a project paper related to the community development
Jack-Sun
johnstwon_slides.pptxREINVIGORATE JOHNSTOWN
Creating jobs and culture to give life to a town on the rocks
About Johnstown, PA:
History as a booming steel town in early-mid 1800's, city relied on this sole industry
By 1990's, abandoned nearly all of its steel production
Lack of economic diversification led to decline of Johnstown
Lack of economic diversification, deindustrialization, free lunch rate, cambry county johnstown initiatives
Population decrease:
1950- 63,232 -5.2% 1960- 53,949 -14.7% 1970- 42,476 -21.3% 1980- 35,496 -16.4% 1990- 28,134 -20.7% 2000- 23,906 - 15% 2010- 20,978 -12.2%
Racial make-up: 80% white, 14.6 % African American, 3.1% Hispanic/Latino
Johnstown's demographics:
Age distribution:
Under 18: 21.7%
18-24 : 8.4%
25-44 : 24.4%
45-64 : 27.9%
65 + : 18.5%
Johnstown's current economy:
34.2% of the population is below the poverty line
The unemployment average has been estimated to be upwards of 20% at times; there are very few jobs available
In 2003, U.S. Census data showed that Johnstown was the least likely city in the United States to attract newcomers
Cost of living: 13.1% below national average
Housing cost: 74% cheaper than national average
Median household income: $10,010 lower than median Pennsylvanian average
77% of high school students are eligible for a free lunch due to family poverty
Survey #1: Residents of the Johnstown Area
20,402 people live there, Mail 3x, 30% feedback = 6120 people - Residents of Johnstown
3,032 attend, Mail 3x, 30% feedback = 910 people - Students at University of Pitt at Johnstown
3 focus groups, 5 people in each = Results from 15 Small Business Owners total
Survey #2: Students at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Survey #2: Students at University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (Continued)
Focus Groups: Local Business Owners in Johnstown
As an employer, what kind of employees are you looking for? What skills should they have?
Are you satisfied with your current employees?
Do the local vocational schools benefit your business in any way?
Do the local colleges benefit your business in any way?
If you had the resources, would you develop an internship program?
If you had a promising pool of employees to choose from, would you consider expanding your business?
How much do you have to train incoming employees?
What are some areas of the community that you would like to see grow or improve?
Feedback
What people feel is not going well:
Lack of career opportunities for graduates
Lack of unity in decision making; too many development organizations without a common vision
Business and government collaboration
Community organizations mediating interactions between small businesses and government
Effective college readiness programs
What people feel Johnstown's potential assets are:
The people of Johnstown and their connection to the community
Universities
Proposed Plan: Step 1
Create relationships between UPJ and young community members
Establish a mentorship program between the students of UPJ and young members of the community that need help getting on their feet
This allows for the students to create a stronger bond with the Johnstown and gives the less fortunate an opportunity to gain insight and receive guidance
Students at UPJ would receive class credit for this program to motivate them to get involved.
course that put students in community jobs, class project , learn by experience
Proposed Plan: Step 2
Create relationships between UPJ and community organizations
Get the college students involved in existing community beautification programs
This will allow the students to feel a stronger connection to their community and become more inclined to stay in Johnstown after they graduate
Create a class that teaches community development and features real-world projects that get students working in Johnstown
Providing credit for local internships will create an incentive for students to work within the community
learn by experience
Proposed Plan: Step 3
Update trade school to prepare young people for the work force
Based on feedback from our business focus group, we can analyze what skills are the most important for someone to have
These will be incorporated into the curriculum at the local trade school so that the less-advantaged community members can find work
Establish a job fair at the school so businesses can interact with young students
Works Cited
"City of Johnstown." Johnstown, PA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"Greater Johnstown Career & Tech Center: Home." Greater Johnstown Career & Tech Center: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"Johnstown Pennsylvania Information Source Online." Johnstown Pennsylvania Information Source Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"Johnstown, Pennsylvania." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
"Johnstown Vision 2025: A Resilience Framework." Carnegie Melon University, 15 Oct. 205. Web. http://issuu.com/cfalleghenies/docs/vision_2025_strategic_vision_with_a/1. 2 Nov. 2015.
"University of Pittsburgh Johnstown." UPJ. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
