The Miami Aqua Hub

Underemployment, low-pay employment, and lack of steady income are just some of the problems women face in the Overtown, Miami region. According to a Pew Research Center survey, half of the women in STEM jobs say been discriminated against. Cultural bias and societal stereotypes perpetuate gender gaps in young women pursuing STEM education and careers. Research has shown how the gender pay gap potentially contributes to women internalizing cultural beliefs that men are more fit for STEM careers. Greater STEM support for young boys in educational settings has left girls with lower confidence and empowerment to explore STEM or see it as a viable career path.

To regain confidence in STEM learning and eventually turn it into STEM leading, our young women of color require the support we provide through educational assistance and developing essential work skills that transfer to the marketplace. Nationally, among Black/ African American youth aged 16-19, unemployment rates are 17.9% and 9.2% for Latino compared to 7.6% for White youth; only 32% of employed teens come from low-income households (FRED, 8.1.2021). Miami Dade typically is twice the national average for unemployed teens. The more job opportunities and outlets we can provide for our female youth, the better their chances of changing and challenging these longstanding statistics. 

Aquaculture is a major industry in Florida, with an annual income of over four billion dollars annually. However, these jobs are largely rural and not urban, meaning a great deal can be gained by providing these opportunities to our female youth. This historically marginalized community could greatly benefit from workforce training programs in growing jobs sectors such as urban agriculture production. However, the lack of urban hectares of land needed for cash crops in an urban environment poses a difficult problem, and therefore other methods of growing food must be utilized. 

“During the past three decades, there has been only a slight improvement in the inclusion of women and those of nonwhite race or ethnicity among the academic fisheries science community.” (Arismendi and Penaluna, 2016) According to this research, in the US field of fisheries science, only one in four faculty members or scientists is a woman, and only one in ten is a person of color. At both TML sites, Overtown and West Homestead, 95% or more of our enrolled students are minorities, predominantly Hispanic and Black/African American. Overtown has a lower income than 99% of U.S. communities, with 57% of the youth living below the federal poverty line and a greater prevalence of childhood poverty than 94% of U.S. neighborhoods.  TML offers programs that encourage students to realize their full potential despite the obstacles and constraints of poverty. By bringing aquaculture into their backyards, we expose them to STEM opportunities typically overlooked in their neighborhoods and as young women of color. Making new forms of economic prosperity accessible helps to bridge gaps for our female youth that may have the desire and skills to contribute to the environmental and agricultural sectors. 

One of our newest and most exciting endeavors in innovative STEM is the collaborative with Touching Miami with Love, IDEAS For Us, and Aqua For Culture to provide an unprecedented aquaculture facility in the Overtown, Miami region. Aquaculture is a viable and innovative solution that can produce food, income, and stability for a new generation of urban farmers. There are currently no aquaculture facilities in the area; therefore, this pilot program aims to begin a much larger and more comprehensive workforce training program over the next two years.

The program involves the construction of a 10,000-gallon fresh and saltwater production system and trains young girls and women from the ages of 13 -35 to lead youth in growing food and goods that are unique to the specific communities in Miami-Dade, as well as how to grow freshwater pearls and aquaponic organic vegetables. This comprehensive statewide program is a hands-on STEM education that certifies youth for the green jobs of the future. The young girls are being exposed to future technologies such as solar workforce training, renewable energy education, electric vehicle test drives, modules, and remote ecosystem monitoring of local environments such as our wetlands and forests. Urban agriculture will also be introduced through edible food production training, farmers’ market readiness training, and edible landscape apprenticeships. The aquaculture lessons teach aquaponics, hydroponic food production, and training on urban fish and shellfish production, enabling them to expand their horizons. The aquaculture program's goal is to provide innovative solutions to produce food, income, and stability for a new generation of urban farmers and incorporate sustainable methods in transformative ways for the Overtown community. 

