There’s some special work happening at a special location in Kingston.

Gil Verrelli calls the city home. They graduated from a program coordinated by local group Citizens for Local Power, training locals for jobs in green energy.

"Growing up, my dad was a hobby wood worker. What I really want to be is a carpenter," they said.

The group helps communities in the region transition to a clean energy economy. Verrelli said the program is even more important now.

"It’s important for us to be self-sufficient and taking care of our earth, our communities, our buildings, and our land," they said.

Verrelli is working on a special project: rehabilitating an old home on the property of the Pine Street African Burial Ground in Kingston into a community center, a project they say they are privileged to be a part of.

"I feel like my best skill and the thing I enjoy the most that I could contribute to communities was the building of homes and structures and spaces," Verrelli said.

Verrelli is employed by J&S Painting and Construction, a company providing the graduates of the program full-time work.

Cleaster Knox is a construction veteran.

"It’s important to teach the kids, to give them direction," he said. "Sometimes things are bleak; you don’t know which direction to go; but somebody helps you and helps to guide you and shows you another path. Well, that’s one more option that they have that they might not have had [before]."

Joe McDole, the owner of the company, said it's important for him to not only provide the youth opportunities to learn the trade, but also to restore the house on the property where African slaves are buried.

"They set the ground foundation for us to be successful, and for me as a minority, to be successful with this company, and my obligation to them and to everyone is to make sure that things are done right and to let you know that you can be successful. When you're blessed, it's always good to bless somebody else. And that's the bottom line," McDole said.