This cooperative agreement provides funding to the community foundation of southeastern massachusetts and the old bedford village development, a community-based nonprofit organization located in new…

This cooperative agreement provides funding to the community foundation of southeastern massachusetts and the old bedford village development, a community-based nonprofit organization located in new bedford, massachusetts. Old bedford village development is dedicated to community engagement with a special focus on the improvement of the local environment and public health as well as workforce development. Specifically for this project, old bedford village development will provide support to directly engage local residents in new bedford in training and local decision making at different levels of government and community-based organizations to ensure community voices are heard and work in partnership to find solutions to local environmental and public health issues that impact air, water and soil. Old bedford village development will also increase public awareness and access to local environmental careers by implementing a series of career forums and provide local access to job training, build skills for environmental careers including developing an apprenticeship program with local businesses for green employment in a working port and harbor community.activities:in this project old bedford village development will create and convene an environmental justice council including local community residents to create a space for participants to have an active voice in local decision making, share local knowledge about environmental and public health conditions, and to improve problem solving for existing environmental justice issues including 1-2 specific projects that local, state and/or federal government will work on together to improve local environment and public health conditions. This project will also convene 3 to 4 local companies from the maritime/sustainability sector and conduct a series of career awareness forums for high school students and adults to prepare youth and local community members for environmental careers. Old bedford village development will also hold 10 information/recruitment sessions for a new green jobs training project and select 20 community member individuals interested in environmental careers for comprehensive training in a range of professional classes including occupational health and safety, lead, asbestos and other basic courses in partnership with the institute of environmental education. The project will also recruit 4-6 local business partners to provide at least 20 job training project graduates with apprenticeship opportunities leading to on-the-job training and a path to successful career placement for green employment.subrecipient:old bedford village development will provide staff support to directly support project implementation including work to engage local residents in new bedford in training and local decision making at different levels of government and community-based organizations to ensure community voices are heard and work in partnership to find solutions to local environmental and public health issues that impact air, water and soil. Old bedford village development will also increase public awareness and access to local environmental careers by implementing a series of career forums and provide local access to job training, build skills for environmental careers including developing an apprenticeship program with local businesses for green employment in a working port and harbor community.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include: - recruitment of 6 - 12 stakeholders (businesses/nonprofits/government) and local residents to participate in environmental justice council meetings. - recruitment of at least 4 companies from environmental and marine industries to participate in community engagement forums focused on local environmental careers. - at least 6 local environmental careers community engagement forums. - recruitment and enrollment of at least 20 unemployed/underemployed community members into a new green emplo