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Building Community Power: The 4 Pillars of CCAEJ
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This Is What Community Looks Like
At the core of CCAEJ’s mission are four interconnected pillars: Community Base-Building, Policy Advocacy, Coalition Building, and Legal Empowerment. Through Community Base-Building, CCAEJ engages community members in education and civic engagement programs like the Environmental Justice (EJ) Ambassador Program, which has trained over 100 participants across various cohorts on air quality, urban gardening, and transportation justice. Organizers foster relationships, cultivate local leadership, and amplify voices through story-telling, voter engagement, and digital organizing. Policy Advocacy focuses on advancing legislation and local policies that safeguard community rights, with impactful contributions to state bills, General Plans, and Good Neighbor Guidelines. Coalition Building brings together partners through initiatives like the EJ Task Force, strengthening collective action, resources, and expertise. Finally, the Legal Pillar ensures communities have standing in civic processes, leveraging tools like CEQA, Civil Rights protections, and the Brown Act to uphold transparency and justice. Together, these pillars empower communities to create lasting change.
Community Base-Building
CCAEJ’s community base-building efforts focus on empowering residents through education, civic engagement, and leadership development. Programs like the Environmental Justice Ambassador Program have trained hundreds of community members on critical issues such as air quality, urban gardening, and transportation justice.
Through Civic Engagement initiatives, we’ve mobilized communities to share their stories, participate in voter outreach, and take part in workshops, surveys, and advocacy events. Digital organizing plays a key role in expanding our reach and ensuring meaningful engagement.
By fostering strong relationships and developing local leaders, CCAEJ equips communities to advocate for systemic changes that improve their health, environment, and quality of life.
Policy Advocacy
CCAEJ is focused on driving meaningful policy changes to protect and empower communities. We are working toward impactful legislation at the state level while advocating for local policies that prioritize environmental justice and community health.
Our efforts include influencing land use plans to reflect community needs and creating frameworks that promote equitable and sustainable development. These goals underscore our commitment to advocating for systemic change that leads to healthier, more just neighborhoods for everyone.
Coalition Building
CCAEJ is committed to strengthening coalition efforts to amplify visibility and drive collective action for environmental justice. Over the next two years, we aim to launch the EJ Task Force, creating a space for collaboration among organizations and community leaders to address shared challenges and advance impactful solutions.
Our vision includes expanding resources, expertise, and capacity within these coalitions, ensuring we can tackle complex issues together. By fostering strong partnerships, we’re laying the groundwork for a more unified and powerful environmental justice movement.
Legal Empowerment
CCAEJ is focused on building legal capacity to strengthen community advocacy efforts. By creating opportunities for legal standing during civic engagement processes, we aim to empower communities to influence decision-making and hold institutions accountable.
Our work will focus on key areas like CEQA, Civil Rights protections, and the Brown Act, ensuring that communities have the tools and knowledge to effectively advocate for their rights. These efforts are part of our long-term vision to establish a strong legal framework for environmental justice and community empowerment.
