At my second Brain Arts meeting there were donuts. I’m not saying I joined Brain Arts as an admin intern for the free baked goods, but I’m not going to say they hurt. After all, attending weekly Monday night meetings isn’t always an exciting prospect. Yet honestly, as far as reasons to return each week go, I’ve found that no sugar glazed delight comes close to the laughter, mutual respect and joint purpose shared at each meeting.

The first time I met with the organizers, someone said “sometimes people flake out. It’s taken me a long time to say that without judgment, because volunteering is hard.” It is; I’m still figuring out how to best use my time usefully each week—and go to shows and be a part of other exciting projects in the org. There’s almost too much to do. But from all I’ve seen, there’s love, and patience, and then some for that development.

Something else I’ve loved seeing firsthand is Hassle’s dedication to collaborating with other organizations. Volunteering at January’s Teen Band Night at the Newton YCCA, co-hosted with Girls Rock Camp, Zumix and Brookline Teen Centre, I got to see teens from across Boston sing their little teen hearts out. Not only was that event a joyful, amazing, and at times beautifully awkward thing to see, for me it encapsulated an important ethos: not only is it less fun and harder work to organize without the involvement of other groups, it’s also less worthwhile. I’m excited to help build more bridges with the org, and keep up with the ones that are already there.

—Lauren Shapiro