WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAM TO PLANT FORTY TREES IN SOUTH SIDE NEIGHBORHOODS

Imani Green Health Advocates are currently working to plant 40 trees in Pullman and its surrounding neighborhoods. Photo Credit: Katherine Newman
Imani Green Health Advocates are currently working to plant 40 trees in Pullman and its surrounding neighborhoods. Photo Credit: Katherine Newman

Workforce Training Program To Plant Forty Trees In South Side Neighborhoods

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Trinity United Church of Christ is currently hosting the second cohort of advocates in its 12-week Imani Green Health Advocate workforce training program as part of the Imani Village project. Throughout October, the trainees are working to plant 40 trees across the south side in Pullman, Roseland, Washington Heights, Chatham, and Cottage Grove Heights.

Imani Village is a concept that was created by Trinity United Church of Christ with the purpose of empowering the “underserved and historically disenfranchised” residents of the Pullman neighborhood and its surrounding communities. Imani Village and its many initiatives aim to create a sustainable and eco-friendly intergenerational community on the far south side of Chicago with a village environment and a commitment to education, health, and economic development, according to information provided by Imani Village.

Imani Village is located on 901 E. 95th St. and has partnered with Advocate Medical Group which operates several physician offices at Imani Village. The physicians who see patients at Imani Village specialize in everything from family medicine to preventative care to chronic care management and obstetrics and gynecology, according to information provided by Advocate Medical Group.

The Imani Village is still under development but one of the initiatives that has already been implemented is the Imani Green Health Advocates workforce training program.

“The Imani Green Health Advocates program is an entity under Imani Village and in the most simple terms, it’s their way of beginning to create a sustainable green community. This program looks at redeveloping a lot of the area that’s around this facility currently and this program is supposed to be a branch out into the community to spread the word on what it is they’re trying to do,” said Mya Gamble, program leader for the Imani Green Health Advocates.

This year’s cohort of Imani Green Health Advocates is almost done with the 12-week training program and for the rest of October, the cohort will work to connect with neighborhood schools, businesses, and residents to plant 40 trees that were donated to the Imani Green Health Advocates.

“We’re trying to spread this word of how nature equals health and the importance of taking care of the environment around us. We really wanted to bless people in the community with these trees and give them something that they could take ownership of and stewardship of,” said Gamble. “We also want to get youth interested in sustainability and the environment and get them used to being in green spaces.”

The Imani Green Health Advocates training program is made up of seven advocates under 30 years old who will soon graduate from the program with skills and certification that will help them transition into careers in conservation and community health fields.

“The Advocates came in with various background levels and we take that into account with how we’re training them and how we’re preparing them and making sure that we are putting each person in a position that they’re ready and capable of doing. We’ve pushed them, we’ve assisted them, and I believe I’ve seen each one of them grow. I think they have a new appreciation for nature and health overall,” said Gamble.

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