The NEXT Steps Youth Entrepreneur Program’s manages Atwood Community Gardens – an urban agriculture;xNLx;training center and outdoor event facility that introduces at-risk youth to careers in science, technology, engineering;xNLx;and mathematics (S.T.E.M.) through business development training, special event management, environmental;xNLx;stewardship, community service and investigative research and discovery activities.
The Atlanta Community Food Bank brings our first group of volunteers (20) since NEXT Steps secured the lease agreement to manage Atwood Community Gardens.
NEXT Steps joined LRAM and the REDEEM Outreach Coordinators to directly install/exchange or connect 300 Clean Bulbs to limited-income communities in West End of Atlanta, Ga.
NSYEP students attend a weather balloon launch training session with Carl McNair, brother to Challenger Astronaut Ronald McNair. Hosted by SMART Academy's Kevin & Garry Harris.
With transportation support from Lionel Woodyard, Owner of Atlanta Chauffer, and math/engineering guidance from Engineer Gary Harris, Harris and Woodyard—both members of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, along with Educator Dana Harris, and three SMART ACADEMY students boarded early this morning and headed to the campus of Albany State University. The purpose of today’s campus visit is to meet with Dr. Sinha, Albany Department of Natural Sciences, and Dr. Sahok, also with the Department of Natural Sciences. Professors Sinha and Sahok will play a significant role in guiding the students through the correct procedures to ensure the experiment is carried out safely and efficiently. The three students participating in today’s visit include 17-year old Telvin Harvey, a senior at Lithonia High, 14-year old Christopher Calhoun from Sandtown Middle School, and 13-year-old Cearon Brown also from Sandtown. “We are engaging students so that they may first become familiar and comfortable with engineering, math and science,” says Gary Harris. “From there, they may garner a level of confidence that will transfer to the college setting. The balloons with be launched 100,000 feet into the air with scientific payloads.” In conjunction with 100 Black Men of Atlanta, approximately 85 students from multiple schools in the Atlanta education system attend SMART ACADEMY one Saturday every month for eight weeks. The Academy represents 15-20 different Atlanta schools.
Darryl is one of the primary individuals that coordinate the daily routine of forestry education at the Outdoor Activity Center, a 26 acre nature preserve in the heart of Southwest Atlanta. Darryl has a passion and commitment to young people, having chaired the scholarship program for his fraternity and facilitating conflict resolution workshops to middle school students in the period between employers. While at Georgia EPD he worked with the organization that became WAWA, the Utoy Creek Technical Advisory Committee, conducting environmental education workshops at Mays High School. He has completed facilitator training in programs like GA Adopt A Stream and Project WET. He facilitates environmental outreach programs using these and other resources to local schools, government agencies, and civic groups. He also provides administrative support to program staff and volunteers. Darryl prepares materials and equipment for monitoring programs, educational activities and community service projects.
Thanks again to the Atlanta Community Food Bank for bringing volunteers from Duke Realty to help remove ivy from the trees.
In a partnership with Hands On Atlanta, NSYEP worked with over 100 students to help clear the grounds at Atwood Community Gardens for the 2011 Global Youth Service Day. Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their communities each day of the year through service and service-learning. Established in the United States 1988, and globally in 2000, Global Youth Service Day is the largest service event in the world, and the only day of service dedicated to children and youth. GYSD is celebrated each year in over 100 countries.
About the 8th Grade Service Project: Course offerings and co-curricular activities in all school divisions help students learn the economic and environmental implications of responsible stewardship of the earth. Elementary School students sow in their garden, marveling as seedlings emerge. They measure and graph paper trash in their classroom and devise ways to reduce it. AP Environmental Science students wrestle with the implications of limited resources and global change, while Marine Biology students travel to Hawaii to examine coastline and ocean health. Across multiple disciplines, sustainability education is a vibrant, growing facet of the Westminster educational experience.
Robert Thompson (SWAG) and Jamila Norman (Patchworks City Farmers) hosted a community garden tour for John Bare of the Arthur Blank Foundation.
