COMMUNITY ORGANIZING & ADVOCACY (COA)
The purpose of the Community Organizing & Advocacy department is to raise awareness, provide support, harness collective power, and strengthen communities throughout Michigan, with a particular focus on Southwest Detroit, by organizing activities that foster connection, develop local leadership, and mobilize residents toward positive change and empowerment.
Community Organizing & Advocacy (COA) operates year-round, collaborating with community members to address ongoing challenges and work towards positive change.
Our areas of focus:
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Education Justice
- Community Health and Sustainability
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Health Equity
- Community Participation
Current initiatives:
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PODER Parent Action Team
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Promotors of Health
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Partners Reducing Diesel Emissions in Southwest Detroit (PRDE-SWD)
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Michigan Latinx Coalition
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Instituto de la Comunidad (popular education series)
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MI Gente Vota 2024
PODER
Padres Organizado y Demandando Educación Real (Parents Organized & Demanding Real Education) is a group of parents taking action on the education issues they identified affecting the students in Southwest Detroit. Our parents engage in struggle so that the education of our students is just and real. PODER parents fight for language access and education justice in the Detroit public school system as a founding member of 482Forward, a city-wide coalition.
MI Latinx Coalition
Building power through unifying as a statewide network of Latinx organizations.
In 2020, organizational leaders of Latinx direct service non-profit organizations initiated collaborative efforts to share updates, information and best strategies in community service as a response to COVID-19. Collaborative efforts evolved into formalizing a statewide Latinx coalition establishing purpose and common shared goals. The first coalition conference was hosted by Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation in Lansing, Michigan lead by Facilitator Marta Gonzalez-Cortes.
Community Health and Sustainability
Reducing air pollution through research, training, and advocacy.
Our community has experienced the effects of poor environmental health for decades due to industrial activity, truck traffic, and other pollution sources. Because this is a critical health issue for our community, we are focusing on improving Environmental Health, promoting healthy homes, enhancing indoor environments, and ensuring clean indoor air quality. DHDC has been working on these issues for over 20 years and remains dedicated to creating healthier living conditions while supporting the growth and vibrancy of our community.
Instituto de la Comunidad (popular education series)
Our core community power building “practice” is the engagement of residents in critical examination of the root causes of the issues they face and solutions to the problems they experience through popular education. Our main vehicle for creating critical consciousness is El Instituto de la Comunidad (the Institute of the Community). This multi-series, multi-pronged effort leads community residents through several sessions covering topics of import led by our community organizing staff and past participants.
Leadership Roles:
- promotores de la salud (promotors of health)
- promotores de la tierra (promotors of the earth)
Through this model of action/reflection (praxis) we will create a pipeline of leaders prepared to engage their neighbors on critical issues, connect folks to existing resources of support, and mobilize their family and neighbors to advocate for improved policies or important projects affecting their neighborhoods.
HOW DOES COA DO IT?
Base-Building
Leadership Development
Partnerships
Mobilization
