Community Activities

Operation Unite NY is involved in various Community Service Projects

The Annual Community Beautification

Weed and Seed Program was initiated on State Street from Second to half of the Third Street Block. Garbage and weeds were removed from areas around trees and YIA planted Zinia flowers. This activity begun several years ago when the Galvan Foundation asked Operation Unite to partner with them and help engage community residents to care for the trees. Pond Side Nursery is contracted by the Galvan Foundation to plant the trees.

Youth in Action rebuilds, and paints flower boxes and maintains spring/summer/fall flowers on property adjacent to Operation Unite.

Our Community Engagement Project accesses needs and provides action needed. YIA enlarged the vegetable garden  boxes for adult community members who face life challenges. Together, they build, water and harvest the garden with excitement for vegetables to eat and share.

Community Events

Columbia County Gospel Festival was held at the Columbia County Fairgrounds.

Community Event Planning 101 taught YIA how to effectively present a community event utilizing “Planning, Implementation and Evaluation” as benchmarks. Weekly planning meetings with skill-building exercises helped them achieve their goals as they planned and implemented Youth Games/Activities for the Annual Hudson Black Arts and Cultural Festival. YIA was given pointers on aspects of public speaking, including how to prepare effective presentations, greeting the audience, voice projection and creating budgets. YIA presented their festival youth projects to the Operation Unite Board of Directors for approval to proceed to the festival.

Providence Hall Meets Kumba

Operation Unite’s Kuumba Drum met up with the seniors of Providence Hall, as part of their Black History Month Celebration. They played music together and did some “Chair Dancing”. The music transformed the members into another world, by playing with the shakeres, maracas, and drums. They all had smiles on their faces, followed by giggles and some brave dancing. Everyone had a great time at Providence Hall!

Kuumba Dance & Drum

Operation Unite Resource Center and the Hudson Youth Center presents the Kuumba Kids Dance Club. The Kuumba Dance Club consists of learning and performing the dances that reflect on African history and culture. The practice club is held on Wednesdays 4pm- 5pm at the Hudson Youth Center, 18 South 3rd Street. All energetic children are welcomed to the Kuumba Dance Club for dancing, literacy and craft activities.

Kwanzaa

Inspired by legendary playwright/poet Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, COLORED GRRLs tells the stories of African-American women through circus, dance and original text. With unflinching honesty and emotion, each woman expresses her story using physical theater, Zoom, and circus. We look forward to developing this show into a live tour-ready production. Program made possible, in part, by support from Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc., the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the National Black Arts Forward Artist Project Relief Fund, and the City Artist Corps Grants program, presented by The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queens Theatre

Want to make a positive difference in your community?

Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center is pleased to host and have available 3 part-time AmeriCorps positions.

Operation Unite is a local, non-profit organization that helps youth enter adulthood with a sense of direction, self-esteem and social consciousness and subsequently reinvest themselves into the community in which they live.

Job description:

Program Assistant, festival planning, community beautification, dance and drum programs and more.

  • Qualifications: 18+ years old
  • Can work 300 hours = Earn $2,000.00
  • College NOT required

AmeriCorps is administered by the Mental Health Association of Columbia and Greene Counties.

For more information, please call Operation Unite Education and Cultural Arts Center @ (518) 828-3612

Interviews are being scheduled. Call NOW!