NOS QUEDAMOS/ WE STAY (PRC Oral Storytelling Project)

In this episode, listeners will hear from the Chief Executive Director of Nos Quedamos/We Stay, Jessica Clemente, and Co-Founder Ana Vicenty.

Through engagement, Nos Quedamos (NQ) discovered that one of the community’s priorities is establishing 12 community gardens. The community gardens will be a source of local healthy food and a safe place where residents can gather and build community. NQ partnered with community members to plan the community garden network and leverage existing gardens into a community-wide system of open spaces. Infrastructure goals with the gardens include solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and wi-fi access to improve environmental impacts and encourage occupancy in the garden sites. Other resources NQ provides include job training, climate resilience leadership, and increased environmental education. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NQ developed a community needs survey to update their understanding of community needs. NQ will integrate the survey responses into their projects moving forward, which is a perfect example of responsive engagement.