UPROSE- United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park
Elizabeth Teampierre, Executive Director
United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park (UPROSE) is dedicated to youth, family and community empowerment. Sunset Park is a working class waterfront community and site of many industrial uses, numerous truck routes, waste disposal and electric power plants. Through educational workshops, organizing, and leadership development, UPROSE builds community power.
In 2001, UPROSE successfully led the opposition to the Sunset Energy Fleet 520 mega power plant proposal to place two power plants in the area. In the part, UPROSE had successfully campaigned against a sludge treatment plant and mobilized residents against lead positioning. The group organized the first environmental justice conference in Sunset Park and participated in plans to discuss a tunnel to replace the Gowanus Expressway, one the nation’s busiest highways. Neighborhood youth have joined UPROSE and meet regularly to learn about regulatory bodies and community-based planning. They organize community forums, speak at public hearings, and distribute information.
In addition to environmental justice work, UPROSE provides educational programs that include counseling, academic support and leadership development. More than 200 youth and their families participate in school-based dropout prevention programs at two neighborhood schools. UPROSE also provides walk-in service to about 1,500 walk-in clients per year.