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Anthony Carri\u00f3n explains the process of joining a local Neighborhood Advisory Board (NAB) <\/p>\n
Photo by Keke Grant-Floyd<\/p>\n
At the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, residents from the Bronx and Staten Island gathered at an event which taught local residents how to advocate for more parks and green spaces in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Events like these emphasize the ways residents can be a part of the solution regarding environmental injustice and quality of life. The Bronx has a complex relationship with green spaces.\n<\/p>\n
There\u2019s historically been a lack of access to the waterfront, zoning practices that build more housing which limits the use of and access to green spaces and poor air quality. This is a result of large infrastructure projects, redlining, limited funding and uneven distribution of parks despite the borough having the most green spaces.<\/p>\n
Community partners and representatives from the New York City Civic Engagement Commission (CEC), an organization that partners with community-based organizations to increase political engagement; City Parks Foundation, an organization that aims to transform parks; and Loving the Bronx, an organization dedicated to community development; discussed the ways NYC residents could get involved with their community.<\/p>\n
The City Parks Foundation offers training and information sessions on budgeting, working with elected officials, fundraising, event planning, beautification, community coaching and grants through their NYC Green Fund program which is open to groups who have annual budgets under $175,000 twice a year.<\/p>\n
Anthony Carri\u00f3n, a community engagement specialist at the NYC CEC, explained that people can use the power of civic engagement to influence change in their own backyard like when he advocated for a budgeting program to help with promoting direct civic engagement. When more people are directly advocating for their neighborhoods, they take control of the decision-making and vote on projects that improve their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
The CEC came out of community members as originally one<\/a> of three ballot proposals on the 2018 Charter Revision Commission that he voted for. Carri\u00f3n says people can become active participants through The People\u2019s Money<\/a> and their local community boards.<\/p>\n The People\u2019s Money, an organization that allows New Yorkers to decide how to spend $4 million of the city budget \u2013 approximately $116 billion \u2013 was established by the CEC in 2022. There are four phases in the process: idea generation, borough assemblies, voting and project implementation.<\/p>\n As of Oct. 15, New Yorkers as young as 11 years old can submit their ideas on how the money should be spent.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be financial literacy classes for the youth, after school programming, cleanup of parks. It could be food and nutrition workshops, all of these are programs and services,\u201d Carri\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n Nilka Martell, founder of Loving the Bronx and campaign to Cap the Cross Bronx Expressway, was the community partner spotlight for the event.<\/p>\n \u201cPartnerships for Parks was really instrumental in our journey being civically engaged\u2026 Park stewardship is part of being civically engaged.\u201d Martell said. \u201cSo what we did was develop a relationship with the park manager, with the supervisor, to really prove to them that we weren\u2019t a bunch of folks that were just going to do this project and then walk away. We really cared about this park.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Martell, what started as a beautification project planting trees and cleaning up debris, turned into improving Virginia Park by planting trees and flowers and cleaning up trash near the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Hugh J. Grant Circle Park adjacent to the Parkchester 6 train.<\/p>\n Martell and 30 volunteers wanted to renovate these parks but there wasn\u2019t a budget, so they continued to host \u201cIt\u2019s My Park\u201d events and in 2015, former Mayor Bill De Blasio created a $50 million initiative called \u201cParks Without Borders<\/a>\u201d which allowed her group to nominate the two parks that needed fixing up.<\/p>\n Through door-to-door canvassing and collaborating with community boards, the Hugh J. Grant Circle Park and Virginia Park were selected for the Parks Without Borders initiative along with seven other parks in 2016. The award provided $9 million<\/a> in capital projects to renovate the park and was completed in May 2021.<\/p>\n Basia Nikonorow, a West Harlem resident and local author<\/a>, attended the event to learn more about how to get a park in her neighborhood fixed, one she feels has been forgotten about.<\/p>\n \u201cNothing happens on its own, everything that happens for the good is because somebody fought for it and that\u2019s what it takes,\u201d Nikonorow said. \u201cIt takes not just one person, but a whole group of people to be that squeaky wheel. And that\u2019s how things get done.\u201d<\/p>\n As an active community member, Nikonorow is organizing an \u201cIt\u2019s My Park Day\u201d at the Montefiore Square park in Hamilton Heights at the end of October because of littering and maintaining local green spaces .<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll be planting flower bulbs, doing general yard work, cleaning up any debris and litter and vandalism, graffiti or leftover posters from trash cans and any other sign posts that kind of thing. And bringing the neighborhood together before it gets too cold and building good community spirit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Partnership for Parks offers several programs ranging from training to grants, volunteer and employment opportunities on the City Parks Foundation website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reach Keke Grant-Floyd at keiwana.grantfloyd19@gmail.com<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter<\/a> and follow us on Twitter<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n \t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/HughJGrantCirclepark.jpg\")
Virginia Park and Hugh J. Grant Circle Park: The beautified green spaces as a result of years of advocacy by community members. Courtesy of NYC Parks<\/p>\n