Un Nuevo Amanecer, Inc. (UNA) is a domestic non-profit community-based organization formed to improve the quality of life of residents of Playa de Ponce, Puerto Rico.
As a 501c3 community organization on the front lines of climate change, UNA is one of nearly 250 low-income Black, Latino, and Native American communities across the United States and territories to benefit from financial and technical assistance from Anthropocene Alliance.
Leadership
Co-founded (left to right) by Pastor Roberto Ortiz and Ramón Figueroa in March 18, 2018, founding members had originally organized citizen science and beach clean-ups, a rain garden, and advocated for better conditions. Community development scholar and practitioner David Southgate, resident of Ponce Playa, also works with UNA to identify and formalize institutional collaborations that facilitate the transfer of expert knowledge to community leaders as they co-create socio-ecological solutions to climate change.
UNA engages community developer
In August 2021, the community-based organization, Un Nuevo Amanecer, Inc. (UNA) , formalized a working relationship with community developer and Ralph Johnson Bunche Distinguished Fellow David Southgate, MS, MPA. Southgate is also a resident of Ponce Playa and Ph.D. student at Rutgers-Camden's Department of Public Policy and Affairs' program in Public Affairs/Community Development.
His responsibilities to UNA include the following:
Identify and communicate the needs and priorities of the Playa de Ponce community regarding the floods caused by torrential rains and cyclonic storms, which are becoming increasingly dangerous due to climate change;
Coordinate and attend meetings with the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce, state and federal agencies or other relevant entities to address the challenges faced by the Ponce Playa community with respect to climate change;
Identify and formalize institutional collaborations to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from experts in the field to the leadership of collaborating organization and community members;
Shape scientific research by institutional partners to address community-identified resilience and adaptation needs;
Identify and solicit federal, state and philanthropic funds to implement planning and implementation projects;
Disseminate information on UNA initiatives on social networks and the media;
In a short time, UNA has been able to leverage institutional and funding relationship to examine adaptation strategies to floods, coastal erosion and sea level rise, to initiate green infrastructure initiatives, and to support urban agriculture.
A few of UNA's institutional supporters and collaborators.