By introducing rich and immersive STEM experiences from an earlier age, we are changing the narrative of limited science opportunities for young girls. It is a step in normalizing their roles and contributions to scientific advancements and prosperity, giving them hands-on leadership skills and confidence to explore methods and solutions.

Touching Miami with Love’s (TML) mission is to provide hope, opportunities, and resources to inspire, educate, and empower nearly 1000 children, youth, and adults in two extremely low-income Miami-Dade County communities. Our all-encompassing educational enrichment programs provide needed support for K-12th Graders through after-school programs/ summer camps/ in-school services including: homework help, literacy, tutoring, wrap-around social services, physical fitness, arts and culture, STEM projects, college/career preparation, social-emotional learning, healthy snacks/meals, and technology learning. We support adults through adult literacy, life skills classes, coordinating services with schools, referrals for mental health and other social services, and meeting food insecurity. TML provides programs that nurture students and adults to fulfill their full potential, despite poverty's barriers and limitations. Our purpose is to serve as a catalyst for youth and adults to gain the skills to become self-sufficient and thriving individuals. Our work aligns with MIT’s focus area of supporting K-12 educators in effectively teaching and engaging girls in STEM in afterschool settings.

Over 90% of the students we serve between both sites are African American or Hispanic minorities already underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These factors have shaped the design of our programs, shifting our focus to the ever-changing needs of our communities. This often entails meeting basic needs first and incentivizing new components in meaningful and creative ways, namely, STEM efforts.  

Our target population lives or attends school within Overtown and Homestead boundaries and has high educational, social, and safety needs, with most students at or below the federal poverty level.  

Achievement gaps are due to persistent academic and health disparities coupled with the chronic burden of gun violence and crime, unemployment, and income inequality. Over 95% of enrolled students at all TML sites are minorities, predominantly Hispanic and Black/African American. All neighborhoods have highly disproportionate percentages of youth with disabilities, and of the total 400+ students served, a minimum of 15% have a disability.  

Our target youth population requires academic and engaging enrichment activities and essential post-high school development skills that transfer to the workforce. TML has established an environment that: 

• Offers supportive relationships through secure attachments of trust and support. 
• Generates opportunities to belong with meaningful inclusion regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disabilities. 
• Creates positive social norms with clear expectations and obligations for service. 
• Supports efficacy and mastering through empowerment practices that support youth’s autonomy. 
• Provides opportunities hands-on project-based learning experiences. 
• Integrates systems through coordination among family, school, and community 

Activities are planned to be engaging, allowing students to express themselves, make decisions, and give them ample opportunities to lead.

Our collaboration with other organizations seeking to transform communities from within enables us to leverage resources our youth and adults truly benefit from. Youth voices and contributions are the main ways we foster connectedness amongst the community and by giving youth from K-12 chances to invest in projects and take ownership of roles or tasks. Our programs and services are built on community feedback as we utilize annual Satisfaction Surveys and regular Community Needs Assessments. We have hired a local community resident as an Aqua Trainer to learn, train our young girls and maintain the overall systems. Hiring internally is crucial to maintaining authenticity and meeting genuine community needs. For our Aquaculture programming, fruit and vegetables requested to be grown by TML students have included Tomato, Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Basil, Mint, Parsley, Carrot, Kale, Swiss Chard, Leaf Lettuce, Green Beans, Cucumber, Sunflower, Watermelon, and Strawberry Bush.  

TML's leadership team consists of dedicated innovators who commit their life's work to this organization's mission and our TML Board of Directors consists of 17 dedicated individuals who meet quarterly and hold monthly committee meetings. Led by a seasoned chair, Che Scott, a nine-year TML member. Our staff and board are comprised of the same demographics that we serve in our programs, predominantly Hispanic and African-American/Black. 

