The MassINC Associate Board is pleased to host the second event in its Live Work Play series "Living the Dream in Massachusetts."

This event will explore the advantages and challenges of being a young elected official in Massachusetts.

Start the discussion now. Comment in our forum about issues surrounding community service.

It's never easy to make money by making art, but a recession poses particular challenges for the local artistic community. How are local galleries, theater companies and musicians adapting to today's economic realities? In the last Real Talk for 2009, panelists from across the Bay State's small artistic organizations discussed what works, what doesn't, and what Massachusetts needs to do to keep the arts flourishing.

In today's economy, many businesses are suffering. Many…but not all. They say necessity breeds innovation, and several Boston-based entrepreneurs have found this to be true. "Innovation Works" discussed how young, local entrepreneurs found success in this uncertain economy.

The latest RealTalk event and the first of a three-part “Our Economy” series explored the issue of growing interest in public service and whether that increase is tied to the recession and a dearth of jobs.

On October 30, a panel of commentators gathered at the Park Plaza Hotel in Boston to discuss the survey's findings, reasons behind the expectations of young adults, and ways government might instill more confidence. The forum was sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, which produced the survey, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts, the State Street Foundation and MassHousing.

A panel of experts in the changing world of corporate social philanthropy discussed those dynamics with a crowd of 20-somethings at the Jury’s Hotel.

With the state’s overall population in decline for two straight years now, leaders of political and business institutions are paying closer attention to the reasons why so many people are moving out and opting against attempting to buy homes, build careers and start families here.

An interactive presentation surveyed transportation preferences of attendees.