Environmental Justice Organizing Academy
Mission
Our academy has trained youth of color in our Community Science Organizing Model. Each summer, we invite guest speakers to share their experiences and knowledge on topics such such as Indigenous Sovereignty, Peoples History of OC, Community Organizing, EJ issues in OC and more. Our goal is to equip participants with the resources, skills, and confidence to organize around environmental and social justice issues in their own communities, hold elected officials accountable, and implement Just Transition policy changes.
Our mission is to expand and engage our youth member base through OCEJ's ongoing campaigns. Through our partnerships with Orange County’s low-income communities of color, academic institutions, and local stakeholders, we will build resident power to influence decisions in a region with low support from public officials on environmental justice issues, and to take on the multiple, decentralized agencies with discrepant degrees of jurisdiction over environmental, climate, and health issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the requirements?
Anyone between the ages of 16-26 years old residing in Orange County can apply. We expect and require participants to attend all sessions. Our academy will be hybrid, with 7 in-person sessions and the rest will be virtual. We will have COVID-19 safety protocols in place for our in-person sessions.
When is the program?
EJOA is a 8 week program* and will meet twice a week on Mondays & Wednesdays from 10:30am-12:30-1:30pm, with a few exceptions as noted on the schedule. There are sixteen sessions in total. The program will start on Monday, June 10 and end on Wednesday, August 7.
*The program will take place over the span of 9 weeks, but there will be a break during the week of July 1st.
What can I expect from the program?
After completion of the program, our hope is that participants will feel empowered to mobilize on different issues in their own community. The sessions will be a mix of lecture, activities, discussion, and more! In order to get the most out of EJOA, participants should be comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences, while actively listening to their peers. Participants will work on a final project during the 8 weeks, in which they will present their final project at the EJOA symposium, on August 5 before graduation. Participants will also receive a $500 stipend upon completion of the prgoram.
How do I apply?
Click the button below which will take you to the google form application. Do your best to answer all the questions; we are just looking for passionate individuals who want to organize around environmental justice! We welcome participants with all different types of knowledge levels. Applications are due Sunday, May 12 and we will be conducting 30 minute interviews on a rolling basis.
If you have any questions, please contact our Youth & Education Director, Sydney Cheung, at sydney@ocej.org.
2024 EJOA Curriculum & Schedule
2024 EJOA Curriculum
Week 1:
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Monday, June 10: EJOA Orientation*
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Wednesday, June 12: Environmental Justice 101
Week 2:
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Tuesday, June 18: Indigenous Sovereignty
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Saturday, June 22: Peoples History Tour of Santa Ana*
Week 3:
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Monday, June 26: Water Justice in OC
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Wednesday, June 29: Friends of Puvungna Field Trip
Break during Week 4
Week 5:
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Monday, July 8: Soil Lead Contamination in Santa Ana
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Wednesday, July 10: Bioremediation & Seedballs*
Week 6:
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Monday, July 15: OC Water District Tour*
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Wednesday, July 17: Air Quality
Week 7:
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Monday, July 22: Food Sovereignty with Crece Farms*
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Wednesday, July 24: Community Organizing
Week 8:
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Monday, July 29: Know Your Rights Workshop with NLG
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Wednesday, July 31: Direct Action Training
Week 9:
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Monday, August 5: EJOA Symposium
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Wednesday, August 7: Graduation*
*In-person session
The schedule with the confirmed times will be shared with the accepted cohort.