Category Archives: Philadelphia

Community Development, Immigrant Rights, LGBT, People of color, Philadelphia, Women

ACLU

Founded in 1920, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is the nation’s foremost guardian of liberty. They are a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to defending and protecting individual rights and personal freedoms.

Through advocacy, education and litigation, their attorneys, advocates and volunteers work to preserve and promote civil liberties including the freedom of speech, the right to privacy, reproductive freedom, and equal treatment under the law. They stand in defense of the rights of women and minorities, workers, students, immigrants, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and others who have seen bias and bigotry threaten the rights afforded to all of us in this country by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Because the ACLU of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit organization with limited resources, they rely on volunteers and interns to accomplish their work. Most of their volunteer and internship opportunities are in one of their offices in Philadelphia. Some volunteers make a regular weekly commitment to volunteer; others help out on an as-needed basis.

The Philadelphia local chapter is made up of volunteers who help further the mission of the ACLU by alerting staff about civil liberties violations in their area, holding local events, and raising awareness in their communities about civil liberties and the ACLU-PA.

Have skills you’d like to volunteer, such as photography or graphic design, but don’t want to commit to regular schedule in the office? Email them at volunteer@aclupa.org to set up a time to discuss how you can get involved!

Website: https://www.aclupa.org/takeaction/volunteerintern/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aclupa

Contact: 215-592-1513, volunteer@aclupa.org or info@aclupa.org

Location: 1401 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Environmental Justice, New York, Philadelphia

350.org

350.org is building a global climate movement. Our online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions are coordinated by a global network active in over 188 countries. 350.org works in almost every country in the world on campaigns like fighting coal power plants in India, stopping the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S, and divesting public institutions everywhere from fossil fuels. All of our work leverages people power to dismantle the influence and infrastructure of the fossil fuel industry, and to develop people-centric solutions to the climate crisis.

Are you stressed out over climate change? Fed up with inequities within our economic system? Tired of money in politics stifling your voice? Are you enraged by social injustice, police brutality, and the lack of public funding for education and healthcare?

350Philly’s monthly meetings are an amazing hub for you to plug in to change-making.

Join us to learn how solutions to the climate crisis are actually humanity’s opportunity to right the wrongs of racism, poverty, and inequity. Come to learn about the work of the coalitions we support and get involved with an active committee where you’ll help foster the change you want to see in your city.

Check our Facebook page for more information on meetings, and email us to get involved!

Website:http://www.350philadelphia.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/350Philadelphia

Contact: 350Philadelphia@gmail.com

Location: 20 Jay St, Suite 732, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Environmental Justice, Philadelphia

Pennsylvanians Against Fracking

Pennsylvanians Against Fracking is a statewide coalition of groups representing a diversity of issues, backgrounds and locations, united in the mission of achieving a ban on fracking in the commonwealth.

The first goal of the coalition is to enact a moratorium on fracking throughout Pennsylvania. This halt to drilling must include the following provisions:

• No new wells;
• No new fracking-related infrastructure;
• Comprehensive studies of environmental, health and safety impacts. These studies should be independent of oil and gas industry influence, and peer-reviewed by relevant experts.

We will accomplish our goal through tactics and strategies such as:
• Educating the public of the need for a statewide moratorium;
• Pressuring the governor, the Pennsylvania legislature, and other relevant agencies or decision-makers to institute a statewide moratorium;
• Building the power and diversity of our movement through inclusive and unbiased outreach throughout the state.

If you’re interested in getting involved, fill out the form here.

For more updates, like our Facebook page.

Website: http://www.paagainstfracking.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pennsylvanians-Against-Fracking-799479086758965/

Decarceration, Philadelphia

Decarcerate PA

1262578_692835737423699_567386620_oDecarcerate PA is a coalition of organizations and individuals seeking an end to mass incarceration and the harms it brings our communities. Decarcerate PA seeks mechanisms to build whole, healthy communities and believes that imprisonment exacerbates the problems we face. We therefore demand an immediate and lasting moratorium on all new prisons: no new prisons, no new county or city jails, no prison expansions, no new beds in county jails, no immigrant detention facilities, no private prisons. We also demand changes in policing, sentencing and legislation to reduce the prison population. We believe that public money should instead be spent on quality public schools, jobs and job training, community-based reentry services, health care and food access, drug and alcohol treatment programs, stable housing, restorative forms of justice and non-punitive programs that address the root cause of violence in our communities. Such steps are necessary to secure socially responsible, personally secure, and economically viable communities in our state.

