The California Conference for Equality and Justice, Inc.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Every community has a need for safe homes, schools and neighborhoods. We all deserve nurturing relationships and to feel a sense of belonging. All people have value and dignity, yet not everyone has the same access or opportunity. Stereotyping, prejudice, hate crimes and violence are realities that tear our communities apart. CCEJ responds by creating cultures of connection, respect and accountability.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Youth Leadership Programs
Each year, we support more than 500 youth and young adults to develop self-awareness and leadership skills through programs including:
BUILDING BRIDGES CAMP:
a 3-day retreat for high school students to explore identity, stereotypes, prejudice, and build
skills to promote inclusion in their schools and communities.
CONSCIOUS CLASSROOMS:
an in-school program for K-12 students to foster awareness and take action for making their classes
more inclusive and equitable.
RESTORATIVE YOUTH DIVERSION:
an alternative to the juvenile criminal legal system using Restorative Justice tools for youth to build self-awareness, understand the impact of their actions, and practice accountability to people who they have harmed.
Institutional Transformation
CCEJ believes that everyone has a role to play in transforming our schools, workplaces and communities to be more just and equitable. We provide experiential, interactive training and coaching on inclusion, equity
and Restorative Justice for more than 3,000 adults annually.
Community Education Programs
CCEJ builds connections across differences, promotes mutual understanding and acceptance, and celebrates the power of inclusion through programs such as:
• Roots of Justice Convening, providing connections and learning across sectors for people working to promote equity and justice in their schools, workplaces, and communities. Our annual Convening includes our longstanding Interfaith Intercultural Breakfast.
• Hate Crime Prevention and Response: CCEJ is part of the LA vs. Hate collaborative, and California’s statewide Stop the Hate initiative.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
CCEJ's programs are focused on raising awareness, facilitating dialogue, healing conflicts and bridging differences. CCEJ intentionally works where differences collide and conflict exists — in schools, businesses and neighborhoods. We know real change only comes from everyone working together. By embracing differences and striving for understanding, CCEJ seeks to build a unified, peaceful and inclusive Southern California, with justice for all.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
EDUCATION: CCEJ provides human relations education to youth and adults – experiential programs that give participants an opportunity to examine their own stereotypes and biases and learn skills to make their schools, workplaces and neighborhoods safer and more inclusive. CCEJ's education programs include Building Bridges camp and leadership programs for youth, Conscious Classrooms, Iluminar: Training and Coaching for Justice, and an annual Interfaith/Intercultural Breakfast.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION: CCEJ's highly-trained facilitators work with youth and adults to address conflicts and harm. CCEJ's Healing Harms programs focus on repairing relationships, avoiding escalation, and strengthening communities.
ADVOCACY: CCEJ is a voice for inclusion, equality and justice for all. CCEJ's staff and volunteers actively work to eliminated systemic racism, bias and bigotry and to celebrate diversity in our community.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
CCEJ has a dedicated staff and more than 250 volunteers who dedicate their time, talent and treasure to working toward CCEJ's vision of Justice for All. Our staff have backgrounds in social work, counseling, ethnic studies, organizational management, psychology, theology, mediation and restorative practices. Our volunteers are teachers, lawyers, youth, nurses and people with first-hand experience as victims of discrimination and oppression. Over the 57 years we have been in service, CCEJ has emerged as a leader in human relations and restorative practices work in Southern California. We have trained thousands of teachers who represent tens of thousands of students and we have directly trained more than 14,000 high school students. We are trusted by school districts, law enforcement agencies and businesses as the go-to source for education around diversity and inclusion as well as conflict resolution and restorative practices.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
With more than 57 years of service to Long Beach, Los Angeles County and now Southern California, CCEJ has served hundreds of thousands of youth and adults with education and training to end injustice and discrimination and transform communities. In 2019, CCEJ served over 6,000 people, working in over 70 schools, training more than 500 youth on social justice issues and preventing 100 youth from entering the juvenile justice system. Through our Restorative Justice work, CCEJ also trained over 2,000 educators to provide alternative approaches to discipline and school climate. CCEJ has increased the services we provide to the Southern California region. We provide anti-bias, restorative justice and youth diversion programs throughout LA County and beyond. CCEJ's programs now reach communities outside of areas we have historically served, including Coachella, Pico Rivera, Fontana, Yucca Valley, Riverside, Los Alamitos, Santa Ana, and San Bernardino.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The California Conference for Equality and Justice, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/21/2023
Rabbi Howard Laibson
Congregation Shir Chadash (retired)
Term: 2021 - 2023
Rosecarrie Brooks
Property Management Company
Hank Feldman
Performance Plus Tire Company
Yair Katz
Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
Megan Kerr
Long Beach Board of Education
Dr. Rashida Crutchfield
CSULB School of Social Work
Dana Buchanan
Primal Alchemy Catering
Gillian Medina
TABC
Elizabeth Lindh
Keesal, Young & Logan
Desarie Gonzales
Community Volunteer
Carol Hass
Community Works Consulting
Dr. Shauntina Sorrells
Orangewood Children's Foundation
Mollie Lehman
Music Executive
Dr. Mike Munoz
Long Beach City College
Lisa Bourne
DEI Consultant
Jeff Schaffer
JMC Philanthropic Advisors
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/01/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.