Community Organizing
Organizing for Immigrant Justice
After students are trained, they put their organizing skills into practice by being paired with local grassroots organizations where students take on leadership roles within campaigns impacting the immigrant community. Working with SCIJ’s grassroots partners and with the support of SCIJ’s leadership team, students engage in holding community meetings, facilitating political education and leadership development workshops, designing and carrying out non-violent direct actions, and crafting campaign strategy. As students work on campaigns, SCIJ provides ongoing leadership development through 1-on-1 check-ins, workshops, and roundtable discussions to facilitate opportunities for students to share resources and learnings.
Building on an Ecosystem
By pairing students with local grassroots organizations, SCIJ is able to provide support and solidarity to grassroots organizations to strengthen our collective power. In addition, by creating a network of partners, SCIJ is able to disseminate learnings and resources between organizations through SCIJ’s students, thereby building a stronger community fighting together in solidarity.
What even is community organizing?
Community organizing is exactly what it sounds like: organizing our community. Community organizing is all about building relationships, focusing on the root causes of a problem, and acting together.
Advocacy and activism, on the other hand, while they can and often are a part of community organizing, are more focused on specific actions or events. Advocacy and activism are more short-term than community organizing.
Interested in Partnering?
SCIJ is seeking new grassroots community organizing partners for students to be paired with starting January 2023. Organizations must be based in or serve Worcester, Boston, and/or Providence.