During Summer 2011, NSYEP trained seven low income, at-risk students (ages 10-14) that lived near our newly acquired garden site called Atwood Community Gardens (West End Atlanta, GA) in order to host the 2011 Herb & Farm Summer Internship Program. As funding was no longer available through the Mayor’s Youth Program and Georgia Teen Work Programs, we had to manage the program as a grassroots operation. Fortunately, the students that volunteered to participate were already on a S.T.E.M. career pathway. Even though the students did not get paid, they walked over a mile to get to work --- arriving 45 minutes early every day. The conditions at Atwood were anything but ideal for growing as poison ivy, English ivy and kudzu covered every inch of this abandoned 3.5 acre private property (including the trees and the driveway!). In ten weeks time, we were able to clear the driveway and set up an outdoor classroom, clear, cardboard and mulch a walking trail from the classroom to the rear gate of the garden, and clean and organize the 15 years of forgotten and rotted stuff in the garage to make a make-shift kitchen. With the support of the Junior Master Gardening Program and Master Gardener at the Mother Clyde Memorial Community Garden, we were able to provide another unique and successful social entrepreneurial learning experience for kids who had never had a job, whose diets consisted of very few fruits and vegetables, and who had little to no interest in urban agriculture. Again, after NEXT Steps trained the kids with business courses in strategic planning and business development, they used our signature organizational model to create their organizational structure and team management operations. With the assistance of urban agricultural specialists from The Federation of Southern Cooperatives and the SWOOM Atlanta Market Project, the students learned how to set-up and manage the West End Beltline Open Air Farmer’s Market and Wholesome Wave double-value coupon program. They were successful in using creative marketing techniques and social media to draw a regular crowd of customers on the first and third Fridays monthly making a small profit three out of four markets. Since we were not able to grow at Atwood Community Gardens, the students provided over 180 hours of community service weeding, watering, planting and harvesting vegetable crops and fruit trees at two other local gardens and two public parks in the area.
"Even if Crop Mob came a little too early in Atwood’s development (heck, they just got started this past February,) we have no doubt that Dana will help craft it into a wonderful, sustainable community resource and example for other neighborhoods when it’s all said and done – and hopefully Crop Mob will be on hand when it’s time to get the veggies and herbs rockin’!"
Our summer interns spent at least two days a week practicing how to communicate effectively by making warm and cold calls from phone lists, flyers and business cards -- offering a personal invitation to visit the West End Beltline Open Air Market every 1st & 3rd Friday monthly.
The Atlanta Promise Neighborhood is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education that seeks to improve the educational achievement and healthy development of children in a 1.7-mile radius area west of downtown Atlanta. This community effort will serve children and families in Vine City, Washington Park, Ashview Heights, Bankhead, West End, Adair Park, Mechanicsville and English Avenue. The area was selected based on a need index that took into account income, education, housing issues, population density and signs of community distress. The initiative is modeled on the America’s Promise Alliance, Harlem Children’s Zone and other programs designed to significantly improve the educational and developmental outcomes of all children in the nation’s most distressed communities.
The West End Belt Line Open Air Market is a collaboration of SWOOM Market Project, Next STEPS, Mother Clyde Garden and SPACE Atlanta Restaurant. SWOOM Market Project created the premier market in Southwest Atlanta and brings promotional experience to the table. Next Steps is a youth entrepreneur program. The youth practice business skills in learning to operate the market. Mother Clyde Garden is a project of R.E.D.E.E.M. Community Outreach. SPACE Atlanta is a business interested in the health of the community.
Georgia Organics hosts a potluck dinner with West End community gardeners at the Wren's Nest.
