Green City Force
Model & Strategy
Green City Force’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty, preparing urban young adults to succeed in their chosen careers by engaging them in service, training and work experiences related to the clean energy economy. In doing so, they encourage participants to lead socially and environmentally responsible lives. Green City Force envisions a “green city” built on principles of sustainability, social, economic and environmental justice.
To achieve this vision, they work through a model city-wide Clean Energy Corps in New York City that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, inspires passion for sustainability and service, stimulates the demand for green services, and creates ladders to careers in the green economy for young people living in poverty. Green City Force’s ambition is that national service directed at reducing green-house gas emissions and improving the environment becomes an avenue to prosperity for generations of urban youth, as well as a means to build a culture of sustainability that can drive the growth of the green economy.
As an Echoing Green Fellow in 1993, Lisbeth Shepard co-founded Unis-Cité, the leading national service corps in France which engages over 1000 corps members in 27 cities and has inspired national civilian youth service legislation. Before founding Green City Force in 2009, Lisbeth served as chair of the national Clean Energy Corps Working Group at Green for All and worked with the After Prison Initiative of the Open Society Institute on the development of the Civic Justice Corps. Lisbeth, a graduate of Yale University, is co-author of the book Demain Le Service Civil.
IMPACT
In 2018, GCF’s graduate-driven social enterprise, the Illuminators, employed over 76 alumni on the country’s largest multi-family energy retrofit, ensuring that young residents connect to jobs created through this historic investment.
Since 2009, GCF has run 18 cohorts, engaging nearly 700 young adults with 80% of grads placed in work or in school within six months. GCF’s model inspired PowerCorps PHL, Philadelphia’s green jobs and service corps, serving 100 members annually.
GCF teams have reached 10,000 public housing residents with energy education and built the first urban farm in NYC public housing.
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RT @NYCHA: NYCHA staff is disinfecting high-traffic areas several times a week—please help us by taking these simple steps: 👉Dispose dail…
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Have you been counted? Green City Force's social enterprise team is working to spread awareness of the #Census2020!… https://t.co/YQyzZHh0ZS
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RT @NYCHA: NYC: Stay 👏 Home! 👏 By staying home, you help protect people who are most at risk for severe illness, including those who are ov…
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RT @NYCHA: Join for the below pop-up food distribution: 👉10:00 AM-1:00 PM - Johnson Community Center, 1833 Lexington Avenue, New York 👉10:…
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RT @CircularWeek: Workers as assets when creating a circular economy: Agreement to empower local & global employees + employers to re/up-sk…
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RT @NYCSpeakerCoJo: Things you can do while social distancing: - fill out the census - call people you love - take up a new hobby - fill ou…
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RT @NYCHA: At 6 @NYCHA developments across the city, young adult members of @GreenCityForce maintain & harvest our urban farms. Recently, t…
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We are looking for a dynamic and experienced manager with the skills and track-record to take all of Green City For… https://t.co/F6t8rHZu9Q
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RT @TheCorpsNetwork: In 2019, @AmeriCorps members in our Opportunity Youth Service Initiative opened 89 acres of urban green spaces, instal…
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GCF has a call to action for all New Yorkers! The #2020Census is: 🔒Safe ⏩ Easy ❗ Important With just 10 minutes… https://t.co/rmEnUvxvsB
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Happy #WomensHistoryMonth! In celebration of women's leadership, we'd like to say congratulations to NYC Women's Ca… https://t.co/GSw1u0q9Eb
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RT @AdrienneEAdams: Congrats to our new @NYCCouncil @WomensCaucusNYC co-chairs @CMFarahLouis & @Vanessalgibson
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RT @YouthBuildUSA: Great job, Alexa!
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RT @SandyScott1: Thank you @DorothyStoneman & Michael Brown. You have turned ideas into life-changing programs and are continuing inspirati…
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RT @TheCorpsNetwork: Very proud of Ryan Shelton, @AmeriCorps alum of @TheCCLB & one of our 2020 Corpsmembers of the Year. #nationalservice…
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RT @TheCorpsNetwork: "Everything happens for a reason...it is an undeniable truth. It is important to pay attention to how each moment or s…
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RT @alffayard: Excited to attend @GreenCityForce cohort 20 graduation!
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RT @NYCHA: The graduation for the 20th cohort of @GreenCityForce is underway in Brooklyn, as 50 young adult @NYCHA residents celebrate thei…
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RT @NYCHA: Speakers and community leaders are speaking here at the event, each taking their turn thanking the @GreenCityForce graduates for…