Our Goals

In the coming year, AEJ aims to achieve the following:

Platform Development and Campaigns

  • Convene a national gathering of community organizers and core student and parent leaders, from across the country to develop long-term strategies in education justice and youth organizing (September 26th 2009)
  • Produce and disseminate an education justice policy agenda with endorsements from at least 30 key allies outside the alliance
  • Meet with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to provide young people and youth organizing groups access to federal education policy makers
  • Create and begin to implement a shared national campaign with clear local, regional and national articulation

Movement Building

  • Produce and disseminate movement-building tools, training materials and resources that strengthen the capacity and leadership of key leaders and education justice groups nationwide
  • Build a youth and parent education justice corps, which will engage in broad outreach to build a sizable and engaged constituency for education reform in our communities
  • Create and implement a youth development and organizing training infrastructure that supports designated youth leaders in our organizations in developing the skills to lead the work of the alliance

Infrastructure development

  • Convene a series of strategic meetings among youth leaders to develop issue areas and goals, provide guidance and feedback on the structure and planning process
  • Establish a staffing and governance structure to guide the alliance that successfully engages young people in directing the work of the alliance
  • Conduct an analysis of funding landscape and secure funding partners
  • Create a process document which clarifies roles and decision-making practices for the alliance

Our next national convening is scheduled for September 26, 2009 in Washington DC. We plan to bring 2-3 youth and 1 staff member per member organization to further solidify our working principles, allow youth to provide feedback and direction to the policy and campaign strategy. After the convening, our youth leaders will then meet with key national decision makers to introduce the alliance to them and begin to build relationships.

For more information contact, Charles McDonald,  charlesmcdon@gmail.com or Mustafa Sullivan, mustafa@northwestbronx.org

AEJ members: Albany Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago * Baltimore Algebra Project * Boston Youth Organizing Project * Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago * Californians for Justice * Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, San Francisco * Community Coalition, Los Angeles * Desis Rising Up and Moving, New York * Future of Tomorrow, New York * Inner City Struggle, Los Angles  * Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Chicago  * Make the Road New York * Mothers on the Move, New York * Padres y Jovenes Unidos, Denver * Philadelphia Student Union * Sistas & Brothas United, New York  * Sunflower Community Action, Wichita * Youth Together, Oakland * Youth United for Change, Philadelphia * Youth Education Alliance, Washington DC