On February 6, the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) hosted a policy forum titled “Policy, Perspectives and Partnerships” to discuss NYCs Career Pathways Report and for participants to share their experiences with city leaders and to discuss recent city-wide workforce developments. Over very own Director of Programs, Alissa Levine, co-facilitated group activities with CUNY Central’s Colette Labrador, during a Career Pathways workshop “How Do We Design and Implement Effective Career Pathways Models” conducted by Scott Zucker of Public Works Partnership.
Are you interested in getting into the healthcare industry? If so, maybe a career as a Community Health Worker fits with what you want. If the health industry isn’t your thing, have you thought of a career in the fast-paced world of Culinary Arts? Job training programs at CEWD with The Northeast Resiliency Consortium has you covered!
Our low cost (only $100) job training programs will also give you robust employment readiness services, job placement assistance, help with the college enrollment process, personal support services and so much more! There are only TWO application sessions remaining before classes begin. Visit our application session page to learn about our programs and begin your application process. Your future awaits!
We haven’t spoken much about science on the farm, but we’ve had a number of projects going over the last few years. Last season, KCC Urban Farm ran a small experiment to see how adding minerals to our soil could boost plant nutrition. This year, we plan to expand upon that experiment, so stay tuned for internship opportunities!
The problem:
Soil is made out of minerals (50%), air (23%), water (23%), and organic matter (4%). Because KCC Urban Farm is lucky enough to receive donations of compost from the Department of Sanitation, however, our soil has 30% organic matter! What does this mean for us? For growing our high quality vegetables, it means we have to test our soil for the nutrients plants need to grow.
The solution:
Based on the soil test results, we can add mineral amendments based on what we’re missing.
The experiment:
Student research assistant Adriana Valerio measuring brix in kale leaves
We want to know if our mineral amendments are leading to healthier crops. In 2014, we ran a small experiment on our tomato plants: we amended only half of the plants for each variety of tomato. After a couple of weeks, we measured calcium and brix levels in new and old leaves for all of the tomato plants. We did the same thing a couple of months later. Calcium is important for plant growth – plant cells use it for structure. It’s also a good indicator of nutrient uptake. Brix is a measure of plant sugars – if brix is high, we know our plants have everything they need to thrive.
After the holiday slump, job fairs and other job-related events (resume and cover letter writing, networking, and job searching) are kicking into higher gear. Take a look at job fairs and other job events happening through NYC for February 2015:
Upcoming Fairs/Workshops/Events*:
February 10, 2015 10:00-3:00p—New York Career Fair @ the Holiday Inn Midtown, 440 W. 57th St, NYC
February 12, 2015 6:00-7:30—Get Your Resume Right @ Port Richmond Library, 75 Bennett Street Staten Island, NY, 10302
February 13th, 2015 2:00-4:00—Get Your Resume Right @ St. George Library Center, 5 Central Avenue Staten Island, NY, 10301
February 17, 2015 6:00-7:30—Reinvent Your Career @ Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue @ 34th Street New York, NY, 10016
February 17, 2015 7:00-9:00p— Tech Meet Up @ the WeWork Soho Lounge, 177 Lafayette St New York, NY 10013
February 25, 2015 12:30-2:00p—Job Searching Skills , Seminar @ Grand Central Library, 135 E 46th St 2nd floor community room New York, NY 10017
Interested in stepping into the culinary world but not sure where it’ll take you? We’ve got a program for you. Check out what Culinary Arts training with NRC can give you:
If you’re interested in learning more, fill out our quick online survey to see if you qualify; choose an information session date and come meet the NRC team! We’ll help you start your career.
Also, if culinary arts isn’t of interest to you, we also have a great Community Health Worker program. Check us out!
Are you a full time KCC student? Do you want to work at KCC Urban Farm? Now’s the time to get connected with us. Help with harvesting, propagation, composting, demonstrations and general site maintenance. Read the flyer below for more information. (If you can’t access the flyer, contact Farm Manager Silvia Torres for more info: silvia.torres@kbcc.cuny.edu)
Come grow vegetables with us! This winter and spring KCC Urban Farm will be offering classes to get you on your way to a great 2015 growing season. Register online or at 718-368-5050. For a regularly updated listing of classes at KCC Urban Farm, check our website.
WINTER 2015 Planting Seeds NHB39, $40
Tues., March 17, 5:30-8:30pm AND Tues., March 31, 5:30-8:30pm
Learn the ins and outs of growing edible crops from seed. This two-day
course will include seed science, pest management, equipment, and
maintenance to successfully carry your crops through the process of
germination. Participants will take home their own seedlings to kick-start their gardens!
SPRING 2015 (registration opens in March) Intro to Organic Vegetable Gardening Tuesdays, 5:30-8:30pm, April 28 – June 16.
$100 + $15 materials fee
This course covers all of the basics of urban gardening from soil to seed to table. Learn how to grow edible crops organically, start plants from seed, manage pests, and more at KCC Urban Farm. Students will gain skills in soil conditioning, crop planning, composting, planting, and harvesting to get on their way to producing their own fresh herbs, greens, fruits, and vegetables. This course also covers finding land for gardening in NYC and building a garden from scratch.
Planting Seeds NHB39, $40 + $5 materials fee
Weds., April 29, 5:30-8:30pm AND Weds., May 13, 5:30-8:30pm
Learn the ins and outs of growing edible crops from seed. This two-day
course will include seed science, pest management, equipment, and
maintenance to successfully carry your crops through the process of
germination. Participants will take home their own seedlings to kick-start their gardens!
Are you interested in a career in the food industry? Maybe a career as a Community Health Worker? At CEWD’s Spring 2015 Open House, you’ll get information about (and even sign up for!) our affordable job training program, the Northeast Resiliency Consortium. In addition to career-specific training, our programs offer supportive services including career advice, resume and cover letter assistance, job placement assistance, academic advisement and so much more!
If you’ve read any of our recent posts about KCC Urban Farm, you’ve probably seen photos of one of our most dedicated and energetic student aides: Maya Stansberry. Before the holidays I sat down with Maya to talk about her work on the farm and her future plans in urban agriculture.
What is your interest in urban farming and where did it come from?
Growing up, gardening was a pastime that my mother and relatives eagerly shared, and something that I learned to appreciate as well as enjoy. While my family has no professional/educational background with gardening, we always had gardens or small, indoor greenhouses going on somewhere.As a result, and I feel like a hippie saying this, I love being outside and connecting with the earth. There’s something exciting about putting something in the earth and getting something else back.
I wouldn’t say that my interest in urban farming comes from growing up in Baltimore, but more comes from growing up in a family with a southern/country heritage where gardening/farming incidentally runs in the family (my fraternal grandfather, who grew up on a farm, has his own vegetable garden which I helped tend to in my early teens; my maternal grandmother has a vegetable garden at her church; my mom encouraged my siblings and I to attempt to grow things, etc.).
On February 6, the New York City Employment and Training Coalition (NYCETC) hosted a policy forum titled “Policy, Perspectives and Partnerships” to discuss NYCs Career Pathways Report and for participants to share their experiences with city leaders and to discuss recent city-wide workforce developments. Over very own Director of Programs, Alissa Levine, co-facilitated group activities with CUNY Central’s Colette Labrador, during a Career Pathways workshop “How Do We Design and Implement Effective Career Pathways Models” conducted by Scott Zucker of Public Works Partnership.
