United Way, Green Tech and The Center at Sierra Health Foundation Announce NetZero Mobility Hubs Partnership
SACRAMENTO – Twenty-five Black and Latinx youth from across the Sacramento region will have greater inroads to green jobs and local green infrastructure opportunities through the new NetZero Mobility Hubs program, which was announced at a press conference today by United Way California Capital Region, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and Green Tech. NetZero Mobility Hubs is funded through $500,000 in Community Project Funding secured by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA 7th District), who spoke at the event. The program also received $400,000 in grant funding from the NBA Foundation. The program will be managed by United Way and The Center, and implemented by Green Tech in partnership with The Center’s My Brother’s Keeper program.
“The program, funded by Community Project Funding secured by Congresswoman Doris Matsui and the NBA Foundation grant, will empower youth in our community to learn and develop skills in the green jobs industry,” said Dr. Dawnté Early, president and CEO, United Way California Capital Region. “Green jobs are the future of California and our country. We are grateful to Congresswoman Matsui, the NBA Foundation, The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and Green Tech for partnering with us. Together, we will ensure youth of color gain early access to this booming industry, breaking systemic and generational cycles of poverty in our region while improving our environment.”
NetZero Mobility Hubs will enroll Black, African, Hispanic and Latinx youth in environmentally focused workplace training programs tied to their individual interests, including construction, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, urban agriculture and more.
“In South Sacramento and other previously overlooked and under-resourced communities across the region, we see that the effects of climate change and air pollution are not equitably experienced. That’s why I was proud to secure $500,000 of federal funding to bring the infrastructure and training necessary to uplift our young people and empower them to lead the clean energy transition,” said Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07). “Sacramento is a place that works together towards our common goals. We support each other and invest in our future because we know that the success of our youth doesn’t just support our growth today, it sustains it for generations. With this coalition of wonderful partners, the program is ensuring we make these crucial investments in the heart of our community.”
Through Community Project Funding secured by Matsui for expansion of GreenTech’s Net Zero Mobility hub model, participants also will learn and build electric vehicle charging stations in South Sacramento. The stations will enable more equitable access to green infrastructure for neighborhood residents and businesses.
“Green Tech will ensure students gain real-world technological experience and increased knowledge of green jobs emerging in California, tied to their personal roadmap for success,” said Simeon Gant, board president, Green Tech. “This will set them up for internships, apprenticeships and jobs in the industry.”
Through Green Tech and The Center’s My Brother’s Keeper Sacramento program, youth participants also will receive case management and support, including financial literacy and life skills classes, resume development and interview preparation.
“As a health equity organization investing deeply in community-driven economic development, we recognize the connection of increased economic opportunities to better health,” said Chet P. Hewitt, founding CEO of The Center at Sierra Health Foundation. “As we work to build a greener economy, we must also work to create a more equitable economy by making sure all Californians – especially young people from communities that have often been left out of economic development plans – are exposed to and derive benefits from the technologies, jobs and careers being created as our economy responds to climate change. This expansion of the NetZero Mobility hub is designed to make these connections.”
Founded in 1923, United Way California Capital Region has been a transformative force in the Sacramento community for more than a century, serving Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties. The local United Way’s Square One approach to ending poverty is grounded in a public health model and uses a threefold strategy to address community needs from birth and beyond: helping kids excel in school, investing in families and strengthening schools. At United Way’s core is the philosophy that families possess the blueprint for their success. United Way supplies books to young children, provides literacy tutoring, addresses housing and food security, leads the region’s largest tax preparation initiative and launched Sacramento’s first guaranteed income program. United Way works across diverse school districts, providing case management for foster youth and leading the Community Schools initiative in West Sacramento. For more information or to make a donation, visit YourLocalUnitedWay.org.
The Center at Sierra Health Foundation promotes health and racial equity and justice in communities throughout California with local, state and national partners. The Center’s My Brother’s Keeper Sacramento program addresses health, education, employment and justice system disparities for young men of color through policy advocacy, systems change and support for effective programs. The Center’s Community Economic Mobilization Initiative leads its efforts equipping community organizations to leverage federal and state funding to build equitable climate resilience and economic development infrastructure. For more information, visit shfcenter.org.
Green Technical Education and Employment is a community-based nonprofit that provides quality workforce skills, education and health strategies to maintain sustainable communities. Green Tech is committed to providing career technical education, job creation, job training and entrepreneurial opportunities in the green economic sector. The program serves as a critical economic development resource for youth from underprivileged backgrounds. Green Tech simultaneously develops clean energy workforce skills and reverses the negative human impact on our environment. For more information, visit GreenTechEdu.org.