Service Corps
We are a movement. We are the Force.
Service Corps
The Service Corps is a structured, six-month full-time experience. GCF AmeriCorps members serve four days a week in the field in service, and one day a week in classroom training.
Service
Corps Members gain hands-on experience through service as part of a Cohort serving under the supervision of GCF staff. Service initiatives respond to needs in public housing communities, cultivating and distributing fresh produce, building sustainable green infrastructure, and reaching residents with sustainability programs. Includes visits and service with environmental partner organizations.
Training
Classroom training includes eco-literacy and applied environmental education. Corps Members train for and take the GPRO (Green Building Professional) certification administered by the U.S. Green Building Council as well as the OSHA-40 (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) certification. Trainings in agriculture, culinary skills and nutrition, electrical, carpentry, pest management, recycling and compost processing prepare Corps Members with technical skills for a range of sustainable career pathways. Training offerings vary according to in-demand employment skills. Professional Development workshops build job interview, networking, and resume writing skills, while Personal Development sessions equip members with transferable and life skills.
Check out the Corps Member Journey Map
Support
Corps Members are engaged in a deep personal development journey throughout their term of service.
Corps Members drive initiatives across the city every day, building, educating, and serving fellow residents to make NYC public housing communities stronger, greener and healthier and save residents money.
Eco2 Hubs are the next phase of GCF service, combining place-based investments with sustainability services.
GCF’s Service Corps builds and maintains urban farms in four boroughs that serve as horticulture, agriculture and green infrastructure training grounds and grow organic produce for local residents. Farms host weekly farm stands, as well as regular community events and workshops, and have distributed over 139,000 lbs. of produce since 2016. GCF serves as backbone to this multi-partner effort.
GCF’s flagship resident-to-resident education and action campaign has reached over 40,000 NYCHA residents since 2013. Corps Members distribute sustainability education and materials in partnership with NYCHA, City agencies, and nonprofits.
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Graduate Testimonial
“I’ve always been interested in horticulture, but I lacked the actual hands-on experience I felt was necessary to seriously get into the field.“
