Action Now Institute

ANI’s Grow Your Own (GYO) Teachers and Pre-GYO programs provide teacher candidates of color academic guidance, effectiveness and leadership training, and social support as they pursue their teacher certification. We are working to create successful, innovative models for recruiting, assessing and retaining highly effective teachers of color to improve the academic achievement of students of color who attend public schools in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. As community organizers, we galvanize and empower parents, students, teachers, school administrators and community members to win equitable funding and school reform.

The current minimum wage in Illinois is $8.25/hour, which is approximately $16,500 annually for full-time employees – much too low to meet basic needs. Our goal is to reach our target hourly rate of $10.65/hour in 2014 with 50-cent increases and adjustments for inflation annually. Projections indicate the increases will inject $1 billion in consumer spending into the state’s economy as a result of minimum wage workers having more money to spend.

ANI trains and mobilizes community members to identify and solve problems, build mutually beneficial public relationships, engage city and state government officials, and present their issues to the press. Leadership comes in many forms and our goal is to identify the individual aspirations of our community members and cultivate them to their full potential. Relationship development and ownership of the decisions and programs reinforce commitment. Participating in neighborhood activities and local campaigns builds skills and enhances the effectiveness of the training. Our leaders emerge as agents of change – prepared to get their community involved and fight for the equity they deserve.