Tag Archives: CEWD

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.  

March Job Fairs/Events NYC

Since March is just around the corner, here’s your monthly 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*:

  • March 4, 2014 AND March 6, 2014 Coney Island Job Seekers! Before attending either of these events, you must register online. For more information, visit NYCHA’s website.
  • March 13, 2014 11:00a-2:00p—New York City Career Fair @ Holiday Inn Midtown 440 W. 57th St., NYC
  • March 25, 2014 9:30a-1:30p—Advance Healthcare Network Job fair @ Jacob Javits Center 655 W. 35th St., NYC
  • March 31, 2014 11:00a-3:00–Coast-to-Coast Career Fair @ Radisson Martinique 49 W. 32nd St., NYC
  • March 31, 2014 10:00a-1:00p–Diversity Job Fair of New York @ Affinia Manhattan Hotel 371 7th Ave., NYC

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KCC Continuing Education Open House

Come to Kingsborough’s Office of Continuing Education Open House on Tuesday, March 11th at 6:30pm. In addition to hearing all about Continuing Education’s many offerings, you’ll also get information about CEWD training programs like CUNY CareerPATH, the Northeast Resiliency Consortium and Project Rise, as well as KCC Urban Farm and GIS classes.

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Food co-ops, gentrification and community-based innovation

This post, in response to the New York Times’ article about food co-ops may strike as a bit off-topic, but it speaks to a few themes that intersect with the work we do at CEWD. First, food co-ops are an innovative form of increasing food access and creatively structuring entrepreneurship, outcomes supported by the training we provide, and driven by our students’ ambitions. Second, this article discusses the importance of building relationships with, and working with, community partners. Third, the article cites the history of food co-ops as a remedy used by African-American communities (among others) to counter mainstream grocery chain’s discriminatory location and pricing practices. The article reminds us, among its various lessons, there is often no need to reinvent the wheel. Many of the challenges we face today are not so different from challenges faced in times past. On a less soap-boxy note, I love the fact that high school students were sufficiently intrigued by the explanation provided by the Bushwick Food Co-op’s general manager, Amanda Pitt, about how a fair-trade candy bar differed from a Twix or KitKat, that they bought one to share…and contemplate?

Cohort 4 Finishing Ceremony

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Project Rise, Cohort 4 Finishing Ceremony. Brooklyn, NY

What does it mean to finish?

The Project Rise Finishing Ceremony marks the end of a yearlong commitment to change. Each participant who is here today began last February with the aim of making changes in their lives. Every person sitting here kept their goals in sight and finished what they started.

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Technologies in Academia NMC Horizon Report

2014-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN-1A report by the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, Horizon Report: 2014 Higher Education Edition, was just released. It examines emerging technological trends that are expected to have an impact on higher education over the next 5 years. Discussions were held among 53 top tech experts from across the globe to identify the top six potentially industry-changing technologies. Trends were rated based on their prominence among the larger population, in addition to both formal and informal applications in the classroom.You can read the full report here.

Robust and integrative social media, online collaborative learning systems, data-driven assessments and learning, students as creators—these trends all grew from smaller tech innovations. What’s important about this report is not necessarily the individual trends, but the larger mindset of embracing technology and encouraging technological creativity in the classroom.

Worker Concerns: Unpaid Leave vs. Reassignment of Duties

A short piece in today’s New York Times speaks to the vulnerability of many workers today, and the price of sticking up for one’s rights. Our primary focus at CEWD is delivering skills-based training. We are also aware that many jobs, especially entry-level positions – in healthcare, in food service, in retail – are physically demanding. Talking to our students about, and creating an environment that acknowledges the context of work and the policies that shape it, is critical to our mission.