Furthermore, IDEAS For Us, inc. (IDEAS) is a United Nations Accredited NGO and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008. IDEAS conducts sustainable development programs in over 30 countries and has raised millions of dollars for programs that have environmental, social, and economic impacts. They specialize in energy, water, food, waste, and ecology programs and have been active in the Miami community since 2010. IDEAS has created numerous agricultural and aquacultural programs and their work has been featured by Disney, National Geographic, the United Nations, and The Vatican. IDEAS will build, maintain, and train youth and young adults to use the aquaculture system and gain important skills. As this project will be geared to the needs of our community, IDEAS For Us will analyze and assess the sizes and requirements of systems in our specific target areas along the way, making modifications as necessary. IDEAS will also create and provide a curriculum that aligns with and exceeds the current teaching standards of the Miami-Dade Public School System. 

Aqua for the Culture is a new NGO, empowering communities of color to create solutions surrounding modern sustainability issues utilizing aqua-culturing to support and advance the use of self-sustainable aquaculture and aquacultural techniques. Their expert personnel will provide guidance and instruction on freshwater pearls through coaching on harvesting and production methods, marketing, and entrepreneurship to those enrolled and learning in our community. 

The Aqua Hub STEM team has conducted two pilot events at Touching Miami with Love for student participation prior to initiating our Certification Courses at TML. Over 85 students explored the wonders of sensory education. Thanks to the wonderful leafy greens donations from our local hydroponic facility in Overtown, Hammock Greens, students were able to conduct classroom exercises to teach the students an introductory plant curriculum before creating edible dishes using plants (i.e., salads and plant-derived dips). Another event with Urban Farmers from Edible Landscaping and Fruit Tree Nursery consisted of teaching 30 girls how to transplant strawberries from biodegradable pots to permanent pots, 4 plants to 1 pot. The older children helped set up the pollinator gardens by planting numerous pollinating plants and mulching the grounds. 

This program is intended to impact 150+ girls.  

As part of our enrichment programming, we are always looking to add new and useful resources to the lives of our youth and their families. Ultimately, we seek to dissipate the generational trap of constant financial struggle, and adding more skills is a way to open more paths to economic mobility. By eliminating gender gaps in STEM fields, we can open doors and change the status quo for our girls seeking to contribute to scientific solutions in their communities.

Our goal is to build productive citizens that contribute to our communities’ combined intellect. We aim to continue creating more innovative and captivating activities within our programs to keep students intrigued and inspired to learn. A recent endeavor is empowering our children and youth to have a higher level of understanding of environmental issues, connecting civic engagement and STEM. We want to be characterized as an organization leading STEM initiatives in our communities, providing new and innovative ways for students to realize their full potential. Through educational experiences and nature exploration throughout the county, we can reach them in creative and meaningful ways that inspire them to make an impact. Our dreams for our STEM programs are to be a community catalyst to give students in our zip codes opportunities that change their lives and ignite their passions. Empowering young women to pursue these passions has been in the works at TML for several years as we recognize the gaps and exclusion they face. Programs like The Miami Aqua Hub provide new blueprints for girls to take the lead and plan their own roadmaps to success.  

Our efforts to transform the communities we serve rely on strong collaboration, and we seek to gain expertise and smooth execution of each component of this project. By expanding our network, we share the collective aim to help people, heal the planet, and grow prosperity at the community level through the education, engagement, and empowerment of those we serve. Rather than reinvent the wheel, we can benefit from previous and current work being done to raise up both women and STEM initiatives.

CEO, Trina Harris, has worked at TML for 13 years and is a dynamic leader and lifelong Overtown resident with over fifteen years of relevant experience in non-profit management, issues-based advocacy, and small business development. Board Member of Overtown Children and Youth Coalition and Overtown Common Good Initiative with a Master's Degree in Administration and Nonprofit Leadership. Role of setting strategy and vision, building the agency culture, leading the senior team, and allocating capital appropriately. Trina Harris is the first woman of color to lead the organization, following four white men in the organization’s twenty-seven-year history. This also makes our senior leadership team entirely female-led. Since 2021, she has pursued several female sports opportunities, one of which led to the creation of TML’s Overtown Girls Sport & Dance Initiative, which has enabled girls to learn the basics of dance and showcase these new skills to the community. As a mother of young women, she constantly strives to create meaningful opportunities for young girls to grow and thrive. We know the time is perfect for us to intentionally mentor and train the next generation of women at TML under Trina’s leadership.

