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Building Community Power: The 4 Pillars of CCAEJ
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This Is What Community Looks Like
CCAEJ’s 4 Pillars of Work are the foundation of our mission to build power and create healthier, more just communities. Through Policy Action Teams, we empower residents to advocate for policy changes, hold decision-makers accountable, and make sure your voice is heard at all levels of government. Our focus on Community Engagement gives you opportunities to shape local plans, housing policies, and public decisions that impact your daily life. With Education and Training Programs, we provide tools, skills, and digital resources to help you become a leader in the fight for environmental justice. Finally, by Addressing Pollution and Health Disparities, we work together to monitor pollution, push for accountability, and improve the health and well-being of our communities.
Policy Action Teams (PATs)
Policy Action Teams (PATs) help community members push for policy changes and hold decision-makers accountable to advance environmental justice. These teams build on the Environmental Justice Ambassador Program by offering advanced workshops on policy advocacy, like understanding laws, drafting proposals, and effective lobbying. Experienced ambassadors mentor newer members to provide guidance and support. PATs focus on engaging with local and state governments by attending meetings, tracking policies, and speaking out on issues. They also organize community forums and campaigns on topics like clean air, renewable energy, and zoning reforms, using petitions, letter-writing, and social media. To help everyone get involved, PATs provide easy-to-use educational toolkits, webinars, and videos on advocacy skills. By partnering with groups like CEJA and Sierra Club, they amplify community voices and build stronger campaigns.
Continued Community Engagement
The Continued Community Engagement pillar ensures that community voices shape policies impacting their lives and environments. Through training sessions and workshops, community members learn how to provide effective public comments to local, state, and federal agencies by understanding the process, crafting persuasive arguments, and using data to support their positions. Community review teams are formed to assess housing element plans, identify potential impacts on environmental justice communities, and propose solutions, while public information campaigns raise awareness and encourage participation. For general plan updates, stakeholder meetings and interactive workshops give community members opportunities to share ideas and feedback using tools like maps and diagrams to make the process accessible. Engagement efforts are further strengthened through town halls, forums, and digital platforms that ensure both in-person and virtual participation. Partnerships with local organizations and government agencies amplify outreach and guarantee that community input is heard.
Transportation Justice
The Transportation Justice Ambassador Program equips community members with the knowledge and leadership skills to address the critical challenges posed by transportation pollution in our region. This program focuses on the environmental and public health impacts of the transportation industry, emphasizing the importance of transitioning to zero-emission solutions and advocating for accessible, reliable public transportation.
Participants engage with seasoned advocates and grassroots organizers to explore strategies for effective community-driven change. Through workshops and hands-on learning, they gain practical tools to advocate for cleaner air, better transportation policies, and justice for the most affected communities.
This year transportation justice ambassadors joined a large mobilization of 150 community members to the SCAQMD headquarters where they collectively and successfully advocated for a railyard indirect source rule that will reduce pollution coming from railyards.
Civic Engagement
The Civic Engagement Ambassador Program empowers participants to take an active role in shaping their communities by deepening their understanding of civic involvement. This program focuses on the importance of community engagement, movement-building, and the critical role of voting in creating change. Participants also explore political structures, learn how to navigate ballot measures, and gain the skills needed to advocate effectively for the issues that matter most.
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Through real-world examples and guided learning, ambassadors leave the program ready to make an impact—whether by organizing grassroots movements, getting involved in local governance, or educating others about the power of civic participation.
