Marti, 4 decembrie, ne intalnim cu trei organizatori comunitari din Statele Unite care sa ne povesteasca din experienta lor si despre cum se pot obtine schimbari durabile prin organizare comunitara.
Astfel, de la 15:00 la 18:30, vom avea o intalnire (in limba engleza) in care ni se va povesti si vom dezbate despre: organizare in randul tinerilor, dezvoltarea liderilor si a lidershipului si construirea unui centru comunitar.
Iata si cine sunt cei trei:
- Jennifer Hadlock – New York, New York
Jennifer Hadlock became the Welfare and Workforce Organizer for Community Voices Heard in December 2009. She has over ten years of organizing experience in Hartford, Connecticut starting in neighborhood organizing of tenants and youth, and later organized around welfare and drug policy.
She is proud to have worked on a campaign to win a Community Center for the neighborhood where she worked and to have helped start an organization. She also has experience organizing in the violence against women movement, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
She has a psychology degree from Washington University in Saint Louis and JD/MSW from University of Connecticut.
In her spare time she goes to visit and Skype’s with her seven nieces and nephews.
- Martha Valadez, Detroit, Michigan
Martha is a youth organizer at the Harriet Tubman Center in Detroit. She was born and raised in Rialto, California, about 40 minutes east of Los Angeles. Her passion for community organizing developed from her early days in Stockton, California. There she became very active in social justice work through her involvement with MEChA (Moviemento Estudiantil Chican@ Aztlan) which rooted her in organizing with fellow passionate Chican@ folks working to connect college students at the University of the Pacific on critical issues in the Stockton community. Her passion for animal rights and environmental justice also drive her work and are also a result of her time spent in Stockton.
In 2010 she arrived in Ann Arbor, Michigan to study and develop her skills as a community organizer among many other talented graduate students pursuing their Master’s degree in Social Work.
As a Washtenaw County resident, she began to work with youth and adults in the immigrant rights movement. Her role as a co-facilitator in a therapy group for children experiencing trauma due to the draconian immigration policies of our time, motivated her to take action and engage with the Latino community to demand justice! She worked with many wonderful graduate social work students to develop the DREAM mentoring program for undocumented youth who were demanding support as they struggled in their pursuit for higher education. She still holds an active role in this community, and is a committed full time organizer for YOUTH VOICE and Our Kids Come First in Southwest Detroit.
- Rachid Elabed – Dearborn, Michigan
Rachid is currently working at Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), a nonprofit organization in Dearborn, Michigan, organizing the Arab American community around key issues affecting them. Serving as the Advocacy & Civic Engagement Specialist, Rachid consistently leads successful grassroots advocacy and nonpartisan voter engagement campaigns. Some of his work includes organizing around racial profiling of Arab and Muslims, advocating for comprehensive immigration reform, and registering thousands of new voters.
Rachid is looking forward to the opportunity to learn from the experiences of colleagues across the globe, particularly in the areas of community building and organizing, and youth engagement. He is also looking forward to expanding his network through shared experiences and travel.
Rachid was born and raised in Detroit, MI, and comes from a family of 14 siblings. He is currently working on his Masters degree in Social work. On his free time he loves working out and playing any kind of sports.