Youth Employment Training and Partnerships

• Original Idea Voted on by New Yorkers: Classes for youth focused on green jobs and technology that offer certifications with paid stipends. Engage local and national businesses to provide the youth with a broad range of experience.

• Implementing Organization: Haitian American Caucus-US

• Neighborhoods: Flatbush, Midwood, East Flatbush, Canarsie, and Flatlands

• Funding Amount: $235,000

The responses below are directly from the community organizations selected to implement The People’s Money projects.

How does your organization plan to bring this idea to life?

The Haitian American Caucus (HAC) will implement this project using a hybrid delivery model that combines in-person, community-based programming with virtual supports to maximize reach and accessibility. In-person sessions will be held at our community hub in Brooklyn and in partner sites (Evangelical Crusades Christian Church in East Flatbush and Beraca Baptist Church in Canarsie), ensuring programs are embedded directly in the neighborhoods we serve.

Virtual workshops will be hosted via accessible online platforms that include language and disability accommodations such as translation, captioning, and breakout sessions for small-group interaction. The program emphasizes hands-on learning, professional development, and pathways to sustainable employment.

What motivated your organization to apply to implement this idea?

The Haitian American Caucus (HAC) was motivated to apply for the Youth Green Project because it aligns directly with our mission to empower underserved youth through education, workforce development, and civic engagement. For more than a decade, HAC has worked at the intersection of community advocacy and skill-building, helping young people see themselves as both future leaders and active stewards of their environment.

Our team saw the CEC opportunity as a powerful way to expand access to green jobs and technology careers for youth in historically underrepresented neighborhoods such as Flatbush and Canarsie, areas we already serve through existing career readiness and immigrant resource programs. This project allows us to combine our experience in workforce development, environmental sustainability, and youth mentorship to help young people develop both the technical and civic skills necessary to participate in the growing green economy.

We were inspired to apply because we believe that young people deserve hands-on pathways that connect climate justice, community service, and economic opportunity. This initiative not only builds job readiness but also nurtures civic pride and community leadership values that have been at the heart of HAC’s work since our founding.

How do you think this project will make a difference in your community?

The Youth Green Project will make a lasting difference in Flatbush and Canarsie by equipping local youth with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate in the green economy while deepening their connection to their community. By engaging 200 young people through four cohorts, this initiative creates real pathways to employment and civic involvement.

Students will not only earn certifications and stipends but also develop leadership, teamwork, and environmental stewardship skills that extend beyond the classroom. The project promotes equity by reaching youth from immigrant and historically underserved families who might otherwise lack access to technical training or paid learning opportunities. In the long term, this effort will help reduce unemployment, strengthen neighborhood pride, and expand the local pipeline of skilled green-sector workers prepared to contribute to New York City’s sustainability goals.

Because the program is community-rooted, delivered in trusted spaces where HAC already operates, it also builds bridges between families, schools, and local employers. Each cohort’s success will ripple outward, inspiring peers and reinforcing that environmental progress and economic opportunity can advance together.

List at least one thing you're excited about related to this project!

We are most excited about seeing young people from Flatbush and Canarsie gain hands-on exposure to careers in green technology and sustainability, fields that are shaping the future of New York City and the world. Watching students build solar models, explore renewable energy systems, and connect their learning to real-life environmental solutions will be incredibly rewarding.

This project gives our youth the chance to realize that they don’t have to wait to make an impact; they can start now, in their own communities. Seeing their pride, curiosity, and creativity develop throughout the program is what excites us most.

We’re looking forward to seeing 200 young participants complete the program with new certifications, stronger confidence, and a clearer vision of their future. Our goal is for each student to walk away not only with skills and stipends but with a genuine belief that their voice and work matter in creating a cleaner, greener, and more equitable city.

We’re also eager to see new partnerships emerge between schools, local businesses, and city agencies as a result of this initiative, creating a model that can be scaled across other boroughs.

Ultimately, success for us means watching our students lead: as change-makers, innovators, and ambassadors for sustainability in their neighborhoods.

How can someone participate or stay up to date on the project?

People can learn more about this project by visiting our website and our social media channels.

Website: www.hacus.org
Instagram: @hac_us
Facebook: @hacusa
LinkedIn: @haitianamericancaucus-us
Twitter/X: @hac_us