Monthly Archives: March 2014

Wines From Brooklyn?!

Have you heard about Rooftop Reds? They’re taking urban agriculture to such a wonderful niche! Check out an interview they just did with Gothamist.com, talking about things that come with rooftop farming in NYC including the process of securing permits, licensing for running a rooftop vineyard, and working with the climate of NYC to grow grapes. As for me? I’m super excited to try my first bit of true, Brooklyn wine. You can watch the video here.

Eat Real Food

Eating real food sounds simple enough, right? Mark Bittman with the New York Times pulled me in with his cleverly titled “Butter is Back” op-ed. Following a recent study that questions the link between saturated fat and heart disease, Bittman targets ultra-processed foods, hitting on the use of unhealthy unsaturated fats, antibiotic-laden processed foods and environmentally unsustainable farming practices. Basically, we’re losing our connection to food:

“Many things have gone awry with the way we produce food. And it isn’t just the existence of junk food but the transformation of ingredients we could once take for granted or thought of as “healthy.””

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tomatillos, KCC Urban Farm, Brooklyn, NY

While we don’t have animals (this article focuses on the consumption of meat), the KCC Urban Farm uses hands-on, experiential learning to teach students about local and global food systems and to re-engage students with healthy, environmentally conscious eating. We hope to soon have an online resource for environmentally sustainable, healthy eating, so stay tuned! In the meantime, please feel free to email (KCCurbanfarm@kbcc.cuny.edu) or call us (718.368.6578) to get more information.

 

Additional NRC Culinary Arts Information Sessions

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Culinary Arts training, Brooklyn, NY

We’ve added additional information sessions to the upcoming NRC Culinary Arts Training Program:

  • Tuesday, April 1, 2014 at 9:00a-1:00p
  • Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 9:00a-1:00p

If you’re interested in signing up for either of these information sessions, please call us at 718.368.4637 or fill out our online survey and an NRC representative will tell you everything you need to know.

April Job Fairs/Events in NYC

It’s almost April! Can you believe it? Here’s April’s update of job/career-related events happening around the city. Don’t forget to check out some of our older posts to get tips on compiling your resume, building your professional social media presence, and preparing for career fairs and interviews.

Upcoming Fairs/Workshops/Events*:

Resources:

*Check with sponsors/locations to verify event details. 

**This is not the most comprehensive list. If you are sponsoring an event and would like it mentioned on our site, please leave a comment and we’ll make sure it is listed in upcoming posts. 

Community Health Workers

Community Health Worker jobs are growing in number, complexity and importance…

At 22,053,900 projected workers in 2020, the healthcare industry makes up the largest segment of the United States’ economy. Not just doctors and nurses, the healthcare industry also broadly encompasses the nonclinical, community and social service, and support positions that comprise 42% of the healthcare workforce.

The community health worker has taken on new importance as hospitals look to extend themselves and bring healthcare services to patients where they live. Among the occupations with the largest percentage increases across the country, office workers such as medical office specialists, office supervisors, and medical records technicians have seen their positions adapt and grow. And, a new position, often referred to as patient navigator or patient representative, has been created to facilitate smooth coordination of health services for patients.

Continue reading →

Grit, continued

“Grit,” the latest educational buzzword, has been popping all over the place recently. This morning an NPR segment about the learning of grit talked about different schools/institutions that are incorporating grit, by way of determination at the face of defeat, into their curriculum. From charter schools to reports from the DOE, grit is making a presence. It’s often seen as the skills that surround formal education and how these skills help more students (and young adults, for our purposes) succeed as they leave primary and secondary education.

For our purposes, grit can find its way into the workforce at many different angles. Call up the histories of recent innovators and you’ll see people whose early careers were met with major setbacks, but who didn’t allow defeat and continued on to high levels of success—think of Steve Jobs who was ousted from the very company he created. Grit appears as job-seekers continue to search despite months of rejection, not accepting negative self-talk, and developing new systems to stay appealing to potential employers. I’m curious to see how concepts of grit will officially make their way into formal education and how this teaching will play out in the long run.

 

Medical Assistant Jobs

Curious about what a career in medical assisting means? Take a look at this great graphic coming from NYC LMIS as part of CUNY CareerPATH to show inquiring students where this career path can lead.

“Working under the supervision of a physician or nurse, medical assistants perform a combination of administrative and clinical functions. Clinical students may include taking vital signs, drawing blood and preparing patients for examinations. Administrative duties may include scheduling, maintaining records and billing and coding for insurance.”

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Medical Assistant Career Map, created by NYC LMIS

Continue reading →

Farm-to-Table in the US

 

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KCC Urban Farm students, Brooklyn

A great article from the NY Times about the growth of “Agritopia” in the US. Farm-to-Table Living Takes Root talks about the growth of residential neighborhoods that, instead of being built around golf clubs, swimming pools or tennis courts, have a central focus on farming. While this movement is still in its infancy (and with many bugs to work out), the idea of communities coming together through shared interest of farming is wonderful…especially for us at KCC Urban Farm!

The KCC Urban Farm host tastings, events, courses and supports class visits. Find out more information by visiting our home on this blog or finding us on facebook.  

International Women’s Day

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Celebrate International Women’s Day with Women’s Initiative! A message from Antonia Bowring, Executive Director, Women’s Initiative New York:

“From 11am-2pm [on Saturday, March 8th], Dylan’s Candy Bar Manhattan flagship store (@ 3rd Ave and 60th St) will host a trunkshow featuring Women’s Initiative graduates and their businesses, and a percentage of sales will be donated to support Women’s Initiative programs in New York City. It will be a wonderful chance to learn more about Women’s Initiative, support our graduate’s businesses, as well as buy candy from Dylan’s Candy Bar in support of an outstanding cause!”

If you’re a long-time reader, you know we’re big fans of Women’s Initiative New York. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than with an organization that has provided so much inspiration and independence for so many women.