Pittsburgh guests see positive energy in Youngstown

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Representatives from New Sun Rising, a program for social innovators based in Pittsburgh, found a lot of positive energy in Youngstown.

Scott Wolovich, executive director of New Sun Rising, and Dan Stiker, director of fiscal sponsorship for the impact incubator, came to Youngstown on Tuesday to talk to those in attendance at the Downtown Youngstown Economic Action Group’s meeting at the Youngstown Business Incubator.

The two noticed the impact of community leaders looking to make positive changes in Youngstown.

“It seems like a very action-oriented group,” Wolovich said. “We are hoping this can create an information pipeline between the two cities.”

New Sun Rising has worked on several projects in Pittsburgh. In Millvale, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the incubator worked to develop a community library and is now working on bringing in fresh-food sources.

The goal of New Sun Rising is to help get grass-roots projects off the ground.

“We are translating an incubation process to a neighborhood scale,” Wolovich said. “It’s about leadership development.”

The next Economic Action Group meeting will be from 10 a.m. to noon July 28 at the YBI conference room, 241 W. Federal St. in downtown.

To learn more about the group, go to eagyo.org.

The group’s Downtown Vision and Action plan is available for review online.