Program:
Chinatown Stabilization Campaign
- Budget:
-
$120,000
- Category:
-
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Asian/Pacific Islander
-
Immigrants/Newcomers/Refugees
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Boston Chinatown is a residential neighborhood and the social, cultural, political, and economic center of New England's Chinese community. The trend of downtown revitalization means that a key point of conflict in the city is the struggle of communities of color and working class neighborhoods for the right to remain. Chinatown faces the most intense development pressures due to its location in the heart of downtown. Over the past 20 years, we have organized Chinatown residents to win long-term affordability contracts at expiring use developments, to moderate rent increases, and to increase affordable housing in new commercial developments. Due to recent luxury development, Chinatown today is a half low-income, half high-income community.The Chinatown Stabilization Campaign is focused on stabilizing the working class residential core of Chinatown as the neighborhood grows and diversifies.
Program Long-Term Success:
-Immigrant working class residents will remain in affordable housing developments in Chinatown's residential center, with more affordable housing opportunities for families in mixed-income housing at the neighborhood's edges. -The Chinese community will secure job opportunities and benefit from new waves of development in the Harrison-Albany corridor. -Chinatown will join with other neighborhoods citywide to develop shared communications and coordinated organizing strategies, winning new community stabilization policies at the city level.
Program Short-Term Success:
-Work with tenants to preserve affordable units in Chinatown's center-Work for construction and permanent jobs linked to local development projects to hire at least 51% Boston residents, 51% people of color and increase hiring of women-Organize to influence both neighborhood development outcomes and citywide policy
Program Success Monitored by:
-Tenants involved, units preserved, households stabilized-Hiring outcomes-New program pathways established-Development projects modified-Policies changed or influenced
Program Success Examples:
-Brought citywide attention to the ""affordability gap"" in affordable housing and secured changes in the Inclusionary Zoning program to better serve Boston residents. -Worked with tenants in ten Chinatown developments, nearly a thousand units, to help them stay in their homes and improve their quality of life. -Helped establish Chinatown's first resident association, which went on to win city government recognition as an advisory ""neighborhood council"" and increased affordable housing concessions through high-profile organizing campaigns.-Our youth program started the campaign to restore the Boston Chinatown Branch Library, destroyed by urban renewal. CPA has continued to support committee efforts for a Chinatown-led community center and library; the group launched a temporary reading room this spring.Provided core staffing to Chinatown Master Plan 2010, an effort to unify residents and stakeholders to implement community development priorities.
Program:
Civic Empowerment Project
- Budget:
-
$100,000
- Category:
-
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Asian/Pacific Islander
-
Immigrants/Newcomers/Refugees
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Formerly seen as a newcomer community with few votes, Boston's Chinese community has increased its voter turnout and political clout in the past decade. Today, Chinatown is one of the city's highest-turnout neighborhoods. Chinatown, while it represents less than one-quarter of the area's Chinese American population, has the highest concentration of Chinese American voters and is a strategic base from which to organize for political visibility, representation, and clout. At the same time, Chinese Americans need to expand our influence and participation in other neighborhoods and communities in which we live. The goal of the Civic Empowerment Project is to organize for grassroots democratic participation of ordinary Chinese community members in the political decision-making process in order to build collective community power. Our strategy is to combine participatory issue-based organizing with broad-based voter education and registration, expand our local political base, organize for election reform and voting rights, and build coalitions with other disenfranchised communities.
Program Long-Term Success:
-Expand active voter base and organizing throughout the City of Boston, then in cities such as Malden and Quincy, increasing civic engagement and voter participation.-Establish a citywide alliances, particularly with other communities of color, to coordinate organizing around a progressive agenda.-The alliance progressive agenda will set the tone for public policy debate and begin to win new policy demands for racial, economic and environmental justice.
Program Short-Term Success:
-Continue to organize for the community's issue agenda around jobs, public safety, education, affordable housing, community facilities, and redistricting. -Increase Chinese community awareness and understanding of the interconnected issues of public safety and the safety net, fair taxes and budget cuts. -Increase Chinese American voter participation in Chinatown, South End, South Boston, Mission Hill, and Charlestown. -Establish citywide civic action alliance with core base-building allies. Develop citywide agenda and initial coordinated work in Chinatown, South End, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and parts of Dorchester.
Program Success Monitored by:
-Policy changes achieved related to the issue agenda-New grassroots spokespeople around revenue and service issues-Numbers of residents engaged in civic action and voter turnout rates-Citywide civic action alliance established and coordination begun
Program Success Examples:
-Won statewide passage of Boston's home rule petition to provide fully bilingual ballots to Chinese and Vietnamese speaking voters. -This past year, registered 186 new voters and involved 600 voters in organizing around city council redistricting. -Involved 120 volunteers and developed building activist teams in 16 affordable housing developments in Chinatown and the South End -Achieved 40% voter turnout among Chinese American voters in Chinatown, South End, and South Boston during an off-year city council election.
