Bon Secours Community Works Community Resource Center
Located at 31 S Payson St, will be getting the keys within a month/month and a half and will be opening in February or March 2022. In the community resource center in house programs will be extended including employment development services and healthcare training. There will also be after school programs for young people including Wombworks Productions, Art with a Heart, and Boys and Girls Club to provide after school programming. There will be a variety of pop up workshops, elementary school sized gym, classrooms, computer rooms, yoga rooms etc. Working on finding the balance between structured programming and free, drop in programming.
Lisa: wanted to give some context–when the SWP was formed there were some grassroots community centers such as Clay Pots, the MLK Rec Center, etc. The UMB opened its CEC five or six years ago, now the West Baltimore Renaissance Foundation is opening one and Bon Secours Community Works is expanding. There has been an expansion of institutional resources in the community–very happy that they are expanding.
Are workforce programs extending beyond the current workforce training programs that are being offered? To Eric’s knowledge, no–programs are moving from Fulton to the new community center. Merceditas: the intent would be to potentially expand depending on funding resources–the new building provides the opportunity to do more in the way of workforce development.
Lisa wonders if there’s a way for community members to be connected with jobs at the new Grace Medical Center. Not sure if there’s a formal structure around that.
Angela–in the PATH program they look at available jobs on the job board.
Merceditas suggested talking to Anita Hammond. Joanne will connect Lisa to a personal friend who may be able to help.
Eric’s contact information: eric_johnson2@bshsi.org – 443-927-6676
Train and Work Resource Fair
11 vendors have signed up for the Train and Work Resource Fair next Tuesday. Currently have 57 people registered. This is a unique opportunity–Lisa encourages programs to share with their participants widely. Need a couple of volunteers to assist with registration.
Next resource fair is December 14th.
Announcements
Bon Secours Community Works is recruiting ages 18-24 for a three day a week CNA/GNA training 9-12/9-1. Will be attending the December resource fair.
Joanne asked about adult education in the neighborhood.
Roundtable would be interested in learning more about adult literacy programs and discussed about programs that offer basic computer skills training.
Lisa discussed the upcoming administrative assistant training program coming to the UMB CEC. Training will be provided by Humanim. Joanne suggested working Humanim on developing a social enterprise.
NPower has raised age limit to 26. Current age range is 18-26.
Groundworks Kitchen is accepting applications until December 3rd for the next culinary skills training program
Strength 2 Love: will be hosting training for participants to receive fertilizer applicator certifications in January. Will be posted through UMD Extension and will be offering paid internships on an urban farm in W Baltimore.
