Welcome to CrossingBarriers!
Students from Youth Leadership & Community Organizing Training Program
At CrossingBarriers (CB) we believe that through community organizing, leadership development, youth organizing education organizing, racial justice and issue-based organizing, we create agents for change and future leaders. Youth, community members, parents of color, immigrants and non- immigrants develop the skills necessary to address and advocate issues in their schools to address the achievement gap as well as addressing issues in their community /neighborhood such as racism, police profiling and violence. Our vision is for young people to be authentic advocates to navigate and overcome structural racism and barriers that hinder them from being successful and productive citizens. CB also organizes parents and parent groups to advocate for all children in their schools and navigate successfully. The participants in CB are able to take action on issues that concern them. They are able to see that they have the power to improve/ overcome education – social/ economic systemic barriers they face daily. Thank you for visiting our website! Please use the navigation links above to explore CrossingBarriers.org.
Who We Are at CrossingBarriers?
Our mission is to develop the leadership skills of low-income youth and community members such as parents to improve education, address community-based issues, and be agents for change. We provide leadership development training through issue-based community organizing to address issues such as unequal quality education, racism, lack of access to quality services in low-income neighborhoods which are one of the main reasons for poverty in our communities. We focus our projects on the needs and challenges facing youth of color, immigrant youth, and their parents that face poverty and struggle in racist systems. Our leadership training provides participants with the tools they need in order to succeed in their schools, better their communities, and achieve their goals.
At CrossingBarriers, youth and their families are agents for change in projects committed to contributing positively to the long-term social economic stability, success of their community, and education. We also address immediate issues that affect communities through an issue-based, community organizing, education, youth organizing and racial justice approach which is led by CB youth leaders. The leadership skills learned at CB empowers our leaders to bring about systemic change.
The foundation and backbone of CrossingBarriers is its community support of youth, volunteers, community members, and parent activists. Each program we have is directed by and for the needs of its participants. Participants tell us what issues and challenges they face in their schools and communities. CrossingBarriers provides leadership training, community organizing, and knowledge of the civic participation process in order for participants to advocate effectively and have an impact on the system they are addressing.