Brookline High School Program in Social Justice Leadership Cultivating life-long leaders for social justice

A great resource list of terrific organizations working for women and girl's development from the book and Website Half the Sky.

The Global Fund for Women is a nonprofit grant-making foundation that advances women's human rights worldwide. They raise funds from a variety of sources and make grants to women-led organizations that promote the economic security, health, safety, education and leadership of women and girls.

Another resource list: http://www.sawnet.org/orgns/

Amnesty International:  An international grassroots coalition of people who feel compelled by violations of human rights to learn more, speak out, and take action.

Human Rights Watch:  An excellent database of articles that provides updates on human rights abuses in countless countries(topics range from arms, LGBT rights, counter-terrrorism, children's rights, refugees, torture, migrants, the UN, women's rights, health, freedom of the press, etc.).

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now):  Since 1970, ACORN has been building community organizations that are committed to social and economic justice, and won victories on thousands of issues of concern to our members, such as Living Wage Laws, through direct action, negotiation, legislative advocacy and voter participation.  ACORN helps those who have historically been locked of the political system.

National Labor Committee:  The mission of the National Labor Committee is to help defend the human rights of workers in the global economy. The NLC investigates and exposes human and labor rights abuses committed by U.S. companies producing goods in the developing world. We undertake public education, research and popular campaigns that empower U.S. citizens to support the efforts of workers to learn and defend their rights. 

Campaign for Labor Rights

Coalition Immokalee workers (CIW): The CIW is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida.  CIW strives to build strength in communities based on reflection, analysis, constant attention to coalition-building across ethnic divisions, and an ongoing investment in leadership development to help members continually develop their skills in community education and organization.

Jobs with Justice engages workers and allies in campaigns to win justice in workplaces and in communities where working families live.  They believe that by engaging a broad community of allies they can win big victories.  JWJ is a national organization with a Boston affiliate.

Habitat for Humanity

City Life/Vida Urbana is a grassroots community organization in Boston committed to fighting for racial, social, and economic justice and gender equality by building working class power through direct action, coalition building, education and advocacy.  Through organizing poor and working class people of diverse races and nationalities; we promote individual empowerment, develop community leaders, and build collective power to effect systemic change and transform society."

National Coalition for the Homeless  The National Coalition for the Homeless works to bring about the systemic changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness and to protect the rights of people experiencing homelessness by engaging in policy advocacy. Our advocacy includes work in the areas of, housing justice, health care justice, economic justice, and civil rights.

Boston Tenants Association

Hearth: this coalition of public and private agencies works collaboratively to eliminate elder homelessness in Boston by creating permanent housing and support services options for homeless elders.

Rosie's Place is a sanctuary for poor and homeless women who have no where else to turn. The mission of Rosie's Place is to help women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.

Oxfam International works with Community partners around the world to seek to influence the powerful to ensure that poor people can improve their lives and livelihoods and have a say in decisions that affect them.

US Department of Agriculture is part of the government, and has a lot of good information about the food system in the United States and agriculture in general.

Food First is the people's think tank devoted to ending the injustices that cause hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. They work to build local food systems, give people in urban areas more control over and awareness of their food systems, and help farmers find alternatives to corporate control over production and consumption.

The Ecological Farming Association nurtures healthy and just farms, food systems, communities and environment by bringing people together for education, alliance building and advocacy. They pursue a safe and healthful food system that strengthens soils, protects air and water, encourages diverse ecosystems and economies, and honors rural life.

Heifer International works with communities around the globe to eradicate hunger and poverty. They provide families with an income generating animal that will help them improve their lives, and each family in turn eventually gives an offspring of their animal to another family.

The Center for Food Safety works on maintaining a safe food system, critically analyzing agricultural practices including genetically modified food and more.

http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/you/

http://www.ciw-online.org/index.html

Frances Moore Lappe's organization

Just Detention International is a prisoner welfare organization that works through international human rights laws to fight sexual assault in prisons and works to transform ill-informed public attitudes about sexual violence in detention, as well as support those who have been abused.

WORTH is an association of formerly and incarcerated women who have been empowered by their own experiences.  Through mentoring, mutual support, leadership development and telling our stories, WORTH transforms the lives of women directly impacted by incarceration and changes public perception and policy.

Fair Trials International campaigns for the rights of people facing criminal charges in countries other than their own.  They legally assist and advocate for individuals, but also fight the causes behind injustice in cross-border criminal cases through policy interventions, research and training.

Amnesty International is a multi-faceted organization whose many causes include the abolition of the death penalty and fair treatment of detainees, especially in terms of torture and right to a fair/prompt trial.  They deal particularly with political prisoners/prisoners of conscience.

The Innocence Project is a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted people.

The Sentencing Project  works for a fair and effective criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing, law and practice, and alternatives to incarceration.

