CED – Community Economic Development

CED Program

The Community Economic Development (CED) is a community-driven process where the community AYCO serves to identify and initiate their solutions to economic, social, and environmental issues to build healthy, economically viable communities. Derived from AYCO’s Mission, the Community Economic Development (CED)’s primary focus is to empower and educate refugees by providing sustainable, diverse economic support and offering information and resources. In doing so, the CED department fosters a culture of enterprise and innovation among community members to give them equitable access to the competitive local economy.

CED Goals & Objectives

Creating employment opportunities.
Improving the community and local economy.
Developing economic links.
Improving the physical environment of the community.
Connect youth to tools, resources, and opportunities that will foster academic and professional growth.
Youth will gain essential leadership skills and learn how to advocate for themselves, and their communities in all spaces.
Expose youth to a variety of career opportunities within leading industries, including environmental sustainability, tech, and public affairs.

CED Services Provided

ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVES

Meet with business owners / entrepreneurs and provide or connect them with the needed resources to enhance a pre-existing business or create a new one.

CAREER / EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Connect to needed training for desired careers.
Help apply for scholarships/grants to cover needed training.
Create workshops to increase communal awareness of financial literacy and advocate for community economic independence.

CED Team Members

Ahmed Muhumed Community Economic Development Manager

ahmedm@aycoworld.org

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B.A. Global Studies; Refugee Studies Minor
M.A. International Relations: Political Science

“My vision for the CED is to have an evident economic impact on the community by providing them with the needed resources to compete in the local economy. I hope to do this by advocating for increased business enterprise and economic incentives to reduce the community’s social service dependency.”

Ahlam Osman Youth Environmental & Workforce Development Coordinator

Ahlam@aycoworld.org

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Community Development major with a focus on environmental sustainability, city, transportation, and community-based planning.

“As a YEWD coordinator, I aim to understand the needs of the young people in our community and actively support them to develop the skills they need to enter growing workforces. I aspire to create opportunities to guide our youth to become successful leaders, change-makers, and advocates for themselves and their peers.”