On October 24, youth empowerment group YEAH Philly, in partnership with RE-volv, Good Power Collaborative (GEC) and GreenBrilliance, hosted a group celebration for its new 12-kW photo voltaic array that will meet 100% of YEAH Philly’s electrical energy wants.
Due to Billie Eilish and her followers, via Eilish’s Changemaker Program, a grant was made to RE-volv by way of REVERB, serving to YEAH Philly go photo voltaic and obtain these financial savings.
“Photo voltaic vitality is the longer term for nonprofits,” mentioned Kendra Van De Water, co-executive Director of YEAH Philly. “Not simply due to the associated fee financial savings, however as a result of this can be a means for us to put money into our communities.”
Since its founding in 2018, Black-led, community-based group YEAH Philly (Youth Empowerment for Development Hangout) has supplied 227 sustainable job alternatives or paid internships, court docket advocacy for 175 younger individuals and free groceries to over 17,000 group members.
The celebration featured meals, reside music, an area nonprofit useful resource honest, remarks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Billie Eilish was acknowledged on the occasion as a venture supporter via her Changemaker Program.
RE-volv, a nationwide nonprofit that develops and funds photo voltaic tasks for community-serving nonprofits, obtained the Changemaker grant that helped allow the photo voltaic set up for YEAH Philly. Hammond Local weather Options Basis Photo voltaic Moonshot Program additionally contributed grant help for the venture. The YEAH Philly photo voltaic venture was spearheaded by RE-volv Photo voltaic Ambassador fellows and GEC college students from Swarthmore Faculty. RE-volv’s Photo voltaic Ambassador Program is a clear vitality management coaching program for faculty college students in search of careers in clear vitality.
“Now we have all of the options we have to remedy the local weather disaster and supply reasonably priced, dependable, clear vitality in our communities, however not everybody is aware of this,” mentioned Andreas Karelas, government director of RE-volv. “When cultural icons like Billie Eilish use their platform to help tasks like photo voltaic for YEAH Philly, and lift consciousness about options, it’s one of the essential issues anybody can do.”
YEAH Philly’s photo voltaic venture is part of an ongoing partnership with Good Power Collaborative (GEC), targeted on cultivating youth and group management. Collectively, they provide hands-on workshops in photo voltaic vitality, inexperienced jobs and concrete agriculture, empowering younger individuals in West Philly to see themselves within the clear vitality motion.
“These are precisely the sorts of collaborations we have to create sustainable options for communities most affected by local weather change,” mentioned Giovanna Di Chiro, director of the Good Power Collaborative and Professor of Environmental Research at Swarthmore Faculty. “Participating younger individuals in hands-on local weather justice tasks is important to constructing a greater future, and having younger superstars like Billie Eilish champion the trigger solely amplifies the potential for constructive change.”
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