Tarik’s Testimonial:
Green City Force has made a significant impact on my life by teaching me about the harmful effects of excessive consumption of our resources on the environment. I have learned about the different components needed to build and maintain an energy efficient building while also improving the environment around us. I have been fortunate to be a part of this program because the level of violence in my community has skyrocketed to new heights. GCF has helped deter me from wasting my time on the streets and has kept me in the books. I have been lucky enough to be a part of a solar panel installation, service devoted to packing healthy food for elderly people, and a project in which I trained by rebuilding homes for the victims of Superstorm Sandy. I achieved all of this while learning proper business etiquette and pursuing an opportunity to advance to college. I see the looks from those in my neighborhood when they see me in my GCF uniform and I can tell that they want to be a part of something bigger than the nonsense that they see every day. I will continue to absorb all of the information provided to me so that I may continue to ascend to bigger and better opportunities.
It has been an entire calendar year that I have been fortunate to experience Green City Force. As a Corps Member, I performed activities that allowed me to serve my community and be a true force to society. Those acts of making someone smile made the work more meaningful than just receiving a paycheck. I learned plumbing, electrical and also how to engage in environmental education. I gained an astronomical amount of knowledge about the dimensions of recycling, the ecosystem, how to build, how to grow, and how to sustain our environment. As a Corps Member I have had the most valuable six-month tenure anywhere since my senior year of high school. My last few months in GCF as a Service Associate have been remarkable as well. I have continued to engage with residents on how to save energy and money with Love Where You Live. I joined GCF because I love where I live and I wanted to be a force of change within it. I have now been able to participate in public speaking, which has always been of interest to me. Through GCF I have been able to use my stipend to acquire an extensive amount of books. I have been able to do more reading in my spare time which has inspired my to go to college. I will work for at least two years before I enroll however.
The difference between being a Corps Member and a Service Associate has been the leadership opportunities. As a Service Associate, I was required to assist the Corps Members in their development. I have had to take the lead more than I can remember in any time in my life. The experience has made me embrace learning from others as well. You have to learn others’ strengths and help them use those strengths to teach others and turn their weaknesses into strengths. My experience in GCF culminates on January 9th, at Graduation, which is also my birthday. It seems as though I have come full circle from a Corps Member to a Service Associate. I express great gratitude for having been a part of GCF, growing as an individual and learning new things. Although I am moving on from GCF, I am an Alumni, and there are great opportunities on the horizon.
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