@HumansofMedford on Instagram is mostly focused on individuals in the community of Medford who have been historically marginalized, or are community leaders. Ryleigh takes pictures of the people we interview, posting those pictures to the page along with a short quote from the person’s interview, just like @HumansofNY. The stories these people tell on our page range from why these people love their jobs, to how they met their life partners, to participating in a workers’ strike. @HumansofMedford was made to highlight the diversity of perspectives and lives of our fellow community members, and there are new posts every week! Be sure to check out Humans of Medford and follow them on Instagram! Suggestions for interviews are also appreciated.

As part of the Medford High School Tennis Team, Amishika, Shubhecchha, and Sarah attend practices, trainings, and competitions at a local park near the high school known as Dugger Park. The only problem about the park is that there are no benches, nor any other sitting areas besides the dirt and broken concrete surrounding the tennis courts. They hope to build benches at Dugger Park, and to later expand the project to other local parks in Medford.

The Medford Science for Shooting STARS (Science, Technology, and Applied Research) is a STEM enrichment program geared towards exposing local elementary school students to fundamental concepts of biology, physics, and chemistry through hands-on experimentation and demonstrations. After noticing very few opportunities to explore science in elementary and middle school, Maha and Sophie decided to open Medford’s chapter of the STARS program, especially aimed to help young females and underrepresented minorities explore science.

The Hunger Project uses local churches as venues for food drives, after which Oxfam Hunger Banquets are held, where members of the community attend and eat for free. The banquet includes a simulation on how different classes of people eat around the world, encouraging participants to think about world hunger and poverty. Through the Hunger Project, Joe, Aldo, Marco, and Harrison also hope to strengthen bonds within the Medford community between people of all backgrounds and ages.

Passionate about the topic of restorative justice, Maya Gomez-Coultas began the Restorative Justice Initiative in the 2016-2017 school year, aiming to promote the idea of repairing harm caused by conflicts rather than focusing on punishments. The initiative is working on building a guide for teachers to understand the principles of restorative justice and implementing them in the classroom. Restorative Justice provides an opportunity for students to talk about all sides of the conflict while still being held accountable for their actions. Maya wants to focus on how each student feels and their personal situations. Her program promotes listening and trust, as well as a better environment for the school. Using restorative justice, she believes, will lessen the risk of future conflict and will benefit everyone in the school.

Tech Time is a project started by Sandra Figueroa and Meghan Bouchie. The program takes place at the senior center in Medford Square, the Council on Aging. They meet once a month with the seniors and help them use their electronic devices such as phones, laptops, and tablets. As time goes on, technology advances and it is important to keep everyone updated. Many seniors want to keep in touch with their family members through Facebook or email, or simply want to know how to use their new phones. Tech Time helps seniors figure out their electronic devices, and in return, the members get to hear their stories and make friends. Sandra and Meghan chose to do this project because they have seen how their own family members have struggled with new technology and thought that they should help other people in the community.

The Selfie Project is an extension of the Dove Campaign. It is a scaled-back version of the Selfie Project that was done at Medford City Hall in 2013. Its goal is to promote the beauty and diversity of Medford High School and to show that you don’t need a filter to be beautiful; you are beautiful just they way you are. During the 2016-2017 school year, the project was completed at Medford High School byElizabeth Carey and Luiza Barbosa. Students could put their selfie up on a board in the main lobby while other students could write nice complimentary post-it notes next to the selfies. In the 2017-2018 year, Aniya Crump, Joey Leonforte, and Courtney Cutillo took over the Selfie Project.

Diversity Day is a student-run festival, a day to celebrate the diversity and inclusion of Medford. Sarah, Luiza, and Rubia have worked alongside many community members to make the festival as memorable as possible. This year, the event expanded the repertoire of cultural singers and performers of all backgrounds in Medford, as well as cultural foods and corporations that specialize in diversity and inclusion and who also are a big part in Medford. The goal of Diversity Day was for everyone to enjoy the diverse community of Medford and learn something new while at the festival.

Project Little Library is an initiative that was set forth to spread little libraries around the city. They are in a sense mini public libraries, but the catch is there is no need for a library card or fees. You see a book you like in the library? Simply open the door and take it, no questions asked. If you do not like it, just return it or place it in another. Same goes if you do not want a book anymore, just place it in the library and leave it there. The goal is to spread the love of reading and to bring the community together by giving back! Each library has a bulletin board as well as decorations by local charities and schools.

Prisons throughout the U.S. incarcerate people of color at alarming rates and grossly mistreat and abuse LGBTQ+ prisoners. To combat this injustice, Senior Antonia Collins collaborated with the organization Black and Pink to write letters to queer prison inmates of color. "Many of the mail’s recipients have been abandoned by their families because of their sexual orientation or gender identities, and thus receive no mail on days when many other inmates get visits, calls, or letters from family." A day was hosted by the Black and Pink organization at Medford High School in which all students were welcomed to come after school and write letters. After the activity, Black and Pink sent all of the letters to their respective prisons and the individual inmates have received them.

This year, seniors Daria Agrba, Ximena Valderrama, Meghan Smith, Kim Sinthara decided to donate their voices. There are millions of people that do not have an ability to express themselves verbally and use computer generated voice to do it for them. "We want to be part of the organization that gives people a choice of the voice to make it more personal." People with various backgrounds would be able to record themselves and give someone a voice. This year, they did their part in recording various words and phrases, each giving someone a voice. In turn, they helped to spread the idea around the community and got others involved as well.

With a focus on senior citizens, Ben Verity, Galvin Falvey, and John Falco traveled to a nursing home to talk, spend time, and have fun with the elderly. "We feel that many senior citizens do not get the chance to see their families every day, and we wish to combat the extreme loneliness that may come from few interactions with people." The group visited the nursing home bi-weekly with the intention of spreading happiness. "It may be a small project, but it certainly brings a smile to everyone's face, including ours." The group also intended to create a lasting impact within the senior citizen community, leaving an opportunity for others to visit the senior center in the years to come.

