to me last fall and connected us with the organization. She also helped arrange for a speaker from the Winter Walk organization to come to an All-School Meeting. She has been a fantastic leader following through on details and encouraging her classmates to get involved.”

Bassick encourages everyone, from students to adults, to join this unique experience. “While on this walk, you could be walking next to someone who is or was dealing with homelessness and you’d never know,” she said. “It’s usually a really hard subject to talk about, yet the way the Winter Walk organizes this, currently or formerly homeless individuals can come together and share their stories with the community. That’s what makes this event so special.”

Interested in signing up? Community members can register to attend the Winter Walk in Boston by Friday, February 3. All participating 10th graders will receive community service hours for the walk. Questions? Contact Angela Macedo for more information.