Green City Force

Service Initiatives
During their service term, Corps Members conduct high-visibility, high-impact service initiatives that serve to make NYCHA communities more sustainable and healthy. GCF’s two core service initiatives are described below.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE
The Love Where You Live (LWYL) Campaign promotes NextGen NYCHA Sustainability goals through resident-to-resident education about sustainable behavior changes in the home.
LWYL is a resident-to-resident “credible messenger” model that educates NYCHA residents about changes they can make in their homes to reduce their impact on the environment. LWYL has been recognized as a national model, combining sustainability, workforce development and resident education through service in public housing, and is aligned with the goals of HUD’s STEM, Energy, Economic Development (SEED) initiative. The LWYL campaign incorporates modules around energy efficiency, wastewater (“Cease the Grease”) and recycling (“NYCHA Recycles!”) in partnership with NYCHA, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, the NYC Department of Sanitation and GrowNYC.
In partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice’s, GCF targets recruitment and service for the LWYL campaign to the 15 neighborhoods in NYCHA that account for 20% of violent crime, bringing alternatives into these NYCHA communities.

FARMS AT NYCHA
GCF service Corps Members increase access to healthy food, provide youth workforce and leadership development, and promote sustainable and connected public housing communities on six large-scale urban farms located across four boroughs. Corps Members learn to manage, plant, distribute, and educate local NYCHA residents. Fresh produce is distributed to NYCHA residents for free in exchange for their household compost or volunteer time. Graduates are employed in expanding sectors including urban agriculture, energy efficiency, solar, and composting. They also bring their green skills and knowledge to more traditional employment in construction, building maintenance and operations.
Farms at NYCHA, powered by GCF, is part of Building Healthy Communities (BHC), a citywide partnership devised to improve health outcomes in 12 neighborhoods in New York City. Through the initiative, GCF works with NYCHA, The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships and local CBO partners to further develop access to affordable healthy food.

Wraparound Services
Every cohort has an assigned social worker who follows their progress, stays with them in service and holds regular meetings with participants. Members are engaged in psycho-educational power sessions throughout their term of service as a tool to support their personal and professional development. Corps Members are engaged in instruction topics that include Emotional Intelligence, Attitude, Active Listening, Introduction Effective Communication, Emotion Management, and Problem Solving.
Members are exposed to intimate group sessions where members support each other in their development through exploration, learning and behavior change. Members discuss identity, self-compassion, and acceptance as a collective, to grow from shared challenges and experiences.
Throughout the term, Corps Members work with our Career and Alumni Services team to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace post-corps. This includes professional development, hard skills, power skills, resume development, interview practice and more.

Alumni Services
Once Corpsmembers have completed their terms of service, the Career and Alumni Service team helps graduates advance in their career paths. Each graduating Corps Members receives a Segal AmeriCorps education award that may be used toward college or continued training. GCF supports alumni with continue job placement, continued career counseling, access to continued technical trainings, and work opportunities in our social enterprise programs.