BEST Academy - A green collar workforce program
We want use our efforts to link environmental justice to social justice, and offer un- and under-served community members the skills and certifications to repair and reverse environmental problems within their neighborhoods. We want to use our work to exemplify economic empowerment—and triple bottom-line success—through powerful benefits for individuals, the community, and the environment. BEST Academy provides workforce training that combines local knowledge, community goals and long-term replicable solutions. Graduates are fully qualified to enter the burgeoning green economy. BEST Academy provides placement and job retention services as well, so that graduates can gain and retain employment that provides a living wage, along with environmental awareness.
A propos de vous
A propos de vous
Prénom
Miquela
Nom
Craytor
Profil sur Facebook
A propos de votre organisation
Nom
sustainable south bronx
Site Web
Pays
États Unis, NY, Bronx County
Pays dans lesquels ce projet crée un impact social
États Unis, NY, Bronx County
Votre organisation est-elle une
organisation à but non lucratif
Depuis combien de temps votre organisation opère-t-elle ?
Plus 5 années
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Innovation
Titre du formulaire de participation
BEST Academy - A green collar workforce program
Quels changements pensez-vous apporter ?
We want use our efforts to link environmental justice to social justice, and offer un- and under-served community members the skills and certifications to repair and reverse environmental problems within their neighborhoods. We want to use our work to exemplify economic empowerment—and triple bottom-line success—through powerful benefits for individuals, the community, and the environment. BEST Academy provides workforce training that combines local knowledge, community goals and long-term replicable solutions. Graduates are fully qualified to enter the burgeoning green economy. BEST Academy provides placement and job retention services as well, so that graduates can gain and retain employment that provides a living wage, along with environmental awareness.
Quelles sont les principales activités mises en place par le projet ?
Our BEST Academy job training program will impact the lives of all New Yorkers, providing a collaborative program model that addresses environmental, economic and social concerns. The BEST Academy training programs work to improve air, land and water quality, protect and restore the natural habitat, eliminate noxious emissions, waste and pollutants, and create more energy efficient buildings and communities.
En quoi votre initiative est-elle innovante ? Dans quelle mesure apporte-elle une contribution originale dans son domaine ?
We’ve designed the BEST Academy so that we don’t train in just one sector. We’ve structured the training program to be comprised of modules of trainings and certifications. This allows us the flexibility and ability to add-onto the program with new trainings as needed. Additionally, each training module fits into one another. They serve as a comprehensive network to provide our students with an interdisciplinary approach to addressing restoration of our physical and built environment. We train our students to become well rounded green innovators.
A quel étape votre projet en est-il ?
En place depuis plus de 5 ans
Comment décririez-vous la population auprès de laquelle vous travaillez ? Parlez-nous, par exemple, de la situation économique, des structures politiques, des normes et des valeurs, de l'évolution démographique, de l'histoire ou des précédentes expériences d'engagement communautaire.
Located in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx, one of New York City’s last remaining industrial areas, we are part of a community of conflicting attributes. Assets include a waterfront location on the Bronx and East Rivers, proximity to Manhattan, the economic engine of the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center (the second largest in the world), new City‐led development projects, waterfront parks, and a strong local organizational infrastructure. Simultaneously, the area suffers from one of the highest poverty and unemployment levels in the City, poor community health, noxious uses, environmental degradation, commercial traffic, and substance abuse and prostitution issues. Part of New York's 16th congressional district, it has been the poorest in the entire United States for decades. Forty-five percent of residents live at or below the national poverty line. Only 40% of adults have a high school diploma, and the unemployment rate (24%) is New York City's highest. The population is mostly Hispanic (63.3%) and African American (32.4%); 30% do not speak English.
Health disparities are caused by a combination of environmental and economic abuse, which has trapped residents in a suffocating state of poverty and illness. The food distribution center, the second largest in the world, attracts 60,000 trucks per week to the neighborhood, filling the air with diesel exhaust. Sanitation facilities here handle 100% of Bronx waste and more than 40% of the commercial waste produced by all of New York City's boroughs. Emissions from four local power plants contribute to one of the nation's highest asthma rates. Equally adverse, for decades the New York Organic Fertilizer Company converted 70% of the City's sewage sludge into fertilizer pellets, filling the neighborhood with a pungent, sulfurous odor. While currently closed, this facility is threatening to re-open. The heavy concentration of air pollution in our community has been linked to high rates of obesity, diabetes, and learning disabilities in children.
Racontez l'histoire du fondateur et ce qui l'a inspiré à démarrer ce projet
Founded in 2001 by Majora Carter, SSBx seeks to advance the environmental and economic rebirth of the South Bronx, and inspires solutions in areas like it across the nation and around the world. Majora Carter saw the organization as a catalyst for change. Starting with spearheading Hunts Point’s first new waterfront park in more than sixty years, the Hunts Point Riverside Park, she wrote a $1.25 million federal grant to study the feasibility of creating the South Bronx Greenway, a network of bicycle and pedestrian pathways that will run along the waterfront and throughout the neighborhood.
