PICO National Network | Unlocking the Power of People
RWANDA
Rwandan village builds health clinic
The residents of Mumeya, Rwanda traveled 20 miles to the nearest
health facility, often by walking. So, the leaders of
Congregations Re-building Community, a new PICO supported effort
in Rwanda determined that what they needed most of all was a
community health clinic. Three hundred village residents came
together to volunteer 2 hours per week to the project. Read more
at http://ga3.org/ct/t1_svVd1LR8z/.
IMMIGRATION
Greeley immigrants face upheaval
Early on the morning of the Feast of Guadalupe, December 12,
federal agents moved in on the Swift meat packing plant in
Greeley, Colorado. They detained 261 employees of the plant on
suspicion of illegal immigration status and identity theft.
Congregations Building Community (CBC) immediately organized
with the Board of Education for every student to be picked up by
a relative to avoid their return to an empty home. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/61_svVd1LR8e/.
HEALTHY FAMILIES
Santa Clara County moves toward covering uninsured adults
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) and Penninsula
Interfaith Action, working with a coalition of labor and health
care organizations, are advocating a model county program that
would ultimately provide affordable health coverage to 59,000
uninsured adults in Santa Clara County, California. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/gd_svVd1LR8M/.
PICO California tells governor to finish job
PICO California and the 100% Coalition held a press conference in Sacramento to
press Governor Schwarzenegger to move forward on a proposal to
provide affordable health coverage to the more than 700,000
children in the state who are uninsured. PICO leaders also met
with state officials on a task force created to consider
proposals to expand coverage to the more than 6 million people
in California who are uninsured. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/gp_svVd1LR82/.
Religious leaders push Democratic leaders to move ahead on children's health
Two-hundred clergy from across the country signed a letter to
Congressional leaders calling for next year's federal budget to
move the country toward providing all children in the United
States with access to affordable health insurance. Clergy can
still add their name to the sign-on letter online at
http://ga3.org/ct/57_svVd1LR8q/. The letter can also be
downloaded at http://ga3.org/ct/tp_svVd1LR8_/.
REBUILDING LOUISIANA
Big offshore drilling revenue sharing win in Louisiana Bayou
Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (BISCO) and Louisiana
Interfaith Together (LIFT) leaders, along with many other
organizations inside and outside Louisiana, are celebrating the
passage of the DOER Act. It will give Louisiana $13 billion
over the next 30 years to be used for coastal restoration,
hurricane protection, and flood control projects. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/b1_svVd1LR8w/.
GOOD SCHOOLS
New science-focused school in Oakland
The Korematsu Discovery Academy has opened in Oakland,
California as the latest new small autonomous school developed
with leadership from Oakland Community Organizations (OCO).
OCO's Small Autonomous Schools Movement has now resulted in 40
new public schools in Oakland serving more than one-quarter of
all the students in the school system. Read more
http://ga3.org/ct/g1_svVd1LR8A/.
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
Over $1 Million to Reduce Youth Violence in East Palo Alto
In response to a upsurge in shootings in East Palo Alto,
California Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA) led a successful
initiative campaign to pass a special parcel tax that will
generate between $1.3 and $1.7 million dollars annually to
improve police services and fund violence prevention activities.
Read more at http://ga3.org/ct/bd_svVd1LR8s/.
Contra Costa Teens Win Help with Jobs
Teen leaders from Contra Costa Interfaith Sponsoring Committee
(CCISCO) won a new career counselor from Contra Costa County, CA
to link youths with mentors, jobs, and educational guidance. On
Dec. 5, 2006 the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa
County approved spending $75,000 to fund a position that will
deliver teens information about preparing for college, exploring
careers, and finding jobs. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/b7_svVd1LR8x/.
SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS
Anchorage Tackles Youth Violence
Anchorage has been the scene of dozens of violent youth crimes
since 2004. On November 27 Anchorage Faith and Action
Congregations Together (AFACT) packed 400 people into an
Anchorage church to engage the mayor, police chief, and
superintendent of schools in developing creative solutions to
reduce violence. The officials committed to new theatre, arts,
and after-school programs for youth; funding for a gang
resistance curriculum; and participation in a Clergy, Cops, and
Kids program that promotes community policing. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/bp_svVd1LR83/.
New Bedford creates youth opportunities to reduce violence
United Interfaith Action of Southeastern Massachusetts (UIA)
recently brought together 600 people for a public action meeting
on youth violence in New Bedford. The organization won
commitments for conflict resolution education in the schools,
doubling the number of summer jobs for youth, and implementing a
community policing strategy. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/g7_svVd1LR8N/.
JOBS
Visit http://ga3.org/ct/6p_svVd1LR8B/ to see current jobs and
learn more about working in the PICO network.
PICO needs your financial support
PICO's success in empowering families and improving communities
depends on financial contributions from our donors. To help
support our work on the issues you've read about in this issue
of e-news and others, visit http://ga3.org/ct/6d_svVd1LR8d/ to
make an on-line donation.
