Greenburgh students help local businesses survive and interact with national business leaders. Watch the video presentation before the Town Board
ZUCKERBERG INSTITUTE & STUDENTS HELP SMALL BUSINESSES
Post-Pandemic Task Force Concludes 12-Week Spring Session in Greenburgh
https://youtu.be/w0C45Zsnra0
A recent Town of Greenburgh Board meeting showcased the incredible talent of area students and the resilience of local businesses as the Post-Pandemic Task Force concludes its inspiring Spring session.
The Task Force, a partnership between the Town and the Zuckerberg Institute, “put some of the best students in Greenburgh area high schools on teams to work with businesses negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Institute co-founder Brian Murphy. Part of the 12-weeks gave the students access to top executives such as Global CIO of Zoom, Harry Moseley. Armed with great advice from these mentors, the students would then work to solve real-world business problems, further compounded by a pandemic.
Top Asia Mart in Scarsdale opened during the lockdown, only to face the difficulties of decreased supply and increased demand, struggling to build new clientele when most were homebound, and to keep their store clean and staff and customers feeling safe. Tiffany Tong spoke of how the students actually helped them sanitize the store for hours, got them set up with social media pages, and tried to boost their profile in the community and improve the customer experience in the store. “They gave us ideas on how to make our store better,” Tong said. “This program is very valuable. Being a small business is not easy.”
Jennifer Monness leads The Meditation Lab, which typically would run mindfulness workshops in the public schools which were put on hold during the pandemic. “The students really listened to why it was that my business was struggling and tried to help me come up with creative solutions to navigating these very challenging and unfamiliar times,” said Monness.
The program was not only impactful to these and other participating businesses, but to the dozens of students who got to be a part of this valuable experience. “I’ve learned not only about business,” said High School sophomore David Diao, “but I’ve learned how to become a better citizen, a better community member, and a better person. Because really the lessons that help a business like Top Asia Mart, have also helped me to look at my problems and how I address certain issues.”
Jake Ourman, Irvington High School junior, listed off all the invaluable lessons gained from teamwork to communication, concluding, “if I can leave you with any word to describe what this experience has been like, I would simply say it has been inspiring.”
The Task Force will continue with a new set of six businesses and another crop of outstanding students for its summer program. I will be seeking additional grants to continue offering the program to students. This is a great opportunity for students to learn, to interact with business leaders around the country and to help struggling small businesses survive. WE learned about Zuckerberg Institute last summer during our summer internship program from Randi Zuckerberg, who headed up the marketing division of Facebook early on -shortly after her brother Mark founded Facebook.
PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor
video of meeting
https://youtu.be/w0C45Zsnra0
