Community Empowerment Activists

Program Vision

The Community Empowerment Activists (CEA) yearlong program develops critically engaged students as transformative justice warriors through examining the historical and current contexts of systems of oppression and movements of resistance while interning at a grassroots, advocacy, and base-building organization in the San Francisco Bay Area that is combating various arms of injustice. Students will work alongside the community to advance the visions of their host organization through campaigns, coalition building, and lifting other initiatives in solidarity with diverse San Francisco Bay Area neighbors––while analyzing the complexity of policy, politics, and regional Bay Area dynamics that impact oppressed local communities.

Overview

  • Work 5 hours per week at an assigned host advocacy/grassroots organization.
  • Attend and participate in weekly CEA classes.
  • Attend and participate in regular reflection/advising sessions to gain mentorship and support in your journey of professional and personal growth.
  • Attend and engage in the May meet and greet session, fall semester welcome orientation, mid-year retreat, and other program-related/fellowship building activities.
  • Guest educators for class discussions include community leaders and healers, activists and movement workers, artists, educators, and grassroots organizers.
  • Host organizations are matched to align with CEAs’ passions and dreams for liberation.
  • CEA requires a one (academic) year commitment (fall and spring).
  • Completion in the yearlong program fulfills the CEL/SL requirement and must be taken in the fall (2 units) and spring semester (2 units).

Community Partner Host Agencies include: