First Resident Leadership Workshop a Great Success!

Art and Science of Leadership

2017 Resident Leadership Program

               

Last Tuesday, March 28, the Community Building & Organizing department at NHS hosted the first unit of the 7th Annual Resident Leadership Program. The Resident Leadership Program consists of five units that explore topics related to neighborhood, community and leadership development. 

Leslie Radcliffe, NHS’ board member, facilitated the first unit: “The Art and Science of Leadership”. This unit explored leadership as an art and science, and how the two subjects are interconnected. Radcliffe utilized Leonardo Da Vinci as a perfect demonstration of this philosophy. Da Vinci was an Italian polymath, whose work consisted of the interaction of science and art. 

Next, the group participated in a team building activity which centered on a ball of yarn. The purpose of this activity was to illustrate the interconnectedness of individuals based on the construction of knowledge emerging from their collective experience.

Overall, there was a great turnout for the first unit of the Resident Leadership Program. The program participants all come from diverse backgrounds and different neighborhoods. They each have experience with community initiatives and involvement and are interested in developing and/or refining their leadership skills.

We're so proud of this year's program participants and look forward to the next four workshops! 

8th ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL FAMILY FESTIVAL FULL STEAM AHEAD: CELEBRATING WOMEN & GIRLS IN S.T.E.A.M!

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2017
Media Inquiries: Maria Perez-Martinez | 475-227-0530 | mmartinez@nhsofnewhaven.org

NHS OF NEW HAVEN ANNOUNCES THEME FOR
8^th ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL FAMILY FESTIVAL

FULL STEAM AHEAD: CELEBRATING WOMEN & GIRLS IN S.T.E.A.M!

New Haven, CT — Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven (NHS), positioning neighborhoods to succeed for 37 years, announced today the date and theme of their 8^th Annual Multicultural Family Festival. The Festival will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2017 and is titled FULL STEAM AHEAD: Celebrating Women & Girls in S.T.E.A.M!  NHS’ family festival, which has become a community staple with residents from all over Connecticut, has featured past themes such as Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, and Environmental Awareness. It is a chance to honor both the diversity and spirit of the New Haven Community and beyond.

From engineers to artists, from scientists to coders, women and girls are learning, excelling, and engaging in S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). The festival invites families and children of all ages to explore hands-on activities, exciting games, and inspirational performers geared toward highlighting professional women in S.T.E.A.M. Admission is free and includes games, food, and activities.

“Our family festivals have afforded us with an opportunity to give back to the community,” said NHS of New Haven executive director Jim Paley. “We are thrilled with this year’s theme and are excited to bring the community together for a day of science experiments, refreshments, and meetings with friends to discuss the importance of highlighting women in the arts and sciences.”

“As Marian Wright Edelman once said, ‘You can’t be what you can’t see,” remarked HomeOwnership Center Managing Director, Bridgette Russell. “It is more important than ever for our young girls to have powerful, strong role models in the S.T.E.A.M. fields, to   learn the many contributions that women have made within these areas, and to ignite their enthusiasm around pursuing careers focused in math and science.”

The Festival will be held on Saturday, May 13 from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at NHS of New Haven's campus on Sherman Avenue. The official event page can be found on NHS' facebook site: facebook.com/nhsofnewhaven.

About Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven
Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven is focused on positioning New Haven’s neighborhoods to succeed by increasing homeownership; making homes beautiful, energy-efficient, and affordable; and helping residents take charge of their neighborhoods. We believe that increased homeownership, educated homebuyers, and rehabilitated houses will produce stable, revitalized neighborhoods that our clients will be proud to call home. www.nhsofnewhaven.org

Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven is part of the national NeighborWorks® network, an affiliation of more than 230 nonprofit organizations that increase homeownership, produce affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods in more than 4,400 communities across the nation.  www.nw.org

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University of New Haven Students Spend Alternative-Spring-Break as NHS Volunteers

The staff in Community Building and Organizing (CBO) had the pleasure of hosting four students from the University of New Haven for four days of community service during their “Alternative Spring Break,” March 13 through March 17.  Although the cold temperatures and Tuesday’s disruptive blizzard created challenging circumstances for outdoor service work, the students persevered.

