““Don’t stand there and talk about what it is, and move to transform it”” t it is, and move to transform it”. –
Ella Baker, Civil Rights and Human Rights Activist
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Donations are accepted through Third Sector New England, our fiscal sponsor. To donate please choose CSIO in the dropdown menu on the page following the link above.
Donate NowOur Mission
The Mission of the Center to Support Immigrant Organizing (CSIO) is to support and help develop the work of individuals, groups, organizations and communities dedicated to organizing immigrants around the issues that affect their lives. Our goal is to help immigrants in the forefront of community and workplace struggles to develop their power and leadership not only to succeed in their immediate context, but also to contribute to the broader effort to build a more just and democratic society.
CSIO was founded in 1999 in response to an assessment of the barriers to organizing for social and economic justice in immigrant communities in the greater Boston area. Since 1999, CSIO has worked to strengthen immigrant community capacity to organize and build grassroots leadership. CSIO work happens through a variety of programs that have emerged from our support for and dialogue with immigrant activists, organizers and directors.
Organizational Development Support
CSIO brings to its organizational development work a framework for community accountability which emphasizes the importance of grassroots leadership as the core of organizational functioning. We ground our organizational support efforts in our belief that members of the immigrant constituency should be leading immigrant community-based organizations. Read more about our organizational support work.
Grassroots Leadership Institute
In dialogues with immigrant organizers and other immigrant community and organizational leaders, the need for ongoing training on the “how to’s” of grassroots leadership development surfaced. In response, CSIO worked with its partners to develop and run the Grassroots Leadership Institute, a 25-hour curriculum provided in Spanish and English in 5 sessions. The Institutes are designed to address key issues related to grassroots leadership development. Through our Grassroots Leadership Institute (GLI), CSIO makes lessons we have learned about this work available in an accessible way to people engaged in social justice efforts in immigrant communities.
Grassroots Leadership Institute & Network
In September 2012, CSIO launched the Grassroots Leadership Network (GLN) for graduates of the Grassroots Leadership Institute. GLN members are GLI participants who have decided to continue to gather in order to deepen their learning and solidarity with other leaders and organizers from grassroots groups. The goal of the GLN is to build the capacity of organizers and leaders to develop grassroots leadership in social change work and to promote solidarity among communities and organizations. Sessions involve peer learning and highlight the “best practices” of groups doing grassroots leadership and organizing work. Read more
Equity Now & Beyond
Equity Now & Beyond is a cohort led by Brazilian Women’s Group (BWG), True Alliance Center, Agencia ALPHA and ACEDONE that organizes for health equity, immigration, economic and social justice. Current initiatives include organizing neighborhood-based community wellness & equity clinics (see calendar ‘here’), Know Your Rights trainings and other forms of immigrant solidarity, policy advocacy around immigration, menstrual justice and affordable housing, and launch of worker cooperative initiative and Community Land Trust. Read more
Reflections on CSIO's Impact
Yusufi Vali- MOIA
Damaris Velasquez – Agencia ALPHA
Karen Chen-Chinese Progressive Association
Sairy Gonzalez – Youth Ubuntu Project