Seniors Lauren Parziale and Ryan Heard gathered donations for the food pantry held at St. Francis Church every Thursday from 2:30-4:30. The food pantry is separate from the church, therefore all donations went directly to future events. The food pantry helps the citizens of Medford who have a hard time affording their own groceries. Any donation or purchase from the future fundraisers would be greatly appreciated, especially during the holiday seasons.

This year, the Le Club Glou-Glou (the sound a turkey makes in French) continued a project the French 2 Honors class started in 2017. During the holidays, many families find themselves with limited resources to provide for their household, specifically with holiday-themed meals. "At Thanksgiving, when we gather with our families to give thanks and be grateful for what we have, many of our fellow students may not have this opportunity. We hope to help our own Medford High School families take part in a proper and festive Thanksgiving meal." This student-run project, provided multiple families with a basket full of everything needed for a Thanksgiving meal, in hopes that it would bring their families together and give them the opportunity to take part in the national American holiday.

MHS Students Brittany Awad and Laura Silva volunteered their time to help out the kids at the McGlynn Middle School's CCSR Program. "We help the CCSR kids with their projects and show them how to create them" During the CCSR meetings, the two students gave guidance to two groups, one focused on anti-bullying and the other on honoring the veterans.

This year, students Kathleen Campbell and Mariana Plata organized donations that were sent to a nonprofit shelter on the border of Mexico. "Many families that are trying to get through immigration or are rejected must stay in these facilities. We feel it is our responsibility to help these individuals through their struggles."

This year, students Kaliyah Sautier and Victoria Macaluso raised money for the children living in an impoverished village in Tanzania. With the money they raised, they bought and donated toys for the children, as well as canned food and clothing for the families.

Every year, the McGlynn Elementary School hosts an Ethnic Pride Week to teach children about the importance of their cultural background and learn to be accepting of others for their own cultures. This year, students Tia Belotte and Shruti Sood created a lesson plan centered around diversity and taught four classes of third graders during their week of ethnic pride. They played "diversity bingo" and had conservations with the students which taught them facts about countries around the world and learned about the cultures that can be found in the community as well.

This past winter, Nouha Elyazidi ran a toy drive for the Boston Children's Hospital. "The children in the Boston Children’s Hospital already have such a hard time dealing with their illnesses and it would be great to put a smile on their faces." Nouha set out to do her part in making sure everyone had a happy and joyous holiday season by gathering and delivering toys to the children at BCH just in time for the holidays.

In order to combat the chains of pet stores that receive animals from mass breeders who mistreat them, a group of students started the Adopt, Don't Shop campaign. "Some breeders perform experiments on their animals, like seeing what freezing temperatures they can withstand. The pet stores know this, and still continue to buy their animals from them. We want to spread awareness to what you’re doing if you buy an animal from a pet store." These students set out to educate the public on a better alternative, adopting from a rescue. In addition to raising awareness, the group raised funds for rescues shelters so they could take in more animals instead of them being forced to go into chain pet stores. They also made animal toys and treats and donated supplies to local rescues, including Kitty Connection, Animal Rescue League of Boston, and the MSPCA.

On Thursday, September 13th, a series of gas explosions imploded throughout the towns of Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. There was one fatal casualty and over 25 others injured. The initial explosions and subsequent fires affected over 40 homes. Many families were forced to evacuate without a chance to grab their necessities. After hearing about this disaster, students Tia Belotte and Nicole Chin collected donations from around the Medford community, receiving $405 in checks and over 200 bags of donations of blankets, socks and other needs. On Sept. 21, Nicole, her parents and Mr. Skorker rented a U-Haul truck, drove to Lawrence and dropped off the donations to Lawrence Senior Center and Debbie’s Treasure Chest.

This year, seniors Brendan McCusker and Sofia DiMeo ventured out to raise money for the Medford police station. A community day was held for the Medford police, family, friends, and supporters in the community. "The police station does not have much money for funding. We want to change that." Throughout the year, the students contacted as multiple local businesses to donate food and resources for the event. Their intent was to bring the community together as one and shine a light on how important our policemen are to Medford.

This year, senior Marco MacElhiney and sophomore Joey Ruemenapp combined their passions by hosting a student and staff charity soccer tournament within the high school to raise funds for a village in Ethiopia. "We think this is a great community experience to show school pride, play soccer, and at the same time fundraise for a good cause." The village they fundraised for recently went through a drought, so all money went towards providing water, supplies, and more for the people.

With the political and national development over recent years, culture and diversity have become pertinent aspects in today’s societies. Diversity Week in Medford High School was run completely by Medford CCSR students, aimed towards uniting the Medford community. This project aimed to highlight Medford's rich culture and provide both organizations and students an opportunity to connect with each other. Medford is unique among other surrounding towns and cities, with representation hailing from Brazil, Tibet, Italy, Ireland, China, Germany, Japan, Haiti, Spain, Vietnam, and many other countries. Throughout the week, the CCSR ran activities and events that give students the opportunity to bond, educate peers on their own cultural background, and learn from others and their cultures. Some of this years events included a Community Fair, a special guest panel, and a special movie showing of "Crazy Rich Asians".

Students Jenny Lu and Joseph Schmidt paired up with students Liam and Jasmine at the Brooks Elementary School in order to help them with their project, In Honor of Slaves. Many slaves were buried in the Salem Street Burying Ground without a proper grave marker to remember them by. The team put up a commemorative marker and held a memorial service for the forgotten slaves, during which poems were read to commemorate the slaves.