UTEC staff members and The Al Filipov Peace & Justice Board members smile for the camera with the award.
On September 16th, The Al Filipov Peace & Justice Forum honored UTEC at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord, MA. Al Filipov were one of the passengers on American Flight 11, the first airplane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11. Al was a beloved and dedicated member of Trinitarian Congregational Church.
He was an engineer by training, a husband, a father, a human rights activist, painter, inventor, and raconteur. Al sought out the best in people and cared passionately for the world. The mission of the Forum is to promote peace and justice among all people and to demonstrate the power of an individual or organization to make a positive difference in the world.
Presented annually in September, the Al Filipov Peace & Justice Forum invites a distinguished individual or organization to speak about their work and vision. The Forum’s goals are to challenge and engage the audience, to deepen the understanding of the issues, and to encourage listeners to work for social justice in their own lives, their communities, and in the world.
From left: UTEC staff Anthony Ellis and Dimitrios Booras, young adults Jefferson and Duke, and Jonathan Lunde, Director of Streetwork.
Jefferson spoke without using notes and shared his goal of becoming an EMT one day. Jefferson also shared his organizing experience and accomplishments with Teens Leading the Way, including juvenile expungement becoming law.
The Forum ended with a Q&A with questions revolving around UTEC’s 2Gen Center and young adults’ efforts to register to vote. Some members of the audience expressed words of encouragement and gratitude, and everyone connected over Cafe UTEC‘s baked goods during the reception.