On Monday afternoon, CBO Specialist Adam Rawlings supervised the crew as they spread wood chips for walking trails in a section of Beaver Pond Park bordered by Sherman Parkway, commonly known as “Sherman Forest.” In doing so, the students chipped into ongoing efforts that have transformed this park space over the last few years, thanks to the joint effort of NHS of New Haven, Urban Resources Initiative, the New HavenDepartment of Parks and Recreation, and the Friends of Beaver Pond Park.   

After Tuesday’s snowstorm brought Greater New Haven to a standstill, the students returned on Wednesday and contributed to snow removal efforts in the Newhallville neighborhood.  Elias Estabrook, AmeriCorps VISTA and Residential Engagement Specialist, coordinated the crew as they joined ten employees of EMERGE CT, Inc. to clear snow and ice from the sidewalks around NHS-owned vacant properties (in NHS’ portfolio for future development). In the afternoon, Adam and Elias led the students in freeing the sidewalk around the Ivy Street Community Garden, a resident-run garden routinely supported by NHS. 

On Thursday, the students got a break from the cold and assisted staff of the CBO department and HomeOwnership Center by preparing attendees’ handouts for upcoming classes. By devising a coordinated “assembly line,” they printed, stapled, hole-punched and compiled the materials in record time.

Over the course of the week, the four volunteers gave a boost to all three NHS’ departments and witnessed the breadth of our organization’s programs. We greatly appreciate their service.

If you or your organization is looking to volunteer with NHS of New Haven, visit our website and submit a volunteer application.

Meet the Instructor! Resident Leadership Program Highlight!

About the Resident Leadership Program: 

In March 2010, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven launched its Building Leaders, Building Communities: Resident Leadership Program. The program was an essential element of the training and education component of our Neighborhood Revitalization Institute.

Instructor Highlight!

Kica Matos will be the instructor for the fourth session of our resident leadership program (Planning Successful Campaigns).

Kica Matos is the Director of Immigrant Rights and Racial Justice at the Center for Community Change (“CCC”), an organization whose mission is to empower the people most affected by injustice to lead movements to improve the policies that affect their lives. She has extensive experience as an advocate, community organizer and lawyer.

Since joining CCC, Ms. Matos has been a national advocate for immigration reform and coordinates the work of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement, the nation’s largest network of immigrant rights organizations.

Prior to her work at CCC, Ms. Matos served as Deputy Mayor in the city of New Haven, where she oversaw the city’s community programs and launched new initiatives including prisoner re-entry, youth and immigrant integration. 

Matos was previously the Executive Director of JUNTA, New Haven’s oldest Latino advocacy organization.  She also worked as an assistant federal defender for death-sentenced inmates and with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Amnesty International on death penalty and criminal justice issues.

She has a B.A. from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, an M.A. from the New School and a J.D. from Cornell Law School. 

REGISTER TODAY -- JUST 1 WEEK UNTIL THE DEADLINE!

Participants must attend at least four of the workshops listed above in order to receive a NeighborWorks Certificate. Sessions will be held from 6pm-8pm at NHS of New Haven. Dinner will be provided at 5:30pm. 

March 28, 2017: Art and Science of Leadership

April 4, 2017: Mapping Community Assets

April 18, 2017: Understanding Power for Community Change

May 2, 2017: Planning Successful Campaigns

May 9, 2017: Leading Great Meetings

HOW TO APPLY:

There are a number of options you can utilize when applying for our Resident Leadership Program. The application, as well as $20 registration fee, is due by March 14, 2017:

1) Click this link and fill out the online form. Save the document on your computer and then email to cgibbs@nhsofnewhaven.org

2) Click this link and print the application. Then mail to 333 Sherman Avenue, New Haven, CT 06614 (ATTN: Chandel Gibbs). Application must be received by March 14, 2017

3) If you do not have access to a computer, feel free to stop by our offices during normal business hours to pick one up and fill it out in person.