RISING SUN CENTER FOR OPPORTUNITY

Our vision is to create a just and sustainable future for all people and our planet.

Our workforce development programs specialize in preparing youth, women, and individuals in reentry for high-road careers and green pathways that offer family-sustaining wages.

Climate Careers is designed to simultaneously address the serious challenges of climate change and climate resilience while providing meaningful employment opportunities for youth to both grow professionally and contribute to their financial goals, setting them up for future success. Youth offer climate change solutions as Energy Specialists, paid ambassadors who promote local environmental responsibility. Green House Calls quantifiably reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the installation of LED light bulbs and other conservation measures—and youth make an exponential impact through their enthusiasm and advice, motivating residents to adopt new habits. Since 2020 we have offered both remote and in-person services, removing another barrier to participation and broadening our environmental impact. Furthermore, in 2021, Climate Careers expanded to include a post-summer externship program aimed at building genuine opportunities for youth to forge sustainable futures for themselves and our planet—pathways into green economy careers that we hope to grow this year and in the future.

Since 2016, Opportunity Build has focused on increasing our recruitment of women, including establishing an all-female program cohort, Women Building the Bay. Although 9-10% of the construction industry is typically composed of women, only 3-4% of those women work high-paying field jobs; women in the U.S. earn on average 83 cents for each male dollar. This gender pay gap does not exist in the trades where pay rates are fixed by experience level, regardless of race or gender. Furthermore, the building trades are one of a limited number of industries that will readily hire justice system-impacted adults and pay well without requiring a college degree.

Climate Careers has over a 20-year track record of employing local youth in green jobs and training them to enact environmental solutions. The program includes dedicated year-round staff, allowing it to serve ten counties with summer youth employment and conservation services while continuously innovating. At the same time, Climate Careers has a highly refined schedule for recruitment, outreach, and roll-out developed over years of experience.

Rising Sun's dedicated Opportunity Build staff, with the support of several specialized contract instructors in topics including construction and mathematics, have operated the program since 2009, serving more than 900 adults. Importantly, Opportunity Build maintains strong relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders to enhance the program and provide better outcomes for participants. Partners include construction employers, trade unions, and organizations such as the Building and Construction Trades Council of Alameda County, Tradeswomen, Inc., and the West Oakland Job Resource Center. We have priority placement agreements with several local unions and work directly with construction employers and building developers.

Rising Sun has a history of success in helping communities save energy and water; in providing meaningful employment, support, and professional development to youth; and in helping adults secure and succeed in careers paying family-sustaining wages. To date we have trained over 3,000 youth and adults, made nearly 60,000 homes more efficient, and offset over 120,000 metric tons of CO2.

While Rising Sun has accomplished much, we are focused on continual improvement and acknowledge the need to do more. Rising Sun aspires to inspire systems change, impacting more than the individuals reached through our programs to create positive change in broader communities. We intend to achieve this through a concerted policy and advocacy agenda, and have made important strides towards creating our first policy platform and working in coalition to advocate for improved green job opportunities for entry-level and traditionally underrepresented workers and climate mitigation for the communities most affected by environmental contamination and climate change.