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.).
I’m a little late with this, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to showcase one of our participants. In October, Kingsborough hosted a Diversity Symposium that brought together students, faculty, college staff members and outside guests to discuss this year’s topic: Creating Safe Environments. In addition to the college’s “safe zones” (offices designated free of discrimination of race, gender, sexuality and color where students and staff members to ), the campus has a no tolerance policy for acts of discrimination. The Diversity Symposium opened discussion for campus members to talk about what it means within the college and in the outside world.
Project Rise at KCC is approaching the end of our initial 4 year grant period. During that time over 180 disconnected young adults have come through our doors to receive preparation for the GED/TASC exam, important work readiness skills development, and extensive individualized support services. Our efforts have had a huge effect with over 50 participants receiving their high school equivalency and over 50 gaining long-term employment. Even more significant, so many of our students have gained confidence in themselves and their work to overcome obstacles that kept them from succeeding earlier in life.
As we move forward, KCC’s Project Rise received a challenge grant from the Center for Economic Opportunity/Social Innovation Fund to provide an additional year of funding for our program. Late last week we received a commitment from the Pinkerton Foundation for $100,000 and $2,500 from the Signature Bank Foundation towards reaching the challenge. These awards will allow us to continue providing our much-needed services to disconnected young adults who are eager to take control of their educational, professional and personal lives.
KCC’s Project Rise on WBAI 99.5FM, tomorrow December 10th!
CEWD sees so many amazing and ambitious students! Desi, a current NRC CHW student also hosts a show on WBAI 99.5FM: Women in the Making: Tomorrow’s History Today, which “highlights the views, perspectives, questions, goals and accomplishments of today’s girl.” Desi has taken a special interest in KCC’s Project Rise and has interviewed the program’s associate director, Dina LiMandri and two Project Rise students. The segment will air tomorrow, Wednesday, December 10th at 2pm. Tune in to find out how the lives of these young women have changed, in part, thanks to the work of Project Rise and Kingsborough Community College.
For more information, you can also visit the event’s page on facebook.
Welcome to the CUNY IT Conference!
If you’re reading this right now, there’s a good chance your sitting in our session: “Workforce Development Supported By Strategic IT Investments” (December 4th at 2:15pm if you’re not with us) Our panelists, including Edgar Troudt, Babette Audant, Christoper Pileggi, Gillian Gooding, Min-Kyung Park, Christine Zagari-LoPorto and Jessie Cinelli (Don’t know us? Check us out here), will be discussing how CEWD harnesses smart information technology in the areas of Participant Tracking, Data Quality Assurance, Trends Analysis, Partner Management and Outreach.
Are you curious to learn how we developed and use a participant tracking system for our DOL funded grant programs, CUNY CareerPATH and the Northeast Resiliency Consortium? Have you heard about our award-winning marketing and outreach team? Join us as we talk about utilizing technology to develop and run successful workforce training programs.
If you have any questions about this presentation or want to discuss CEWD’s workforce training programs, don’t hesitate to contact us: cewd@kbcc.cuny.edu.
I
f you’re a follower of this blog, you’ve seen post after post we’ve written about the success of Project Rise. We’re obviously proud of what we do. What makes our program so great is the one-on-one attention we’re able to give our participants. This individualized counseling, along with extensive preparation for the GED/TASC and job readiness training has allowed so many participants to reactivate their professional, educational and personal lives.
A. started PR feeling insecure about her academic ability despite having specific career goals. To hide her insecurity, she focused more energy on the people around her and neglected her own academic goals. With the help of Project Rise staff, she began to take Project Rise more seriously 4 months into the program. Since then, she has become incredibly focused in class and has started a coveted internship at a local hospital. What’s more, A. has noticed the shift in her own attitude and has often referred to the “old her” and the “new her” as she speaks with classmates and program staff.
We are currently recruiting for Community Health Worker, Culinary Arts and Food Service Upgrade NRC classes. Fill out our quick online survey and an NRC representative will be on hand to speak with you about eligibility requirements. While these classes won’t start until spring 2015, it’s never too early to start planning your future.
NRC programs seek to build a resilient and educated workforce that is not only able to perform tasks required by their jobs, but also has the skills to react when crises arise. Additionally, NRC-eligible students are qualified to receive enhanced services through the program. These services include: