Design Workshop Foundation Partners with Kinston Teens, Inc. and Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council for Inaugural Community Capacity Building Initiative

Posted 7/5/2023

The Design Workshop Foundation is pleased to announce it will partner with Kinston Teens, Inc. in Kinston, North Carolina and the Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council, in Houston, Texas for its inaugural Community Capacity Building Initiative. Both groups will collaborate with the Design Workshop Foundation, including planners and designers from Design Workshop Inc. This includes design, planning and placemaking expertise through a tailored, action-focused process. The goal is to work together to build more equitable, resilient, and inclusive places that will advance community action and overcome environmental challenges.

“These two groups identified specific community challenges that we felt passionate about helping resolve,” said Sarah Konradi, executive director of the Design Workshop Foundation. “This is a collaborative effort with Kinston Teens, Inc. and the Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council to address challenges facing our communities in hopes of together imparting lasting change.”

Kinston Teens, Inc. of Kinston, North Carolina, is a youth-led nonprofit organization with a mission of empowering young people through service, leadership and civic engagement. The Design Workshop Foundation will work closely with the Kinston Teens, Inc. team and its community partners to co-create an equitable development plan for vacant lots in east Kinston where residents have been impacted by multiple flood events, blight and displacement. The plan will offer phased strategies for site development, program implementation, partnerships, fundraising, and revenue generation in order to build community and boost social, economic, and environmental resilience in Kinston.

“Building community and boosting social, economic and environmental resilience in Kinston is our top priority,” said Chris Suggs, Executive Director with Kinston Teens. “Collaborating with the Design Workshop Foundation will allow us to expand our impact on east Kinston, as well as extend the reach of our newly opened Neighborhood Hub. We know the benefits of this partnership will be of immense benefit to our community.”

The Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council (the Council) is a grassroots organization working in partnership with historically disadvantaged communities facing challenges from legacy environmental racism and climate change in Northeast Houston, Texas. The Council is a member of the Northeast Houston Collaborative – comprised of 15 community-based organizations working collaboratively to ensure a more equitable future for Northeast Houston. The Design Workshop Foundation will build upon existing resources of the Council, and the Northeast Houston Collaborative, to advance their collective vision to address comprehensive projects at the neighborhood level related to resiliency, transportation reconnection, clean energy and the built environment.

“We have been working on-the-ground in Houston neighborhoods for many years but recently have aligned with other grassroots organizations to maximize our impact in the areas of resilience, food security, education and energy,” said Huey German-Wilson, President of Northeast Houston Redevelopment Council. “The opportunity to partner with the Design Workshop Foundation for its Community Capacity Building Initiative comes at a critical time for us as we are seeking to develop more comprehensive strategies before applying for federal and state funding to better serve our community.”