Greater Newark Conservancy

Many Greater Newark Conservancy program participants acquire marketable skills as they help improve the environment and appearance of the city. The Conservancy's Job Training Program provides supervised training to students, the unemployed, employees of local businesses, and even inmates on work-release. Trainees beautify sites while learning techniques of soil preparation, planting, plant care, pruning, mulching, maintenance, and other landscaping and horticultural skills. As a result, they increase their employability and earning potential.

Work in the Recruitment of Minorities for Environmental Careers

While minority career development is not the Greater Newark Conservancy's main purpose, the nature of the Conservancy's programming lends itself to job training and ultimately, career development. In addition to exposing minority students to fields of study that are traditionally underrepresented by minorities, particularly Hispanic, participation in Conservatory programming has given students the skills to pursue new interests further. In addition to formal Conservancy programming, staff participates in frequent career development programs at the elementary, high school and university levels. through presentations, workshops and other speaking opportunities, the Conservancy has engaged the interest of thousands of Hispanic and African Americans in environmental and science careers, resource management and environment law.

As a result, local minority students are seeking careers in the natural sciences like horticulture and botany, while others have discovered an interest in landscaping and architecture, and still others in environmental law.

Recently, students from the Chad Academy, a predominantly minority school in Newark, participated in the construction of the Centennial Trail, Essex County's first scenic, self-guided nature trail built completely by students.

Students from Newark's Science High School, a local magnet school for the ? are using Conservancy programming as a vehicle for pursuing careers in the ? and the environment. With a nearly 45% Latino population, Science High School encourages careers in the sciences, including natural resource and environmental sciences. During the spring of 1994, members of Science High School ? club traveled to the Camden Street School in Newark to teach