Community Organizing
Whether it’s residential tenants gathering to address building issues, high school students looking to resolve conflict without arrests, or community members fighting for equitable development—community organizing empowers people to challenge systemic injustice, create solutions, and build power together.
It’s in all we do. Our work provides the resources, tools, and analysis for Bronxites to collectively address issues that impact them. In turn, everyday people become leaders who shift the balance of power and transform our community into one that works for us all.
Policy Advocacy
Our leaders develop innovative public policy and programs on local, state, and national levels. These policies and programs emerge from the ground up, based on the lived experiences and expertise of those they are designed to serve.
Civic Engagement
By cultivating a community of educated and engaged voters, we are committed to making our political system work for our community—especially low-income and people of color. To achieve this, we host forums for the residents to ask political candidates critical questions on key issues and what actions they intend to take in office. Plus, we prepare community members to lead voter registration and “Get Out the Vote” initiatives that encourage their neighbors to go to the polls. Through these efforts, residents are empowered to vote for individuals who will serve their community and hold elected officials to their word.
Leadership Development
Through leadership development, community members gain knowledge of the local and national political landscape, the systems of power within it, and effective ways of addressing it. With ongoing, holistic guidance from experienced community organizing staff, members put their learnings into practice through our campaigns. We support the next generation of leaders to emerge from our community and guide our organization’s future.
Creating New Models
When broken institutional practices or entire systems get in the way of our ability to thrive, we work to transform them according to our vision. We envision a community that is collectively designed, built, owned, and governed by residents. We are building community-owned assets where we share in the wealth and make decisions collectively to invest back into the health and well-being of the Bronx. These serve as models for how we can remake our economy and our democracy to truly work for all people.
Support Services
So they can fight for the future of our community effectively, we support members exactly where they are. This includes connecting them to job training programs in a variety of sectors, and academic and career counseling for young people. We also connect people to high-quality, free legal counsel through our partners, in order to successfully resolve housing court disputes, advise them around citizenship status, and more. In addition, our legal partners provide expert support for each of our organization’s core issues, which sharpens our community members’ list of demands and corresponding strategy.
Faith and Justice
Based on our diverse faith backgrounds and our united efforts that spring from the love of God and neighbor, our Clergy Caucus joins together to mobilize our congregations and community to work for justice and live in peace. We support clergy and lay leaders in their calls to protect the sacredness of creation, uplift the dignity of all people, and build powerful ministries that act against injustice.