Green City Force

To commemorate Black History Month, NYCHA is highlighting the work of partner organizations that support, educate, and advocate for NYCHA residents to learn new skills to empower themselves and their communities.

When Hakim Jeffrey, 21, walks around his Bay View Houses community, he sometimes feels like a celebrity because residents notice him and ask about the development’s farm (one resident recently asked him, “When am I getting those greens?”).

Since 2019, Mr. Jeffrey has worked as a Green City Force Service Coordinator for Bay View Houses’ 2.5-acre farm. In his role, he manages the farm, supervises the young people who help maintain the farm, and engages with residents at events, including the distribution of fresh produce at farm stands.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve my community every day,” Mr. Jeffrey said. “Green City Force was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that gave me so much insight and put me on a path that I was unaware I wanted to take before joining. Without Green City Force, I have no idea where I would be right now.”

For more than a decade, Green City Force’s (GCF) AmeriCorps program has been training NYCHA residents ages 18 to 24 to be leaders in the green industry. The AmeriCorps program provides full-time service projects, training, and education on sustainability and green technologies; a stipend; free transportation; and assistance with job and college placement. Many of GCF’s Corps Members are young people of color, primarily Black youth, who are being provided a pathway to sustainable careers. In 2020, GCF graduated its 20th cohort, continuing to increase access to ensure that the conversation and work to make the future more sustainable is one that includes marginalized communities as well.

GCF Corps Members have helped build the six Farms at NYCHA and manage and maintain five of the farms (at Bay View, Forest, Howard, Mariners Harbor, and Wagner Houses). Corps Members have helped transform their own neighborhoods, growing fresh produce for residents in neighborhoods that have often been called “food deserts.” Since 2016, GCF Corps Members have held approximately 830 events, including cooking demonstrations and educational activities, and have distributed 123,000 pounds of fresh produce at farm stands, which operate from May through November. These young people are not only receiving green education but are also helping to educate fellow residents on adopting sustainable practices.

“Last June, in recognition of Juneteenth, GCF announced it would rename the beds at our five farm sites after Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) people who have led the way to combat social, environmental, and food injustice to create a sustainable and equitable future,” Tonya Gayle, Executive Director of GCF, said. “In January, Hakim led GCF’s MLK COVID-19 relief distribution at Bay View, giving residents 250 pounds of produce to address food insecurity priorities which have been a great concern to him throughout the pandemic. He is a strong example of young leaders who serve as role models for others and message every day in his life and work our vision of a just and equitable future green city. We’re proud to have Hakim and Ruthanne as important members of the GCF family.”

Mr. Jeffrey got his start at GCF as an Urban Farm Corps Member in 2018. It was his mother, Ruthanne Jeffrey, who saw the flyer in the lobby and gave it to him. Watching her son go through the Green City Force program has made her so proud. “Hakim has become more knowledgeable about the well-being of his community and his health, and he has improved in his communication,” she said.

Ms. Jeffrey is an advocate for GCF both as a parent, resident, and NYCHA employee. She attends as many GCF events as possible, loves picking up her fresh produce, and talks to her neighbors and anyone else who will listen about the work GCF does. “I’m very proud and honored that he was given the opportunity to work at GCF. Green City Force has been very good to my family. They are doing an awesome job by bringing our youth together to engage the community by producing and distributing organic vegetables and also training the youth to have great employment opportunities in the future. I see the young people are inspired, they stay motivated, and they empower each other,” she said.

Mr. Jeffrey is one of 547 NYCHA residents who have graduated from GCF, many of whom are out in their communities using their knowledge and skills to help the environment and improve public health.

“I learned a lot about myself throughout my term of service,” he said. “I never knew how much discipline I had. In high school, I didn’t have the best attendance or the best grades, but I always knew I was a smart kid and could excel past the standards. Being in GCF taught me how discipline and hard work could take me places.”

He left his term of service early to work as a landscape installer, but when the opportunity to work at GCF came up, he jumped at the chance because “when it comes to doing this kind of work at my development, I’m more passionate about it because it’s about building up our youth, giving them insight about what they can do for themselves and their communities,” Mr. Jeffrey said. He is one of 15 current GCF staff members who were formerly Corps Members.

Mr. Jeffrey now sees his future path clearly thanks to GCF: youth mentorship and development. “One thing I needed at school was for someone to relate to the barriers I had. I’d like to engage more in social work and go to school to be educated about mental health. Growing up, I’ve seen a lot of things perceived as really bad behavior when it was really that youth were not getting the support they needed from a strength-based approach. With GCF, we are building up our youth, reinforcing the things they excel at, that they’re strong at, so they know they are worthy. Young people really need to hear that.”

To learn more about Green City Force, visit greencityforce.org.