We are fortunate to host many diverse children and youth in our programs, and the most amazing aspect of all is watching them blossom and grow from year to year. Recently, some of our girls have proved just how dynamic they are coming to be. These girls do not shy away from calling out gender inequities and make a habit of showing up and shutting down gender stereotypes and negativity. Our female youth are already self-empowered and combat adversity daily. Still, our innovation to draw girls into structured STEM unlocks the unique potential to access their strengths.

Our girl's aquaculture initiative through The Miami Aqua Hub provides a safe, constructive place for young women to learn and grow through powerful mentorship and meaningful activities that develop their character, identity, and academics related to STEM fields. Our Job Training components teach employment soft skills training and on-the-job internships, case management support services, and community outreach, creating hope and opportunities for meaningful employment pathways. We want to bridge the gap for underpaid individuals who lack a steady income, a big problem that especially women in Overtown face.

As an addition to our basic job training components, this new and extremely unique experience through The Miami Aqua Hub is not offered elsewhere and will specifically give our young women access to something that truly connects them to their environment and community in a meaningful way. Our young women of color will take on leadership roles to challenge the status quo of headship by males in this field. They will cultivate their crafts and train up the younger generations of youth and young girls, effectively creating and building up a whole new thriving industry within their community. The possibilities from there are limitless, as our young female leaders can teach communities county-wide how to replicate aquaculture programs and businesses.

Our goals for Miami Aqua Hub are to inspire & promote student participation in nurturing our urban agriculture aquaculture Agrihood site weekly in Overtown with their kindness. Agrihoods are residential communities centered around sustainable agriculture, focusing on producing fresh, healthy food for the community. In our Aquaculture Agrihood, students will participate in various in-class and hands-on experiments to gain experience with planting fruit trees, planting veggies, harvesting, pruning, natural amendments/fertilizer, natural pest management, grafting experiences, setting up aquarium/aquaculture tanks, and daily maintenance of aquaculture tanks (pH tests, feeding the fish, water exchanges, and cleaning algae).

This year, we hope to cover Agriculture propagation, seeding, transplanting, field maintenance, weeding, composting, and harvesting. Also covering aquaculture set-up and maintenance with an emphasis on the chemistry and physics of water. As well as introducing students to hands-on conservation efforts such as coral, mangrove, oyster restoration, and shark tagging. It is our intention to prepare participants to grow food in an ecologically conscious way.  Throughout the process, we have opened our minds to the opportunity to discuss a variety of food production methodologies and relevant techniques. Students are practicing skills necessary for urban farming in the ground and aqua! 

Future objectives of The Miami Aqua Hub include supporting the Florida environment through the teaching of sustainability practices, STEM education consisting of adding ocean science, environmental and sustainability, earth processes, horticulture, marine restoration, and aquarium certifications to our curriculum, as well as coordinating restoration events and introducing students to STEM through marine-related fieldwork in collaboration with local educational organizations. To achieve these objectives, we are forming partnerships with South Florida-based organizations to provide students ample opportunities to explore STEM and our world. 

Young women participating in the aquaculture program will develop and cultivate skills such as leadership, time management, and record-keeping. The end goal of this program will yield a certificate, confirming that they are knowledgeable and versed in aqua culture care. Therefore, success will be tracked through how many girls complete and excel in the training programs.  

Another aspect of measuring success is the business side of this program. Once aquaculture is established, freshwater pearls will become ready for harvesting. At this point, our aquaculture girls will receive coaching on how to collect pearls and make them profitable. They will learn stringing techniques, marketing, and entrepreneurship skills in this process. Tracking their knowledge and skills through pre-and post-survey assessments will help us gauge the impact of this component.  

