Cannabis Core Curriculum

Enrollment is open for the new Cannabis Core Curriculum program developed by Holyoke Community College in partnership with ELEVATE Northeast Events and Education, Inc.

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Offered through the college’s Cannabis Education Center, each day is divided into two interactive sessions that include presentations from cannabis industry experts followed by a question and answer period. Students who complete the core training will then be eligible to register for spring 2021 classes in one of four cannabis industry career tracks: cultivation assistant, extraction technician, patient services associate, and culinary assistant.

ELEVATE NE Community Conversation: GET OUT THE VOTE!

For the next installment of ELEVATE Northeast's Community Conversation Series of events, we're tackling one of the more important topics of the season: VOTING!

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Please join us at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 22 for Our Lives, Our Vote: The Importance Of Municipal, State, and National Elections. The goals of this virtual panel discussion are to: 

• Educate the community-at-large of the importance of civic engagement for municipal, state, and national elections

• Provide insightful yet comprehensive education on the election process and engagement needs

• Discuss the potential outcomes and consequences on non-voter participation/civic engagement

Event speakers:

• Cheryl Crawford, Executive Director at MassVOTE

• Jonathan Cohn, Chair of the Issues & Elections Committee at Progressive Mass

• Tito Jackson, Former Boston District 7 City Councilor

• TaShonda Vincent-Lee, Director of Community Outreach at ELEVATE Northeast (moderator)

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Standing In the Gap: The Re-Entry Conversation

For the second year, ELEVATE director of education Cara Crabb-Burnham has led the development of Boston Cannabis Week's educational programming. We're grateful for this ongoing collaboration, and especially excited for this year's culminating session, Standing In the Gap: The Re-Entry Conversation.

This panel was developed in partnership with National Expungement Week and will be moderated by ELEVATE's director of community outreach, TaShonda Vincent-Lee. Additional thought leaders for this timely discussion include:

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• Calvin Feliciano, SEIU

• Susan Le, UTEC (United Teen Equality Center), Program Manager of Teens Leading the Way

• Davo Jefferson, Service Delivery Manager for SOAR Boston (formerly known as
  the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, Street Worker Program)

• Bethany Serota, Project Opportunity

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Click here to view the full BCW 2020 educational programming lineup.

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Marketing Cannabis Businesses in 2020: So Now What?!?!

Chances are your marketing budget and strategy have changed in 2020. Don't miss this timely talk with experienced marketing executives for ideas on how your business can best adjust its marketing in the second half of one zany year. 

Massachusetts Cannabis Delivery: Licensing, Roadblocks and Public Commentary

Featuring a panel of speakers who are actively involved in the licensing process, this event is designed to be an inclusive discussion about the MA delivery licensing process, including hurdles and costs, so that attendees can make informed decisions about their own business ambitions and, importantly, submit informed testimony and public comments to the CCC to help shape the industry. It is also a platform to highlight some local businesses and their leaders who are doing the hard work to get this industry off the ground and create new jobs in our communities.

Business Continuity Planning During COVID-19 - Part 3

In Part 3 of ELEVATE's Business Continuity Planning series, Paula Collins, MBA, EA, JD will close out the series with a discussion about the difficult decisions many cannabis entrepreneurs are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic: whether to wind down or scale back the business to keep the business going.

Cannabis in CRE: Licensing, Financing, and Security

ELEVATE is proud to support the New England Real Estate Journal's Cannabis in Commercial Real Estate virtual summit series! Don't miss the June 24 session, moderated by ELEVATE executive director Beth Waterfall. Arrive early for networking, too!

Business Continuity Planning During COVID-19 - Part 2

Beyond the SBA: Get Funding, Revamp, Rebrand and Retool!

Part 2 of ELEVATE's Business Continuity Planning series with Paula Collins, MBA, EA, JD will touch on funding (watch important SBA video here) and some of the ways cannabis businesses can take the time now to reassess their brand and other business functions.