Program:
Workers Center
- Budget:
-
$150,000
- Category:
-
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Asian/Pacific Islander
-
Immigrants/Newcomers/Refugees
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
The goal of the Workers Center is to help Chinese workers learn about and organize for our rights, and to develop solidarity with workers of different communities and nationalities. The Workers Center:promotes awareness of workers' rightsprovides support for collective actionorganizes the unemployed and the unorganizedorganizes for economic justice in the policy arenabuilds the leadership role of Chinese workers in the community We are working to demand permanent and construction job opportunities from local development projects and to ensure that Green jobs in the energy efficiency sector can be good jobs.CPA plays a core role in the Immigrant Workers Center Collaborative to build organizing capacity and solidarity between the Chinese, Brazilian, and Latino communities. We are organizing for temp workers' rights and against wage theft. Proactively, we are developing a common Worker Bill of Rights
Program Long-Term Success:
-Asian American workers gain proportional representation in construction jobs and in local companies, particularly surrounding the Chinatown neighborhood.-Businesses employing Chinese immigrant workers begin to follow minimum wage and other basic labor laws.-Chinese workers are able to access education and training opportunities that prepare them for local job opportunities.-Through organizing, service sector and hospitality job standards are upgraded to make these good jobs.
Program Short-Term Success:
-Immigrant worker centers will collaborate with labor and faith communities to popularize a Worker Bill of Rights and wage coordinated campaigns for improved job standards.-Changes in employer practice and policy achieved which improve job standards for immigrant workers.-Chinese community will secure community hiring agreements and pathways to jobs in local development projects-Immigrant communities' struggles for basic workplace rights, stable communities, and family unification will enjoy a developing popular base of support in the Boston area.
Program Success Monitored by:
-Policy changes achieved or policy demands become visible to the public-Campaign launched and underway-New program pathways created-Track record of community workers hired
Program Success Examples:
-Partnered with the Painters DC 35 to train immigrant workers in air sealing, insulation, lead abatement and occupational safety, in preparation for jobs in the Chinatown weatherization pilot. -Six Chinese weatherization workers were hired to weatherize homes in the Chinese community, making an hourly wage of $18.48.-Helped immigrant workers recover $31,933.75 in owed wages and compensation over the past year, and helped 116 workers from 82 workplaces learn about their rights.
Program:
Chinese Youth Initiative
- Budget:
-
$45,000
- Category:
-
Youth Development, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Asian/Pacific Islander
-
Youth/Adolescents only (14 - 19 years)
Program Description:
Since 1994, CYI has brought together Chinese American youth from all over the Boston area. Sponsored by the Chinese Progressive Association, the program's mission is to develop and involve youth leadership in the Chinese American community. We strive to accomplish this goal through cultivating awareness around Chinese American issues and providing youth with experience in grassroots community organizing.CYI was started with the notion that, if given guidance, opportunity, and experience in making a difference, many youth would want to better understand our society and create positive change in their communities. We empower youth through education, leadership skills development, and taking action!
Program Long-Term Success:
-Program graduates become non-profit community organization leaders, lawyers, artists, elected officials, union leaders, or work for community change in other ways-Youth develop an active voice within the Chinese community
Program Short-Term Success:
-75% of youth interns continue community involvement beyond their internship-Youth become an integral part of CPA's leadership core-6-10 core youth play a consistent, active role in educating the community about and fighting budget cuts-Youth leaders engage a broader circle of 30-50 youth
Program Success Monitored by:
-youth self-reported satisfaction and increased awareness-rate of continued involvement-youth representation in membership and leadership-event records
Program Success Examples:
-100% of interns report satisfaction with program and increased awareness-100% of summer interns continued involvement-CPA board now has three youth representatives who fully participate but do not hold legal responsibility
Program:
Adult Education and Service Program
- Budget:
-
$80,000
- Category:
-
Education, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Asian/Pacific Islander
-
Immigrants/Newcomers/Refugees
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Chinese immigrants are trapped in low-paying jobs and their daily interactions limited by the language barrier. Without increasing numbers of naturalized citizens who become registered voters and actively exercise their rights, the community will remain invisible and its needs unaddressed. The goal of the Adult Education Program is to help Chinese immigrants learn English, become naturalized citizens, improve their living conditions, and expand their participation in US society. CPA Provides° Beginner English as a Second Language classes at two learning levels° US Citizenship classes and assistance with the naturalization process° An emphasis on learning the concept and practice of civic participation° Tutoring assistance and other support services for adult learners° English conversation practice for members° Drop-in know-your-rights counseling and referral services
Program Long-Term Success:
-Chinese immigrants will learn English more quickly to help them adapt to life in the US-More immigrants will become naturalized citizens-Community members will become aware of their rights and less vulnerable to exploitation
Program Short-Term Success:
-75% of ESL students will advance at least one SPL level after a year of study-Students, members and service clients will learn about their rights and become more self-sufficient-Students, members, and drop-in service clients will become involved in organizing activities
Program Success Monitored by:
-class records and BEST test results-drop-in records and staff reporting-staff reporting and observation
Program Success Examples: