The Project Coordinator Fellowship
(PCF)program works tirelessly to close
the opportunity gap of low to moderate income Essex County young adults between
the ages of 16-24. The PCF program aims to enhance professional
development and reduce youth unemployment for young people who live in and
around Newark.
Read on to hear the experience of one of the 150 fellows who benefit from the
PCF program each year.
Kaltoum Elwazna is currently a
senior at William Paterson University studying towards her bachelor’s degree in
Computer Information Technology. When not attending classes, Kaltoum is a member
of the National Honor Society and takes time to draw and make stickers!
Kaltoum at ASP Desk
Kaltoum
spent her PCF internship with All Stars Project
of New Jersey. All Stars Project (ASP) is a national nonprofit that uses a performance-based
approach to help tens of thousands of inner-city youth and their families
create success in their lives. ASP believes that afterschool is the best time
to bring young people growing up in poor communities into the mainstream. They
start to connect to opportunities, to the world of success, to the business
community and all sorts of experiences that are far from where they come from,
sparking their desire to learn and grow. When asked about her time at ASP,
Kaltoum stated:
“While interning,
I have learned about different software for collecting data. I have completed
multiple projects for the Development School for Youth program (DSY) like
collecting data from surveys and inputting all participants information into
Smartsheets. I gained better organization skills and multitasking skills
because now I get up to 3 projects to do every day and they all need to get
done. This helps me with school projects and staying organized on all
assignments.”
Not only has Kaltoum successfully graduated the PCF program, she
also received a part-time position at ASP! When discussing her employment
opportunities and future goals, Kaltoum remarked that:
“My
current position at All Stars is the administrative assistant and I received
this part-time position after the 3 months of diligently organizing data and
inputting information the best that I could to help the All Stars Project stay
more organized. After this position, I plan on being an app developer for a
bigger company someday.”
PCF experiences
such as Kaltoum’s could not be possible without the support and mentorship of
individuals like you! If you’re interested in getting involved in the Project
Coordinator Fellowship program, as either a fellow, sponsor, or leader, click here to learn more.
Project Coordinator’s (PC’s) are stewards and ambassadors of Jersey Cares, leading other volunteers in projects that benefit the community. Project Coordinators drive social change by leading well-managed, sustainable projects and programs that meet community-identified needs and provide volunteers with a positive experience, inspiring everyone to continue their journey of service. This article is part of an ongoing series highlighting opportunities and partner agencies that have a need for Project Coordinators.
Emilio Panasci,
Co-Director of Operations and Education for the SWAG Project (also known as
Planting Seeds of Hope) at Plant it Forward in Newark, can be seen in many different lights. However, a visionary and a leader are what are
undeniably true. Leading many different volunteer opportunities and working
hard to provide community food access for residents of Newark, Emilio and his
team are increasing the educational and economic opportunities around Newark to
take back control of their local food system and health. We decided to
interview Emilio and dig a bit deeper to find out what the motivation was to
create this opportunity.
What
made you want to start this initiative and what steps did you have to take to
get there?
“S.W.A.G Project Farm started as a partnership between TEAM
Academy, Peshine Avenue School, First Tabernacle House of Worship, and the City
of Newark. My organization, Planting Seeds of Hope, played a facilitator role.
We built a small community garden on the grounds of the Tabernacle. our
assumption was students and teachers would adopt the garden as their own with
the help of the church. However, management of a community garden was something
that needed more help and so my organization stayed involved at first very
casually, but each year started adding more growing space and programs. By the
time we got from 2009 to 2013 we were already having enrichment classes in the
Spring and Fall for students, on-site farm stand, and even helping other
organizations start gardens around the city!”
Planting Seeds of Hope
is seen as more than just a way to plant and grow healthy food. It also serves as an opportunity to provide a deeper
relationship with the City of Newark and involve the community to gain a sense
of community surrounding the topic of food access. The program serves to build
a more unified community. With the countless volunteer opportunities Planting
Seeds of Hope offers for the community, we asked Emilio what he found most
enjoyable about the experience and what are the major takeaways he would like
his volunteers to walk away with.
What
is your favorite part of everything that you do?
“Not to sound corny but my favorite part of
Urban Agriculture work is just connecting with people around the joy of being
outside and being around healthy food and nature. We love that we make an
impact on people’s health and on their lifestyle, and for grant applications we
must quantify our impact with specific evaluation measures. Yet I think so much
of community development is intangible. On a day-to-day basis one of the best
things is just joking around with a volunteer at the garden or market, while
also discussing what healthy local food means in their life, knowing they will
always think “local food” is cool and exciting.
What
are some takeaways you want volunteers and Project Coordinators to have at the
end of the opportunity?
“When people volunteer with us, I hope that
they get first and foremost a fun experience and a sense of belonging no matter
what their background or life situation may be like. Being in a garden and
working with soil and plants should be a relaxing and inclusive experience. We
are not a place that needs to demand a lot of hard work or skill level when you
first visit us. In fact, we want people to be creative and ask questions and
just do what they are able, not more. The philosophy is that if people want to
get more serious about agriculture or food justice in the future, they need to
have fun first! Then, there are many places that they can pursue more advanced
training, but they could always remember that they got their start and they
have a family of support at S.W.A.G. project- and they can always come back and
take on more responsibility and projects!”
Learning more about the
man behind S.W.A.G. Project, we had to find out more information on who Emilio
was outside of his organization and what drives his passion. When asking Emilio
more about what keeps him motivated, he stated,
“I’ve always been interested in nature, but I am definitely not
an agriculture specialist. In fact, I went to school for Urban Planning
(Undergraduate in Literature and Philosophy) and consider myself sort of a
Community Organizer and Project Manager.
Yet really, I’m a Facilitator of the Development of Community Based
Projects trying to bring together lots of other people to work in collaboration
and obtain the resources they need to be successful. But local food system
projects touch on everything that I care about from environmental and health
improvement to racial and social justice issues. I love getting my hands dirty
and I also love talking to local government officials and funders at fancy
meetings. I love teaching kids about worms as well as seeing land be
rehabilitated and preserved for ag! I guess I like that this kind of work has
many sides to it and is never dull.
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