project leader
Juanli C
location
5365 Broadway
(Marble Hill & Inward)
latest update rss
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the project

The mission of OSS Project (OSS) is to connect communities with artists to create gardens as places to empower, celebrate and reclaim identity and knowledge, using urban farming, storytelling, educational programming and community building as means to dismantle systemic and structural issues of social inequity and environmental justice.

Through community-led open calls, artists are invited to work in partnership with communities, resulting in collaborative creative processes in the form of gardens that serve as platforms for community self-development. 

In 2022 we installed solar lighting in one of our gardens in Marble Hill Houses, the solar panel is capable to light 6 lamps for 4-5 hours in the evening providing not only beautification to the garden, but also safety to the development, since the garden is located in the west access to the development. Beyond safety, this piece of infrastructure it has been used to unfold a new program about sustainability and renewable energy targeting youth and adults, with the goal of creating a more resilient and self-sufficient community. 

It is our goal to increase the lighting hours, specifically in the winter when there is less sunlight, to do so we need to upgrade our solar infrastructure. On top of that we want to expand our programing to Dyckman Houses with the goal of ultimately also installing solar lighting there. 

the steps

After receiving the funding we will:

- Evaluate the needs to increase the lighting hours at Marble Hill to 7-8 hours in the evening. 

- Upgrade the solar lighting infrastructure. 

- Prepare a series of 4 workshops about sustainability and renewable energy to be carried both at Marble Hill and Dyckman Houses in the summer. 

- Conduct community outreach to invite the extended community to participate in the workshops.

- Establish partnership with local community centers and public schools to reach the youth. 

why we're doing it

The main goal of the OSS programs has expanded to build a healthier community by creating awareness of health, coexistence, cultural identity, renewable energy and sustainability in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. With an emphasis on children, youth and seniors citizens, the programs give the local community the autonomy to be more self-sufficient. By materializing these ideas in a garden, we are creating green spaces, public art projects, and programs with powerful educational capacities that use storytelling, farming and community building as means to visualize and discuss the communal experience.

OSS gardens engage a greater part of their community by creating awareness among participants about the benefits and importance of being an active community member, enlisting them as ambassadors to their neighbors to ensure a long-lasting commitment to the garden, and in turn, to their community, fortifying the local network.

OSS wants to bring equal opportunities of education on environmental issues, health initiatives, arts, and culture to underserved communities, developing alternative, free after-school programming for kids and youth, and further programming for adults and senior citizens. OSS is serving as a model that can be easily replicated in other communities, encouraging public housing residents to engage with public space to enable social change.

Furthermore, OSS is giving the opportunity to local artists and professionals to develop their practice professionally and to encourage their continued activity.

Finally, OSS also seeks to breakdown barriers between different public spaces, facilitating the intersection of public housing residents with the surrounding community by establishing direct partnerships with local organizations, developing cross-community workshops, and activating a range of underutilized public spaces.

budget

Final budget

5/17/2023

$180 –  Promotion and community outreach for the program.

$257 – Purchase materials for workshops.

$500 – covers honorarium for 2 in person workshop instructors.

$700 –  Programming and coordination of workshops and gardens.

$2500 – Maintenance and installation of solar panel, lighting, etc.

 


TOTAL RAISED = $4,200.00
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) N/A
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $63.00
TOTAL TO DISBURSE= $4,137.00

Original budget

$150 – helps us pay for volunteers’ transportation cost for on-site events

$350 –  Promotion and community outreach for the program. 

$500 – Purchase materials for workshops.

$1000 – covers honorarium for  4 in person workshop instructors.

$1500 –  Programing and coordination of workshops and gardens. Including translation services to Spanish. 

$2500 – Maintenance and installation of solar panel, lighting, etc.

 



TOTAL PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED $6,000
ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) N/A
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%)
(Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.)
$91
TOTAL TO RAISE= $6,091

Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign.

 

updates

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photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • NovelEco Project
  • JF
  • Rodolfo K.
  • MIA RUYTER
  • MIA RUYTER
  • Chris Choi
  • Anonymous