The Osborne Association works for a more effective and efficient criminal justice system and a safer and more just society. They believe that relying only on imprisonment as a response to crime is a costly and counterproductive approach that fails to take into account people's basic capacity to change.

http://www.womenontherise-worth.org/home

Corporate Accountability International

Multinational monitor:  This is a periodical that reports on and monitors the behavior of corporations.

CorpWatch is a non-profit organization, and uses investigative research and journalism to expose corporate malfeasance and to advocate for multinational corporate accountability and transparency. We work to foster global justice, independent media activism and democratic control over corporations.

http://ej4all.org/home.php

Nationwide alliance 

http://www.apen4ej.org/

http://www.ejrc.cau.edu/

Alternatives for Community and Environment

Project Bread works to make emergency food accessible to those who would otherwise go hungry; educate, mobilize, and empower people through The Walk for Hunger and other avenues of action; research and develop innovative solutions to end hunger; and advocate, in partnership with others, freedom from hunger across the Commonwealth.

The Food Project's mission is to grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system. They produce healthy food for residents of the city and suburbs and provide youth leadership opportunities. Most importantly, they strive to inspire and support others to create change in their own communities.

International Alliance Against Hunger works with national governments, organizations, and individuals around the world to try and eradicate hunger, and find long term solutions to the world's food problems.

World Food Programme responds to emergencies by getting food quickly to people who need it. But WFP also works to help the hungry gain food security for the future. They do this through programmes that use food as a means to build assets, spread knowledge and nurture stronger, more dynamic communities.

Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest) is a network that works with the government, large corporate donors, local food banks and individuals to make sure that all food banks across the country are adequately equipped. The organization procures grants, and distributes food and money to 200 food banks in the United States.

Mazon works to educate and raise the consciousness of the Jewish community regarding its obligation to alleviate hunger and its causes; make donating a portion of the cost of life cycle events to MAZON a permanent tradition in Jewish life; and provide for people who are hungry while at the same time advocating for other ways to end hunger and its causes.

Food for the Hungry is a religious organization that works with people in impoverished countries, providing them with the tools they need to live more healthy, prosperous lives.

Freedom from Hunger brings innovative and sustainable self-help solutions to the fight against chronic hunger and poverty. Together with local partners, they equip families with resources they need to build futures of health, hope and dignity.

New England Anti-vivisection Society (NEAVS): Their goal is to end the cruelty and waste of animal experiments and replace them with modern alternatives that are ethically, humanely, and scientifically superior.

The Humane Society of the United States describes itself as the nation's largest animal protection agency, whose mission is to "celebrate animals and confront cruelty" through "legislation, litigation, investigation, education, science, advocacy and field work."  The HSUS deals both with domesticated (companion, research, and farm) animals and issues concerning wildlife/habitat destruction.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the largest and probably best known animal rights group in the world.  Many of their stances and tactics have earned them harsh criticism from both supporters and detractors of animal rights and welfare, but their position as one of the most popular animal rights organizations in the world merits them a spot here. 

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is one of the most controversial organizations of the animal rights movement.  They take an extremist animal rights view, rather than animal welfare, position ("empty cages, not bigger ones"), and advocate direct action in the forms of property violence (but not violence against people) and directly freeing animals from situations of injustice and abuse.

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)-Angell is Massachusetts' branch of the SPCA, describing itself as a "national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine."  Its services include animal protection and adoption, advocacy, humane education, law enforcement and veterinary care.

Physicians for Human Rights

Health Care for All

Doctors without borders

Partners In Health

MPP

For an extensive Resource list, see:  http://www.flowthefilm.com/takeaction

www.gwpforum.org  Global Water Partnership forum is an organization devoted to securing water globally and to ensure the right of all to access sufficient amounts of clean water. 

http://www.charitywater.org/

www.stopcorporateabuse.org  Corporate Accountability is an organization that leads campaigns in several areas, including water. Currently they are especially focused on Bottle campaigns as well as, like the name of the organization, corporate abuse and privatization of water that takes away essential resources from citizens globally.

Food and Water Watch:  http://www.fwwatch.org/

Western States Center http://www.westernstatescenter.org/resources/dr.html

http://www.ilga.org/

MassEquality.org is a grassrootsorganization working to achieve full equality for the LGBT community. EveryLGBT person deserves to be treated equally, to be safe, and to be free fromdiscrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity andexpression.  http://www.massequality.org/

http://www.glsen.org/cgi-bin/iowa/all/home/index.html GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community.

http://www.hrc.org   The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC seeks to improve the lives of LGBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace, ensuring families are treated equally under the law and increasing public support among all Americans through innovative advocacy, education and outreach programs.

http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/home/index.html  The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is a leading international organization dedicated to human rights advocacy on behalf of people who experience discrimination or abuse on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

http://www.washlaw.edu/forint/alpha/g/gayrights.html  This is a Gay & Lesbian Rights resource page with links to international Gay & Lesbian resources, international transsexual resources, international bisexual resources, international gay & lesbian publications, international gay & lesbian organizations, international gay & lesbian unions, international gay & lesbian associations, international gay & lesbian task forces, and more.