Posts in 'Building Community Power'

Generations has a strong history of serving and advocating for the needs of older adults in the Indian Valley and North Penn Areas. Older adults are challenged to advocate for themselves, without a coordinated organization to assist them in connecting with others. Weather it is housing, nutrition, or mental health, advocacy for older adults is a serious need.

We will: Train our Board and staff on allowable and impactful advocacy. Strategically plan to incorporate advocacy activities into our mission and services. Develop educational materials that enable older adult to advocate for themselves. Rely on strong relationships with elected officials, supporting their advocacy efforts. Engage older adults and community partners to speak for the needs of this generation. 

Our project highlights the intersection of climate change and agriculture, focusing on how sustainable farming can mitigate environmental impacts and help farms adapt. At Pennypack Farm, we face extreme weather, shifting growing seasons, and soil degradation which are challenges that require new strategies for resilience. This initiative will educate our community on these issues and the role of regenerative agriculture in strengthening local food systems. We will also provide advocacy training, empowering our network to engage in policy discussions that support climate-smart farming. Through education, outreach, and advocacy, we aim to equip our community with the knowledge and tools to take meaningful action for a climate-resilient future.

The project is a collaborative effort between The Welcome Project PA (WPPA) and Immigrant Rights Action to build resilience and provide comprehensive support to LGBT+ and immigrant communities through a range of resources. Services include mental health support like low-cost therapy in English and Spanish and LGBT+ support groups, as well as educational programs on rights, healthcare, and safety. The initiative also offers free monthly legal clinics, a referral service, and culturally competent therapy to immigrant communities, strengthening advocacy and empowerment. Additionally, it fosters community through social gatherings and provides Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIAB) training to shift harmful narratives and create spaces of belonging.

Funding will support ELC-PA's work in Montgomery County with families and partners to remove barriers to quality public education. This project will influence education policy and practices by submitting research and recommendations to state and local education agencies and lawmakers, and by providing resources, legal services, and training to families and partners. ELC-PA will work with local school districts to implement reforms aimed at improving education access and will monitor these changes and will file complaints to ensure that systemic educational issues are addressed through corrective actions.

This project is an opportunity for the Housing Alliance to support expanded advocacy that leads to bigger results. It will expand advocacy for state housing and homelessness policies through three primary activities: co-hosting an advocacy day with CAN to provide effective communication training, coordinating follow-up with key legislators, and supporting local organizations in hosting events with legislators to build relationships and show local impact and support.

This project aims to leverage relationships with the faith community to improve systems, policies, and programs. Its key strategies include engaging and activating volunteer leaders from 50 congregations by providing information and workshops on advocacy, informing key religious leaders through the Wissahickon Faith Community Association (WFCA), utilizing email and social media to educate the broader community, and developing partnerships with Access Services to build community power within the faith community.

To activate and organize reproductive rights supporters in Montgomery County, the initiative will focus on four key projects: neighborhood canvassing in lower-income areas around Norristown and Pottstown health centers, assembling and distributing self-care packages to abortion patients with volunteer help, hosting various events like volunteer trainings and issue briefings, and recruiting patients in health center waiting rooms to share their stories and volunteer. These efforts aim to engage both the general public and patients directly to build a strong advocacy network.