 Our data collection methods include attendance sheets that record expected participation from enrolled participants and post-workshop feedback. All data is entered into our outcome database program, and the appropriate analysis is performed to certify we are meeting our outcome goals. Staff reviews these reports regularly to ensure adherence to expected outcomes. We will rate the number of program attendees and the extent to which they report evidence of change due to activities. We will administer post-program evaluations to measure growth on particular topics with a goal of 85% of participants showing increased knowledge of aquaculture. 

Community Engagement Outcome: 

Hosting monthly IDEAS Hive (Hive), an interdisciplinary, inter-generational community Think + Do Tank designed to educate the public about sustainability and develop their ideas into local action projects. The IDEAS Hive meets in communities to grow stakeholders and educate them about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The IDEAS Hive is designed to transform communities to advance positive change through seminars, field trips, action projects, and film screenings.  

Our community will learn from educated speakers sharing information on the monthly environmental topic. These sustainability topics cover local and global conversations, all geared towards improving environmental public awareness in a fun, multi-generational environment. 

Also, the IDEAS Hive brings together a cross-disciplinary, multi-generational group of community stakeholders to brainstorm solutions to sustainability challenges. Enjoy engagement from the audience in brainstorming “breakout” activities to share ideas from all community members. 

Furthermore, the IDEAS Hive then implements at least one solution through bi-monthly Community Eco-Action Days. The IDEAS team then develops these projects and advocates for sustainable practices. By aggregating the impact of local actions, the Hive becomes a part of the Global solution. 

TML’s programs utilize a logic model to depict the resources, activities, outputs, intermediate and long-term outcomes that we graphically represent to ensure we evaluate and measure impact. We ensure our programs' success through a quality assurance system that supports program and curriculum fidelity and that our measurement tools are appropriate for assessing our program objectives. The system improves quality through control measures that provide constant feedback surveys from participants, stakeholders, and staff to assess satisfaction and provide feedback and recommendations to improve our programs' implementation. Evaluations of staff’s instructions and program implementation provide monitoring and feedback to ensure the quality standards are met. The staff has multiple inputs that help implement the program with reliability while allowing for the needed modifications required for adherence to the program’s fidelity specifications. 

Sustainability is about providing a better way for people to live harmoniously with the environment, one another, and to meet their crucial needs with dignity. The program will construct the system in partnership with the community centers and partners in the impact area. The main strategy we are utilizing for community-wide success is involving many organizations that can contribute insight toward a common goal to empower our young women and residents. The greater the exposure to various sciences, the more likely it is that girls will connect with something they are passionate about and pursue STEM pathways. Our current list of community partners continues to grow, allowing for long-term commitment and impact. So far, this is the list of partners that wish to help aid our efforts in educating Overtown community members: 

• The Surfrider Foundation 
• The University of Miami – Rescue a Reef 
• The University of Miami – Department of Sustainability 
• Hammock Greens 
• Aqua for the Culture
• Tree Sources 
• Florida Agritourism Association 
• Nova Southeastern University – Oceanographic Campus 
• Together We Stand 
• The Field School 
• The Watershed Action Lab 
• International Space Station National Laboratories 
• Minorities in Shark Science 

In addition to these partnerships specific to Aquaculture, TML has longstanding support  from The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Bank of America, Ocean Reef Community Foundation, University of Miami, Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Florida International University, Barry University, the City of Miami Police Department, and more. Our level of community investment holds us accountable to high standards and quality outcomes. With so much of the county coming alongside us, we are in a position to raise our young women up well and long-term.

Freshwater Aquaculture, a form of biotechnology, consists of technologies such as fish farms, cage construction, fish tank construction, water filtration systems, oxygenation, temperature regulation, and hatcheries. Commercial farming is a solution to overfishing as producing aquatic organisms in controlled conditions helps meet food needs and eases burdens on dwindling natural resources.

