New Holly neighborhood youth activist Khepra Ptah comes from a family of social justice advocates. He’s worked as an educator for the People Of Color Against AIDS Network (P.O.C.A.A.N) and the Pan African Student Youth Movement and recently helped the Washington Army National Guard clean up hazardous materials in Iraq.
Khepra, with the help of seven other young people from the Rainier Valley and the Central District are spearheading a new youth initiative project funded by Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods.
“With green collar careers, we can build a green economy and heal the environment and give everyone a winning chance to live in a better world,” said Khepra.
So far the group has participated in neighborhood litter clean-ups, observed environmental contamination in south end and CD neighborhoods, toured a super fund clean-up site, visited a construction apprenticeship program to learn about sustainable green practices, helped pass a recent King County motion on green jobs and much more.
Got Green is taking the opportunity to initiate community dialog in Central and South Seattle on the subject of green-collar jobs and “establish a reasonable connection to the pressing everyday conditions and issues faced by neighbors, friends, and families who are dealing with the realities of persistent economic challenges.”
Members are busy participating in research, environmental classes and field trips, as well as networking with local businesses, mentors and guest speakers to learn more about upcoming growth sectors for local green-collar jobs and micro-business opportunities.
By communicating what they learn from this exploratory and participatory process, Got Green youth will broaden their community’s understanding of a “sustainable green society” and why it is relevant to their current environment and lives.
Guided by a team of adult volunteers with years of community organizing experience in construction trades and other sectors who live and work in these neighborhoods, Got Green has collaboratively developed leadership skills, knowledge, and confidence via community observations, outreach, activism, public speaking and clean-up projects.
“The objective is to empower youth leaders to be able to talk to and take action with their peers about the growing green economy and its opportunities to move their communities out of poverty and into clean, healthy, and sustainable opportunities,” said adult volunteer and longtime community activist Michael Woo. “Revealing deeper connections between people and nature will propel conversation, creative thinking, and ultimately allow everyone’s involvement in finding innovative solutions and ideas to these complex, multi-layered issues of social and environmental sustainability.”
Got Green is a new youth initiative project funded by Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods. Photo/Got Green
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