Painter Training: Fisherman’s Project

There’s painting to be done in Greenburgh, New York and plenty of underemployed people looking for work. All that’s missing is skills, and that’s where something called the Fisherman’s Project comes in. Led by the town of Greenburgh, it’s both a training program and a painting company, and it uses the internet, hands-on skills development and an apprenticeship model to solve an ongoing community problem. “There are a significant number of unemployed people in this town,” explains Marty Rolnick, an organizer behind the Fisherman’s Project. “And at the same time many of our elderly, disabled and disadvantaged residents can’t afford to maintain their homes properly, either.

Empowering people to fill this community need is what we’re doing.” The motto of the not-for-profit venture “paint it forward”, and is in its earliest stages right now. When it’s all set up the Fisherman’s Project will use online video training, hands-on teaching sessions and an apprenticeship model to help the community help itself. So what’s with the name? Rolnick explains: “We call it the Fisherman’s Project from that old saying: Give a person a fish and feed them for a day. Teach a person to fish and feed them for a lifetime.” Email martyrolnick@gmail.com for more information.

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