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THRIVE ON! Launches Rootwork to Incubate Grassroots Community Initiatives
THRIVE ON! Network Inc. (THRIVE ON!) has officially launched Rootwork, a program designed to incubate grassroots community initiatives and provide them with the support they need to grow, thrive, and create lasting impact.
June 2, 2025
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Two Channels of Community Power
Rootwork operates through two channels:
Transplanted initiatives — community projects that come into Rootwork from outside. These receive holistic support, including fiscal sponsorship, administrative stability, strategic guidance, and youth collaboration.
Homegrown initiatives — projects created within THRIVE ON!, like the PonckHockie Market, which began as part of THRIVE ON!’s Early Thrivers program.
This dual structure allows Rootwork to support both existing community ideas and new, THRIVE ON!–generated efforts, ensuring that diverse approaches to transformation can grow side by side.
Early Thrivers: Powering Every Project
Regardless of which channel they fall into, all Rootwork initiatives are strengthened by the involvement of THRIVE ON!’s Early Thrivers. These youth leaders can be deployed across projects, providing capacity-building, operations support, and energy for innovation.
“Rootwork is designed to be flexible,” said Keyvious Avery, President of THRIVE ON!. “Whether a project comes to us already in motion or starts from scratch under our roof, we give it what it needs to stand tall. And our Early Thrivers are the roots and branches that make that growth possible.”
A Platform for Lasting Change
With Rootwork, THRIVE ON! is expanding its role from launching projects to creating a platform where many grassroots visions can flourish. By blending holistic support with youth leadership, Rootwork ensures that every initiative—whether transplanted or homegrown—has the stability, capacity, and visibility to thrive.
“Economic development isn’t just about big buildings or institutions,” Avery added. “It’s about making sure small, local ideas have the soil they need to grow. That’s what Rootwork is here to do.”
About THRIVE ON!
THRIVE ON! is a youth-driven nonprofit based in Kingston, NY. Beginning with its pilot Early Thrivers program, THRIVE ON! equips young people and grassroots leaders to design, build, and lead the solutions their communities need.