.png)
Mission
Improve working relationships among professionals and community leaders addressing issues important to their communities
Vision
We envision a country where leaders with a range of expertise jointly work toward a more even distribution of power and resources
We envision a country where leaders with a range of expertise jointly work toward a more even distribution of power and resources
Vision
Improve working relationships among professionals and community leaders addressing issues important to their communities
Mission
Our work is grounded in our values
VALUES
01
Innovation
Systems adapt so creative strategies and tactics are necessary
04
Accountability
We hold ourselves and each other accountable
07
We build relationships, spaces, and systems that reflect our ongoing commitment
Sustainability
02
Integrity
Operating with honesty and transparency is how we build and establish trust
05
Collective-Oriented
Our work accounts for the impact it will have on everyone
03
Authenticity
We show up as our full selves to wholly do this work
06
Situated Knowledge
We believe lived experience is a valid and revered form of knowledge
Our work is shaped by our guiding principles
Guiding Principles
We must simultaneously address issues on multiple levels and periodically evaluate solutions collectively generated by diverse leaders following the lead of those most directly impacted. We must implement nonhierarchical distributions of power and accept that progress is nonlinear while being mindful of how we do this work.
To respond effectively, our work must be as expansive and varied as the struggles it addresses. While we work on simultaneously addressing issues within our communities, we must also work on achieving balance and harmony in our relationships with each other and ourselves so we can imagine alternative ways of knowing and being, find joy, and rest guilt-free.
Not everyone defines or wants freedom and autonomy in the same way. There are no universal solutions. People’s identities, how they interpret a problem, and their proposed solutions are forged through sociohistorically contingent processes that necessitate locally derived projects.
We do not need to shed our differences to work collectively. Identities, as well as physical and cultural traits, should not be defined along binaries, given value within hierarchies, and then used as criteria for access to resources and priority treatment. Difference should be seen as difference. We are strengthened by our differences.
There are no perfect enemies. Working with perceived enemies when there is agreement is easier when we are mindful of how we all possess varying advantages.
“By any means necessary” is a shortsighted belief/practice. It fails to consider how dismantling systems without consideration for the most vulnerable results in them being hit first and the hardest. It also deemphasizes how we must be critically assessing and engineering alternative institutions/economies.
As Dr. King emphasized, “No one is free until we are all free.” Our issues are linked, and progress on one issue cannot come at the expense of another.
We Engage in an Integrative Approach
Center for Collective Action integrates education, research, community organizing, advocacy, wellness, and communications. We develop leaders, generate and employ evidence-based practical solutions, mobilize people into action, advocate for long-term solution-oriented policies, prioritize health and wellness, and are loud and specific about the work professionals and community leaders are jointly doing.
EDUCATION
Education is a continuous process that builds strategic thinking, encourages innovation, and helps individuals understand their role in advancing community change.
RESEARCH
The research we conduct ensures the knowledge we produce reflects lived experiences and is shaped by those most impacted. We make our findings accessible and useful for developing and evaluating evidence-based practical solutions.
ORGANIZING
Community organizing allows us to build power and momentum. It equips leaders to take action within and across communities, creating space for collaboration and shared leadership.
ADVOCACY
Advocacy empowers marginalized communities to shape solutions while constructing and promoting policies that bridge divides and foster systemic change.
WELLNESS
Prioritizing health & wellness discourages burnout and disenchantment with collective-oriented work.
COMMUNICATIONS
Our communications support this work by ensuring our messages are clear, compelling, and appropriate for each audience, whether we are speaking to community members, decision-makers, or professional peers.