Today we discovered that NEXT Steps was recognized in a publication written by the Acting Director and Student Attorneys at the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at the Emory School of Law called Urban Agriculture: A Sixteen City Survey of Urban Agriculture Practices Across the Country. (Published 2011)
Students are taught how to conduct a market analysis by canvassing their neighborhood and meet their neighbors during the 2011 Herb & Farm Summer Internship Program
Thanks to scholarships provided by the Outdoor Activity Center, NSYEP students explored Lake Lanier -- Georgia's most important lake -- from the deck of the Chota Princess II, a specially equipped floating classroom at the Aqualand Marina. This program is a sponsored by Elachee, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, and the U.S. Corps of Engineers. During their boat ride, students learned about water testing, water monitoring, simulated water facility, watersheds, pollution, chemistry, biology, and boat safety. Transportation was provided by a donation from Profast Development Group.
Thirty four (34) Metro Atlanta Lowe's Store Managers plus 150 of their employees will gather at Atwood Community Gardens to renovate the 3.5 acre garden and inner-city farm site (renovations valued up to $200,000).
NEXT Steps and the Extreme Green Judging Panel visited 3 houses in metro Atlanta to judge how the HABESHA Works trainees did on the home gardens they built and/or renovated.
NSYEP partnered with the SMART Academy to coordinate a field trip to the Tellus Science Museum for students participating in the SMART Academy's Summer of Discovery & Innovation Program.
NEXT Steps and the Jump Start Youth Development Initiative takes students to the SMART Academy Aeronautics Workshop at the 100 Black Men Robotics Center during their Summer of Innovation & Discovery S.T.E.M. Program.
Over 75 students and their parents volunteered for the Hands On Atlanta Day clean-up activity at Atwood Community Gardens. About Hands On Atlanta: Hands On Atlanta helps individuals, families, corporate and community groups strengthen Greater Atlanta through service at more than 400 nonprofit organizations and schools. Hands On Atlanta volunteers are at work every day of the year tutoring and mentoring children, helping individuals and families make pathways out of poverty, improving Atlanta’s environment, and more. Hands On Atlanta is an affiliate of the HandsOn Network, an association of 250 volunteer service organizations across 16 countries.
Through the office of Cleta Winslow, NEXT Steps was invited to include our training program in their Race To The Top Grant Application for the after school program at the Oakland City recreation center. t
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For our grand opening of Atwood Community Gardens, a representative from Councilman Cleta Winslow's Office presented NEXT Steps with a Proclamation from the Mayor's Office -- recognizing our achievements.
In support of their I Can Make A Difference Outreach Initiative, NSYEP hosted the Stir It Up Girls for volunteer activity at Atwood Community Gardens. Caring & Sharing is a Georgia based 501(c)3 non profit organization that focuses on social, cultural, and behavior development for girls ages 10-17. In addition to working directly with parents, we partner with an extensive network of community businesses, organizations and municipalities to broaden exposure and experienced-based learning opportunities.
David Knobbe of the Georgia Tech Leadership Challenge Course worked with NEXT Steps to host our first Outdoor Nation event.
NEXT Steps presented "How To Identify Resources" to entrepreneurs in the HABESHA Works urban agriculture training program.
The college access and career exploration intern at C5 Georgia invited NSYEP to speak with kids about the basics of becoming an entrepreneur and how to start a business during Entrepreneur Day for high school juniors.
NEXT Steps provided recommendations on revising the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan for the Metro Atlanta Violence Prevention Program.
Founded by a community of young Outsiders, Outdoor Nation (ON) is the place to fuel your passion for the outdoors. We host awesome Summits, award $ for great ideas, lead outdoor outings, work with youth and connect with others like us—all in an effort to mobilize an outdoor movement that is fun, meaningful and impactful. Outdoor Nation and the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education (AORE), has partnered with Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Spelman and NEXT Steps to: - Hold regular meetings with high school students - Lead outdoor excursions to local parks and green spaces - Organize service projects that engage and improve the local community - Coordinate with local outdoor retailers and community-based partners - Make a multi-year commitment to continue mentoring and support a high school club.
Our application was approved to receive a micro grant of $1,000 to renovate the Atlanta Beltline Park we adopted called Atwood-White Street Park.
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