Announcement
New Roots NY and IRC in NYC's POWER (Providing Opportunities for Women’s Economic Resilience) program have teamed up this summer for their second food and agriculture training. The food and agriculture training program focuses on team building and professional development skills while exposing program participants to employment opportunities within the food and agriculture industries in and around NYC.
IRC refguee clients in New York show off their cooking skills at dinner.
Photo: Kathleen McTigue/IRC
On Tuesdays, participants hosted a series of cooking demonstrations at the IRC’s community garden in the Bronx. Participants had the opportunity to share recipes they cook for their families with the community, while using fresh ingredients from the New Roots garden. The recipes covered were a blend of both traditional cuisine from their home countries with ingredients they could find in local markets. One student commented, “Since coming to the United States I have learned that I need to eat healthy. Here I learned about kale. I take home Kale from the garden and cook it for my family.” The cooking demonstrations assisted the clients in improving their communication and public speaking skills, while also allowing them to engage with community members.
In addition to cooking demonstrations, students went on several field trips to food related industries in the greater New York area. Field trips included: Hot Bread Kitchen, Eat Offbeat, Rise and Root farm, Kelly Street community garden, and La Familia Verde farmer’s market. Upon completion of the training, students will use the skills they developed during the course to find gainful employment in food and agriculture related industries. The IRC economic empowerment team, along with the New Roots program, will provide continuing employment placement and career development support for all graduates of the program.