8 posts tagged “community building”

On Tuesday October 21, 2008, we had the honor of accepting the Citizen’s Committee for the Children of New York City’s Samuel P. Peabody Award for Community Activism. We were presented with this award for our work through the East New York Farms! Project “to assure and expand access to healthy and sustainable food for East New York children and families.” 

CCC Awards 1

This award is so meaningful to us because it is truly a shared accomplishment

– the sum of the amazing efforts of more than 50 local gardeners, 100 young leaders, 5 regional farmers, and 100,000 customers. We began in the mid-90’s with an interesting idea – for youth and adults to work together to capitalize on the food-producing potential of community gardens to meet our community’s needs for fresh food, safe public spaces, economic development, and youth empowerment. Ten years later, we have transformed this idea into a viable strategy for working collectively to improve our own health, environment, and local economy.

Job opening - Urban Agriculture Coordinator, East New York Farms! Project

Responsibilities:

• Recruit and train new and experienced gardeners from East New York and surrounding communities in urban production for market (primarily vegetable production, possibility of chicken raising and bee-keeping)
• Lead and coordinate trainings for gardeners, as well as provide individual technical assistance
• Organize local gardeners and develop their capacity to support each other, sell at the farmers market, and oversee a micro-loan fund
• Provide group development assistance to 20-30 members of new 1/2 acre urban farm, and assist them in further developing the farm
• Supervise and support Urban Farm Manager in cultivating and maintaining a half-acre urban farm
• Co-supervise and train teens (ages 13-16) to grow vegetables, serve other neighborhood gardeners, and help run the farmers’ market
• Assist with designing and leading lessons to build skills and help youth understand the social context of their work
• Track and assist with reporting activities to funders
• Support farmers’ market operations
• Support outreach/promotion efforts of project

Qualifications:

• At least one full season of growing experience, primarily in small fruit and vegetable production
• Experience facilitating trainings for both youth and adults
• Experience working with diverse communities and individuals
• Responsible and able to work independently
• Drivers’ license a must
• Ability to work weekends (work week is Tuesday – Saturday from March through November) and occasional evenings
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Spanish language skills a plus

This is a full-time position with full benefits

Position will start part-time February 1, 2008 (for training) and become full-time March 1, 2008.

Please send resume and cover letter by December 14, 2007 to:

Sarita Daftary

East New York Farms! Project Director

info@eastnewyorkfarms.org

The mission of the East New York Farms! Project is to organize youth and adult residents to address food issues in their community by promoting local and regional sustainable agriculture and community-led economic development.

Representatives from the East New York Farms! Project will speak about our work in improving our neighborhood at the launch of the Project for Public Spaces' new book "The Great Neighborhood Book."

Project for Public Spaces kindly thanks the Cobble Hill Association, The Book Court, Smith & Vine, Stinky Cheese and Christ Church for their support of this event.

We are  recruiting vendors for the 2007 season!

EAST NEW YORK FARMESR MARKET AWARDED GRANT TO DEVELOP NEW URBAN FARM SITE AND CONDUCT COOKING PROGRAM WITH LOCAL HEALTH CENTERS

As part of a national initiative, Project for Public Spaces has awarded a grant to the East New York Farmers Market. The grant will allow the market to develop a new urban farm site (recruiting immigrant growers and longtime residents) and to conduct a targeted nutrition and cooking education series at WIC (Women Infants and Children) centers throughout East New York. :

The grant is one of ten projects supported by Project for Public Spaces’ highly competitive initiative to diversify farmers markets nationwide. Undertaken in partnership with the Farmers Market Coalition (FMC) the grants are part of a three-year, $3 million grant-making program, which began in 2005 and is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation. The number of farmers markets across the United States has doubled in the last decade to an estimated 4,300, selling products ranging from local produce to meat and dairy to crafts.

“Throughout the years, Project for Public Spaces has deepened its understanding of the complex relationships between a market and the community it serves,” says Steve Davies, Project for Public Spaces Senior Vice President and Director of the Public Markets Program. “These grants provide much-needed financial support for farmers markets to reach their potential as central places in communities as well as significantly contribute to their communities’ overall well-being. We hope these markets will inspire national adoption of innovative farmers market and community development programs.”

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1975 dedicated to creating and sustaining places that build community. We provide technical assistance, education, and research through programs in parks, plazas and central squares; buildings and civic architecture; transportation; and public markets. PPS has worked with communities in 48 states and in 20 countries around the world. Please visit www.pps.org for more information.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 “to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations.” Its programming activities center around the common vision of a world in which each person has a sense of worth; accepts responsibility for self, family, community, and societal well-being; and has the capacity to be productive, and to help create nurturing families, responsive institutions, and healthy communities.

Thanks for stopping by!

This blog will provide news and event listings for East New York Farms -- so watch this space! If you're in East New York and want to visit us, or if you'd like to find out more about our organization, check out our website at eastnewyorkfarms.org.