Neighborhood Allies

Last week, President and CEO, Presley Gillespie and Founder and Managing Director of Steel Smiling, Julius Boatwright participated at the #ItsNeeded Conference. The #ItsNeeded Conference aims to bring together community leaders, law enforcement, students, mental health professionals, and other stakeholders to discuss key issues affecting our society, including policing and public safety, gun violence prevention, mental health awareness, and healing and reconciliation. Presley served as moderator while Julius was a panelist for the Mental Health and Wholistic Healing Panel.

Put on every year by AIA Pittsburgh | The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, #PittsburghArchitectureWeek celebrates the built environment of greater Pittsburgh and elevates the impact that architecture, and the designers behind it, impact our daily lives. Our Social Impact Design team works regularly with architects and designers to translate community vision into fundable design projects. These designers include members of SID’s Equity-Centered Designer Network as well as members of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA Pittsburgh). To celebrate Architecture Week, we spoke with some of our collaborators about their favorite buildings and public spaces in the Pittsburgh region. Check it out! https://bit.ly/4f2WYEX

This #DIW2024, we're reflecting on some of our recent work in Digital Inclusion! Neighborhood Allies launched Digital Skills classes for Adults in June 2024! ?? We're lucky to partner with 3 sites currently: Wilkinsburg Public Library, C.C. Mellor Memorial Library, and the Homewood-Brushton YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh! Karen Lue, our Senior Program Manager for Digital Inclusion, says this about the classes: ?? “We aim to be intentional with these digital skills classes, focusing on areas and neighborhoods that do not have existing digital skills resources and working with our partner organizations to host our classes in a space that is welcoming and trusted by the community. Our goal is to ensure that all residents are equipped with the skills and confidence to thrive in today’s society.” ?? Read more: https://bit.ly/4eWhebo | written by Ibrahim Emara #LetsBeAllies #DigitalInclusionWeek National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA)

This past summer, members of the Carnegie Mellon University's UDream program and Neighborhood Allies’ Real Estate Co-Powerment Series, along with others who work in the community development space, came together for Urban Land Institute Pittsburgh's innovative UrbanPlan workshop. During this one-day workshop for community groups and community members, 23 participants engaged with land use decisions through real-world simulation. Attendees of the workshop were introduced to topics such as the basics of a pro forma, the economics and community benefits of different building types, and more! Read more: https://bit.ly/484Cny7 #PittsburghArchitectureWeek AIA Pittsburgh | The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects

Are you interested in learning more about diversity and disability inclusion, or do you have an interest in, disability rights, racial equity and economic justice? Join The Alliance for Access and Assets on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, to learn about healthcare access at the intersection of race, ethnicity, disability and financial security. Register today: https://bit.ly/3BFGcO2 #letsbeallies

We were honored to join PA State Treasurer Stacy Garrity today at Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University to celebrate more than $100 million saved by Keystone Scholars families in companion PA 529 Savings accounts! Our program, Fund My Future PGH, is a proud partner of the treasury. Thank you for including us in this exciting announcement! "Our goal is for every child in Allegheny County to have their own savings account by the time they start school. With our continued partnership with Pennsylvania Treasury and through Keystone Scholars, we're closer to making that a reality.” - Toni Corinealdi, Senior Program Manager of Empowerment and Outreach at Neighborhood Allies. Read more and watch a video of the remarks here: https://lnkd.in/ed8QNBH6

?? Join us this week and next for two FREE financial education workshops with Citizens! These virtual sessions are tailored for small business owners! Here are the details: ?? Friday, October 11th, 12-1 pm | Financing Your Business: Discover the many ways to finance your business at every stage and learn the 5 Cs of credit. ?? Wednesday, October 16th, 12-1 pm | Financial Management: Review key financial statements that help you understand how cash flows through your business. ?? RSVP HERE: https://bit.ly/3Bx2Rfe (Plus, if you're a graduate of our Get Online Grow Online program, join us on October 24th for a Happy Hour! ?? RSVP at the same link).

Did you know that it's ALSO #NationalDigitalInclusionWeek?!?? To mark the occasion, we're highlighting one of our awesome partners, Cloud Collective Media Productions! They are a Black-led, commercially certified drone company that specializes in aerial photography and videography production. They also host a Flight Club - a recreational drone academy based in STEAM education and designed to educate and inspire BIPOC participants, and all participants alike. CCMP held an open house on October 4th to celebrate its new teaching space at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA. They plan to use the space to continue their Flight Club Academy and grow class offerings and workforce development opportunities for youth and adults in Homewood and beyond. Read more: https://bit.ly/4h8G0XU #DIW2024 National Digital Inclusion Alliance

Our Social Impact Designer, Jordan Swartz, has recently been named to AIA Pittsburgh | The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Institute of Architects's Leadership Institute! Congratulations, Jordan! #PittsburghArchitectureWeek #LetsBeAllies Read more: https://bit.ly/47Vang6

This past week, we launched our next cohort of the Real Estate Co-Powerment Series. We can't wait to see what this group accomplishes over the next several weeks! #CoPowerment #EquitableDevelopment #LetsBeAllies The Real Estate Co-Powerment Series is an education platform designed for community members, nonprofits and small businesses, that demystifies the real estate development process so they can better participate in and benefit from their own neighborhood revitalization. Since launching in 2017, over 270 individuals (and growing!) have graduated from the Co-Powerment Series, acquiring over 100 units of housing and commercial real estate for neighborhood-based redevelopment. Read more at https://bit.ly/4gTFhtf