Impact social
This Entry is about (Issues)
Décrivez les résultats positifs obtenus par votre projet ainsi que la façon dont ils sont mesurés.
Because of our work on innovative policies to support sustainable investment of our communities, we have first-hand knowledge of the innovative methods to restore our communities. This has spurred our ambition to train our community for the skills needed in the emerging green fields of building construction/retrofit, soil remediation, deconstruction, materials reuse, and green roof installation and repair.
The BEST Academy program serves as a natural focus to the work of SSBx, linking environmental clean-up and restoration in the community to the career development and economic needs of local residents. Ecological/Environmental training programs in New York City are currently few in number. The only environmental training program listed on the New York City Employment and Training List HRA website is SSBx's two BEST Academy training programs: ECO and B4B (BEST for Buildings). Offering green-collar training since 2003 with increased demand every training cycle, BEST Academy has trail blazed the definition of these job opportunities. The individuals and organizations (as reflected in the references list attached) with whom SSBX and BEST Academy affiliate, are closely watched, screened and trusted for the quality of their work, ability to assist our programs, and integrity in meeting their goals.
Combien de personnes ont été touchées par votre projet ?
Entre 101 et 1 000
Combien de personnes pourraient être touchées par votre projet au cours des trois prochaines années ?
101-1000
Quelle va être l'évolution de votre projet lors des trois prochaines années ?
We will look to expand the program beyond the borders of the Bronx.
Viabilité
Quels sont les obstacles qui pourraient entraver la réussite de votre projet et comment comptez-vous les surmonter ?
Resources to expand to the capacity we aim to reach. As well as the market not opening at the pace we desire.
Quels sont vos différents partenariats ?
The community organizations that we engage with are true partners in our work over the past 7 years. Since the beginning of the BEST Academy, the director has solicited these partners in put into our training curriculum. One group is the Bronx River Alliance, which was an inspiration for what we wanted to offer our community in terms of practical- hands on training that was grounded in the reality of restoring a natural resource. Our partnership with the Bronx Green-Up has continued to shed light on the emerging techniques to green our urban community.
Actuellement, quel est votre budget annuel (USD) ?
Veuillez sélectionner
Expliquez vos choix.
We have a mix of support coming from foundations, individuals and event income.
Comment pensez-vous pouvoir consolider votre projet au cours des trois prochaines années ?
Expand on developing our internal capacity and strength. Continue to innovate our training by including new training components.
Enjeux
Quels problèmes liés à l'emploi votre projet tente-t-il de résoudre ?
Veuillez sélectionner trois réponses par ordre d'importance
PRIMAIRE
Compétences/formations insuffisantes
SECONDAIRE
Accès limité aux nouveaux marchés
TERTIAIRE
Soutien réglementaire/politique insuffisant
Veuillez décrire la façon dont votre projet s'attaque spécifiquement aux problèmes cités ci-dessus.
Since 2003 when Best Academy started, it has had a solid track record of engaging a disengaged population. The majority of BEST Academy participants are from low-income communities, like the South Bronx. Over 30% of graduates from the BEST Academy were formerly incarcerated; 56% of graduates are African American; 39% are Hispanic/Latino; 3% are Caucasian; and American Indian represents less than 1%.
De quelle façon comptez-vous accroître l'impact de votre organisation ou de votre projet ? Veuillez sélectionner trois moyens potentiels par ordre d'importance
Croissance géographique: au sein du pays d'origine
SECONDAIRE
Influence sur d'autres organisations et institutions grâce à la diffusion de meilleures pratiques
TERTIAIRE
Croissance géographique: au sein du pays d'origine
Veuillez indiquer les activités actuellement en place ou devant être mises en place dans un futur proche pour stimuler votre croissance.
We aim to expand our reach of individuals trained while identifying additional opportunities to influence and share our best practices of reaching disconnected individuals to green collar training.
Êtes-vous en collaboration avec : (plusieurs réponses possibles)
Organisme gouvernemental , un fournisseur de technologie, une ONG/organisation à but non lucratif, une entreprise à but lucratif, une université.
Si oui, dans quelle mesure ces partenariats ont-ils contribué à la réussite de votre projet ?
Partnering with organizations are an essential ingredient to our success. We feel strongly that collaboration is the only useful model for Environmental Justice organizations, so all of our work involves community members and organizations that share our goals.
 | il y a 100 semaines Miquela Craytor updated this Competition Entry. |
| il y a 100 semaines Miquela Craytor submitted this idea. |