The PICO National Network
171 Santa Rosa Avenue
Oakland, California 94610
510 655 4816
RWANDA
Rwandan village builds health clinic
The residents of Mumeya, Rwanda traveled 20 miles to the nearest
health facility, often by walking. So, the leaders of
Congregations Re-building Community, a new PICO supported effort
in Rwanda determined that what they needed most of all was a
community health clinic. Three hundred village residents came
together to volunteer 2 hours per week to the project. Read more
at http://ga3.org/ct/t1_svVd1LR8z/.
IMMIGRATION
Greeley immigrants face upheaval
Early on the morning of the Feast of Guadalupe, December 12,
federal agents moved in on the Swift meat packing plant in
Greeley, Colorado. They detained 261 employees of the plant on
suspicion of illegal immigration status and identity theft.
Congregations Building Community (CBC) immediately organized
with the Board of Education for every student to be picked up by
a relative to avoid their return to an empty home. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/61_svVd1LR8e/.
HEALTHY FAMILIES
Santa Clara County moves toward covering uninsured adults
People Acting in Community Together (PACT) and Penninsula
Interfaith Action, working with a coalition of labor and health
care organizations, are advocating a model county program that
would ultimately provide affordable health coverage to 59,000
uninsured adults in Santa Clara County, California. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/gd_svVd1LR8M/.
PICO California tells governor to finish job
PICO California and the 100% Coalition held a press conference in Sacramento to
press Governor Schwarzenegger to move forward on a proposal to
provide affordable health coverage to the more than 700,000
children in the state who are uninsured. PICO leaders also met
with state officials on a task force created to consider
proposals to expand coverage to the more than 6 million people
in California who are uninsured. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/gp_svVd1LR82/.
Religious leaders push Democratic leaders to move ahead on children's health
Two-hundred clergy from across the country signed a letter to
Congressional leaders calling for next year's federal budget to
move the country toward providing all children in the United
States with access to affordable health insurance. Clergy can
still add their name to the sign-on letter online at
http://ga3.org/ct/57_svVd1LR8q/. The letter can also be
downloaded at http://ga3.org/ct/tp_svVd1LR8_/.
REBUILDING LOUISIANA
Big offshore drilling revenue sharing win in Louisiana Bayou
Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (BISCO) and Louisiana
Interfaith Together (LIFT) leaders, along with many other
organizations inside and outside Louisiana, are celebrating the
passage of the DOER Act. It will give Louisiana $13 billion
over the next 30 years to be used for coastal restoration,
hurricane protection, and flood control projects. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/b1_svVd1LR8w/.
GOOD SCHOOLS
New science-focused school in Oakland
The Korematsu Discovery Academy has opened in Oakland,
California as the latest new small autonomous school developed
with leadership from Oakland Community Organizations (OCO).
OCO's Small Autonomous Schools Movement has now resulted in 40
new public schools in Oakland serving more than one-quarter of
all the students in the school system. Read more
http://ga3.org/ct/g1_svVd1LR8A/.
YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
Over $1 Million to Reduce Youth Violence in East Palo Alto
In response to a upsurge in shootings in East Palo Alto,
California Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA) led a successful
initiative campaign to pass a special parcel tax that will
generate between $1.3 and $1.7 million dollars annually to
improve police services and fund violence prevention activities.
Read more at http://ga3.org/ct/bd_svVd1LR8s/.
Contra Costa Teens Win Help with Jobs
Teen leaders from Contra Costa Interfaith Sponsoring Committee
(CCISCO) won a new career counselor from Contra Costa County, CA
to link youths with mentors, jobs, and educational guidance. On
Dec. 5, 2006 the Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa
County approved spending $75,000 to fund a position that will
deliver teens information about preparing for college, exploring
careers, and finding jobs. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/b7_svVd1LR8x/.
SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS
Anchorage Tackles Youth Violence
Anchorage has been the scene of dozens of violent youth crimes
since 2004. On November 27 Anchorage Faith and Action
Congregations Together (AFACT) packed 400 people into an
Anchorage church to engage the mayor, police chief, and
superintendent of schools in developing creative solutions to
reduce violence. The officials committed to new theatre, arts,
and after-school programs for youth; funding for a gang
resistance curriculum; and participation in a Clergy, Cops, and
Kids program that promotes community policing. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/bp_svVd1LR83/.
New Bedford creates youth opportunities to reduce violence
United Interfaith Action of Southeastern Massachusetts (UIA)
recently brought together 600 people for a public action meeting
on youth violence in New Bedford. The organization won
commitments for conflict resolution education in the schools,
doubling the number of summer jobs for youth, and implementing a
community policing strategy. Read more at
http://ga3.org/ct/g7_svVd1LR8N/.
JOBS
Visit http://ga3.org/ct/6p_svVd1LR8B/ to see current jobs and
learn more about working in the PICO network.
PICO needs your financial support
PICO's success in empowering families and improving communities
depends on financial contributions from our donors. To help
support our work on the issues you've read about in this issue
of e-news and others, visit http://ga3.org/ct/6d_svVd1LR8d/ to
make an on-line donation.
The PICO National Network
171 Santa Rosa Avenue
Oakland, California 94610
510 655 4816
PICO Network News
December 21, 2006
December 21, 2006