 

1559696_680593638647909_458968926_nJoin us for a Decacerate PA general meeting at 6pm on the fourth monday of every month at the Friends Center in the Martin Luther King room.  The Friends Center is located at 1501 Cherry Street. The general meeting is a great place to learn how to get involved with the campaign, hear about upcoming events, and learn what the different committees are up to.

Phone: 267-217-DEPA
                  267 217-3372
Environmental Justice, Philadelphia

Food and Water Watch

Food & Water Watch is a leading national consumer advocacy organization that runs dynamic, cutting edge campaigns that challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources, empower people to take action and transform the public consciousness about what we eat and drink. Since 2005, we have won significant victories to protect our food and water.

Food & Water Watch works to ensure the food, water and fish we consume is safe, accessible and sustainably produced. So we can all enjoy and trust in what we eat and drink, we help people take charge of where their food comes from, keep clean, affordable, public tap water flowing freely to our homes, protect the environmental quality of oceans, force government to do its job protecting citizens, and educate about the importance of keeping the global commons — our shared resources — under public control.

Food: We work to promote the practices and policies that will result in sustainable and secure food systems that provide healthy food for consumers and an economically viable living for family farmers and rural communities.

Water: We advocate for public control of water resources and services, strong conservation measures and tough regulation of toxic emissions. The policies we promote will result in safe and affordable drinking water for everyone, rather than reliance on bottled water.

Common Resources: We work to stop the financialization of nature and the privatization of our common resources, and fight to maintain the environmental quality of the ocean and its resources.

We are currently seeking organizing interns interested in fighting for safe food, clean water, and healthy oceans. These position typically runs at least 10 weeks, for 15 hours per week minimum. Current student standing is not necessary. Academic credit is often available for students based on university praxis or service learning opportunities. We provide volunteer credit for participants in service groups. For more information, click here

Website: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FWW.PA

Contact: 267-428-1903

Location: 1501 Cherry Street, Second Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102

 

Environmental Justice, Philadelphia, Washington DC

Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT)

Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT, pronounced “Equate”) is a grassroots, nonviolent social action group founded by Quakers and inclusive of people of all faiths or no faith, who join with millions of people around the world fighting for our threatened planet.

Earth Quaker Action Team yearns to move toward a place of integrity and right relationship with ourselves, the Religious Society of Friends, and within our global community. The enormity of the problem we call climate change is daunting. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has just hit an all-time high of 400 parts per million, which scientists say the Earth has not seen in 3 million years – prior to the emergence of humans. We face certain catastrophic harm to the commonwealth of life if we do not take immediate action.

We call on people of all faiths to confront boldly those who would profit from the destruction of nature, and who think nothing of endangering human health and well being.

Bank Like Appalachia Matters! (BLAM!)

Our current campaign is BLAM! — a strategic effort to get PNC Bank out of the business of financing mountaintop removal coal mining. We use nonviolent direct action to shine the light on PNC Bank’s lead role as one of the primary financiers of this devastating surface mining practice which has destroyed more than 500 mountains and 2,000 miles of river and streambed in Appalachia.

In this campaign, we are committed to taking the profit out of financing climate change.

Website: www.eqat.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EarthQuakerActionTeam/

Location: 4510 Kingsessing Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Decarceration, Philadelphia, Youth

Youth and Art Self-Empowerment Project (YASP)

The number of teenagers under the age of 18 who are held in adult jails and prisons in Pennsylvania has increased drastically over the last fifteen years.  The Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP) is building a youth-led movement to stop this trend by ending the practice of automatically trying and incarcerating young people as adults.  Through its work in the Philadelphia jails, YASP provides space for incarcerated young people to express themselves creatively and to develop as leaders both within and beyond the prison walls.  Young people who have been through the adult court system are at the forefront of YASP, leading the movement to keep teenagers out of adult prisons and to create new possibilities for youth around the city.

What We Do

Education
YASP conducts art, poetry, music, and empowerment workshops at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center (P.I.C.C.) and Riverside Correctional Facility (R.F.C.) every Saturday with young people under 18 who are being tried as adults. We also show our documentary and do leadership building workshops at schools and colleges to teach youth about the flaws of the criminal justice system and how to avoid a a life of crime.

