On a snowy Saturday, January 11, 2025, Common Ground hosted the first Seeds of Change summit, a powerful gathering that brought together 40 attendees from 15 organizations, high schools, and colleges across New Haven, united in their commitment to building a brighter future.
Common Ground’s Green Jobs Corps (GJC) has connected young people with paid environmental and public health jobs in New Haven for more than a decade, connecting young leaders with hands-on opportunities to tackle real-world environmental challenges. Despite the weather, the event was an opportunity to highlight the incredible progress and impact the Green Jobs Corps has achieved over the last 16 years, focused on empowering youth, fostering environmental sustainability, and promoting leadership development.
The summit featured keynote speeches from Mayor Justin Elicker, who shared his vision for a more sustainable and equitable future, 
and Keyana White, EPA Environmental Justice Program Specialist, who emphasized the importance of environmental justice in community development. Crystal A. Fernández, the event organizer and GJC director at Common Ground, kicked off the proceedings with opening remarks and set the stage for a day of dialogue and collaboration. Reflecting on the theme, Fernández reminded attendees that “each idea, every conversation, and each step forward is a seed that holds the potential to transform not only your own lives but also the lives of those around you.”
A highlight of the event was the Green Jobs Corps interns, who showcased their youth-led projects. Six groups of interns presented their initiatives, demonstrating the creativity, dedication, and leadership of the young people involved in the Green Jobs Corps program. Their projects illustrated the powerful role youth can play in environmental and community change, ranging from a duck pond to improve flood resiliency along Common Ground’s campus, to contributing to the City of New Haven’s Vision 2034 Plan.
Workshops at the event included:
- Mapping Assets & Challenges In Our Community
Facilitators: Fatima Cecunjanin, Senior Project Manager, and Esther Rose-Wilen, Assistant Director of Comprehensive Planning
This workshop focused on understanding the resources and challenges in the community. Participants learned how to map community assets and identify key challenges that need to be addressed to drive sustainable change. - Action Planning for EJ Problem-Solving
Facilitator: Candi Fulcher, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Common Ground
In this session, participants were guided through developing actionable strategies for addressing Environmental Justice (EJ) challenges in their communities, focusing on policy advocacy and community-based projects.
Other event highlights included:
- Interactive networking sessions, where attendees from diverse backgrounds forged new connections, exchanged ideas, and discussed collaboration opportunities.
- A self-catered networking lunch, featuring rescued food from Haven’s Harvest, provided attendees the opportunity to ask questions, connect, and sign up to support each other’s projects. This informal setting allowed for deeper conversations and meaningful collaboration across organizations.
We are thrilled with the growth and momentum that emerged from the event, as we continue to plant the seeds for a future where youth are empowered to lead and sustainable change is achievable. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners, sponsors, and volunteers who made this event possible. Your unwavering support is key to our shared success and, together, we are creating a lasting impact.
The following organizations and schools were represented at the event:
- Urban Resources Initiative
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Haven’s Harvest
- University of Connecticut
- City of New Haven
- Common Ground High School
- Sound School
- Hampshire College
- Hill Regional Career High School
- New Haven Climate Movement
- Gateway Community College
- Wilbur Cross High School
- New Haven Leon Sister City Project
- Nappesoul, Inc.
We are excited to continue this journey and build on the relationships and momentum cultivated at Seeds of Change. Let’s keep pushing forward, creating opportunities for youth and building transformative community efforts, one step at a time.
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