BUILDING COMMUNITIES & PROMOTING ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT
There are many issues that our community faces, from increasing child hunger to lack of economic oportunity and employment. Northern Appalachian Socio-Economic Collaborative works at the ground level, helping bring residents together to tackle difficult issues and create momentum. Our collaborative offers programs and creates events that are meant to unify our community and work for the long term good.
In North West Pennsylvania & Western New York
LEAP SUMMIT
This collaborative project provides domestic service mission opportunities in our region with the intent to build sustainable, long-term relationships, raise awareness of rural American poverty - and provide a means to combat this poverty.
A Leap Week is an opportunity for groups to partner with our region through educational service or spiritual missions based camps in our region.
THE GROWERS PROJECT
NASEC has a multi-level plan to stimulate economic growth through new and better utilization of our existing land resources.
The first part of the program was a community garden project to benefit residents by teaching vegetable gardening and food preservation and donating the proceeds to the food bank for distribution at the Cuba Cultural Center. In 2015, our "proof of concept year" we grew about 400 lbs of naturally grown produce in ten garden boxes in the town of Cuba, NY. We are expanding the program each year. In 2016, this program tripled! Contact us to get in on it next year!
INITIATIVES
Northern Appalachian Service Missions
Agricultural & Forest Revitilization
The second part our program is now kicking off. We call it the "fallow fields" project. If we look around us, we have so many farms sitting unused for years. Our goal is to utilize some of those unused resources in new ways for the economic good of the area. We are starting with building a cooperative of garlic growers and beginning the educational process and land preparation this year.
Additional projects include agroforestry and organic livestock management.
Collaborating with the Cornell Extension, we hosted Beginning Farmer classes in the spring of 2016. These were a great success! People learned a lot and really enjoyed the classes. We hope to host them again in 2017, or sooner if there is enough interest. Contact us for details.
Fighting Hunger and Growing resources for our children
Over 52% of the children in Allegany County are eligible for free meals at school, but that still is not enough food for children to be able to focus in class. Research proves that hunger adversely affects learning.
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Child hunger is affecting the learning capacity of children in many of our rural school districts. Presently, some snacks are being provided to some of the students to make it through the day, but there is not enough to for all of the children in need.
NASEC BUSINESS SERVICS
Helping Local Small Businesses Shine
Starting in June 2017, NASEC will be hosting the Cuba Farmers & Artisans Market on East Main Street. Join us Friday evenings from 4 to 7 PM and find locally grown, locally created artisan items and food that support our local economy.
In 2015, NASEC initiated a two county wide growing initiative to grow produce for our local community through the Garden Boxes project. Through the collaborative efforts of businesses and organizations in our area, the project has tripled since its inception. Responsibility for this project is now under the control of the organization for which the produce was grown.
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Produce Garden Boxes:
LEAP Together
CUBA FARMERS & ARTISANS MARKET
Locally Grown, Artisan Created, Community Minded
Collaboration is what we do. NASEC Business Services aims to connect and collaborate with local small businesses and solve their creative, online, and managment needs by providing services that focus on their business goals. We offer online presence and social media managment, design, simple marketing, and branding consultation, along with business management and growth consultation services to boost local businesses in our community and help them shine.
Video Projects
Through the use of new media, NASEC is seeking to raise awareness and give a voice and sight to the current living conditions in Western NY and Northern Pennsylvania. The natural beauty and deep poverty provide a striking narrative about both the future and past of our region.
We believe that by sharing the personal stories of the people and places in Northern Appalachia, we can raise awarness of the growing poverty and initiate momentum & investment into this region.
By documenting our process, we hope to one day share our journey towards an economically, and civically stronger region with other struggling rural communties.
Check out one of our most recent films here.
Northern Appalachia Film