Brownsville Going Green

We are two young men who have grown up in Brownsville and want to make a change for our youth and community. For the first time, we are able to  have the Department of Transportation's permission for Open Streets on Blake Avenue between Rockaway Ave. and Mother Gaston Boulevard. But we don't have any funds for healthy activities for the children or to beautify our block and build community pride ad teach our children how to improve their environment. So, we are going raise money and use it to make healthy fresh food available, plant both edible and beautiful gardens, clean up the street, and create a safe, welcoming outdoor experience for all our community be erecting tents and bistro tables for the community to meet. We want to do a neighborhood clean-up, planting and greening, engaging our youth and teaching them about environmental education and diverting them from negative influences. Our street is between NYCHA projects and we want to teach the children to take pride in their environment and beautify and care for it.

July 23:: Meet with the community and plan our greening project.

July 39-Sept. 3 - We will work with community youth for clean-up, greening and create gatherings to eat fresh and healthy food 

Brownsville is one of the unhealthiest and lowest income neighborhoods in NYC. No comes to beautify our street if we don't do it ourselves. We have the highest teen pregnancy rate and among the highest crime rates in the city, along with high diabets and heart disease. We need to create positive activities for our youth so they are not lured into negative situations or violence. We created our Community Changing Fund to bring together members of our community to empower them to work together for positive environmental, social and economic change in Brownsville. If not us, who will do it? It takes a village. We are the village.