Assistance
YASP’s work with young people continues even after their time in the adult prison system. On Thursdays, YASP has “open hours” from 4:00pm-7:00pm to provide these teens help with finding employment, writing resumés and cover letters, continuing education, homework, college applications, etc.

Activism
YASP participates in rallies and demonstrations, and conducts door knocking campaigns for our petition to repeal or amend Act 33, the law that allows youth to be automatically charged as adults in PA.
Website: http://www.yasproject.com/
Contact: 267-571-YASP, Yasproject@gmail.com
Location: 2231 North Broad St., Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19132
 *This site is accessible via public transportation from the Bryn Mawr campus.
LGBT, Philadelphia

Human Rights Campaign

As the largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, the Human Rights Campaign represents a force of more than 1.5 million members and supporters nationwide — all committed to making HRC’s vision a reality.

HRC envisions a world where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

Founded in 1980, the Human Rights Campaign advocates on behalf of LGBT Americans, mobilizes grassroots actions in diverse communities, invests strategically to elect fair-minded individuals to office and educates the public about LGBT issues.

Focus on Diversity

In a world defined by difference, our strength depends on our common humanity. HRC unites diverse communities into a powerful whole striving for equality.

Educational Outreach

HRC’s research and educational programs engage LGBT and straight-supportive Americans in an ongoing dialogue about equality.

Media Outreach

HRC works with the news media to showcase a pro-equality message and produces its own media programs, demonstrating the breadth of LGBT life.

HRC Publications

HRC produces a variety of high-quality resources on topics ranging from coming out to legal and political issues affecting LGBT Americans.

Website: http://www.hrc.org/steering-committees/philadelphia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HRCGreaterPhiladelphia/

Contact: 215-435-0794, PhillyRegionHRC@Gmail.com

 

All Opportunities, Labor Rights, Philadelphia, Women

Coalition of Labor Union Women

The Coalition of Labor Union Women is America’s only national organization for union women. Formed in 1974, CLUW is a nonpartisan organization within the union movement.

The primary mission of CLUW is to unify all union women in a viable organization to determine our common problems and concerns and to develop action programs within the framework of our unions to deal effectively with our objectives.

CLUW adopted four basic goals of action:

  • to promote affirmative action in the workplace;
  • to strengthen the role of women in unions;
  • to organize the unorganized women;
  • and to increase the involvement of women in the political and legislative process.

These goals continue to be the cornerstone of CLUW’s activities as members speak out for equal pay, child and elder care benefits, job security, safe workplaces, affordable health care, contraceptive equity, and protection from sexual harassment and violence at work.

With members from 54 international and national unions across the U.S. and Canada, CLUW has a strong network of more than 40 chapters. CLUW is endorsed by the AFL-CIO and its international and national unions. CLUW local chapters educate members, keep them up-to-date on a variety of issues of concern to working families, and provide a support network for women in unions.

Committees: Young Women’s Committee; Newsletter; Women in Non-Traditional Jobs; Events Planning

Website: http://www.cluw.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLUWomen

Contact: (Philadelphia Chapter)Laura Wentz, Chapter President, laurawentz@rcn.com 215.588.5026

Meetings: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 5:30 PM at Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, 22 S. 22nd Street, 2nd Floor Philadelphia, PA.

*This site is accessible via public transportation from the Bryn Mawr campus.

Please see transportation reimbursement policy.

Immigrant Rights, Location, Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC)

The Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC) is a diverse coalition of over 50 member organizations and hundreds of individual members. Our membership is interfaith, interethnic and interdisciplinary and includes community groups, service providers, mutual assistance associations, unions, faith communities, concerned individuals and immigrant groups of different backgrounds to share information and resources, identify common problems, and advocate for solutions.

We believe that immigrants, refugees and other new Americans make significant contributions to our nation, state, region, and our local communities. They pay taxes in our local economy, revitalize neighborhoods as renters and home owners, consumers and business owners, and bring a rich cultural diversity.Our mission is to represent the needs of immigrants, migrants, refugees and other New Americans living in Pennsylvania to policy makers, public officials and the general public. We seek to advance immigrants’ rights and to promote their full integration into society by advocating for fair policies that welcome and sustain immigrants.

Website: http://www.paimmigrant.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PAImmigrant/

Contact: (215) 832-0636, admin@paimmigrant.org

Location: 2100 Arch Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103