1. Aquaculture System Manager (ASM) –Part-Time initially, Full-Time once established 

• Lead the construction of the aquaculture system, will test and maintain water level, maintain feeding and animal checks. ASM will also include replenishing the depleted fish population in nearby rivers and oceans. Technicians can also assist commercial aquaculture companies with business plans and economic forecasts.   

2. Senior Program Director – Full-time 

• Oversee Grant and Data Management for aquaculture programming. 

3. Aquaculture Trainer- Part-time 

• Train and certify youth and young adults in aquaculture. Lead community tours and community sustainability workshops. 

4. Aquaculture Care Team – Volunteers 

• Assist in maintaining the aquaculture system and providing education to others. 

Since signing our lease on September 1, 2022, our construction team at Shakur Consortium LLC has transformed the 20-year-old vacant lot into our aqua educational facility. Crews have cleared the site of all debris, removed excess bushes/asphalt/rebar, eliminated biohazardous materials (needles/broken glass), and begun preparing the facility's grounds/soil. They assisted with acquisition and modification of two storage containers (to be used as on-site office/laboratory/storage), portable bathrooms, construction of aquaponics tables and benches (with assistance of local Overtown carpenters), and creation of six raised planter beds for perimeter pollinator gardens.

Our staff and board team are comprised of the same demographics that we serve in our programs, largely Hispanic and African American. This enables us to connect on cultural levels to our families through the types of activities we provide, such as STEM, literacy, and wrap-around services. Our commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion start at the hiring process and are supported by intentional African American female leadership. The team themselves originate from historically marginalized groups and underserved communities, so they are well positioned to work with diverse groups of young people from similar backgrounds.  With such a strong foundation, it helps us build skills for underserved communities that are directly linked to increased income or career advancements. 

As the variables of climate change, COVID-19 disparity, income inequality, and lack of meaningful or gainful employment continue to impact our community, we are in need of new ways to generate inner-city income and food for families. The future of the aquaculture system includes a business model for youth and adults creating, designing, and selling freshwater pearls. There is also an opportunity to drive revenue from the sale of fish, shellfish, and organic produce. However, it is our goal to make that food freely available to the youth, young adults, and their families. The program will construct the system in partnership with the community centers and partners in the impact area. A curriculum teaching science, math, engineering, and biology will be provided in tandem.

Classes include:  

• The Business of Aquaculture 
• Aquaponics 101 
• Hydroponics 101 
• Backyard Aquaculture 
• Marine Biology 
• Environmental Science & 
• Sustainability 

Youth and young adults can go through the program beginning at age 8. They will be issued a certificate, and hours will be logged as experience points to build their skillsets in different areas of aquaculture production. Training and lessons will provide new knowledge for our youth demographics, enabling them to expand their horizons and provide for their community in transformative ways.

Funding will be provided by The Volo Foundation ($50,000) and the Felburn Foundation ($30,000) to run the program through 2023. IDEAS For Us, Inc. will serve as a partner and they have an annual budget of $500,000 and are fully willing to continue the program and fundraiser for the staff, materials, and expansion of the system after the initial build is completed. 

IDEAS For Us also has a very strong relationship with the USDA, and they have expressed an invitation to apply for a $25,000 innovation grant for aquaculture. Furthermore, we have verbal commitments for sustainability funding for the Overtown Children & Youth Coalition.

• The Children’s Trust Innovative Funding provided initial start-up funding. This opportunity called for innovative ideas and program designs that address existing community needs that have not previously been implemented in Miami-Dade County. After a comprehensive review of 34 narrowed-down applications requesting more than $2.85 million, we were amongst a select group of 17 applications recommended for funding. The process for consideration included an independent evaluation by three trained reviewers per application, a review team debriefing meeting, a fiscal assessment, interviews for select applicants, and an initiative-wide analysis. 
• The Templeton Family Foundation has provided $125,000 to support wages and professional services.