The California Conference for Equality and Justice, Inc.

Programs: Education programs building bridges youth human relations camps: a 3-day overnight camp for diverse groups of high school students focused on exploring social justice issues. Students develop team-building, conflict resolution and effective communication skills to become leaders and advocates. Evaluation data show building bridges builds self-esteem and reduces prejudice. More than 12,000 students and teachers have attended building bridges since 1985. Conscious classrooms: an in-school program for middle or high school youth focused on building the awareness, knowledge, and skills students need to promote respect, advocate for social justice, and strengthen the learning environment in classrooms and schools. This program utilizes a common core- and california standards-aligned, critical thinking-focused curriculum that immerses students in a variety of social justice topics. Summer youth leadership institute: this institute offers an intensive training for students becoming youth leader staff at building bridges camp. Participating students must have previously attended building bridges camp. This program focuses on developing facilitation skills, dialogue immersions, and deeper exploration of historical and contemporary forms of oppression and movements for justice. A 3-day retreat and 4-5 weekly sessions are required from june to august. Building bridges leadership academy: this is a training program for adult volunteer facilitators for building bridges youth programs. Facilitated by ccej staff and experienced volunteer facilitators, the program prepares new and returning volunteers to facilitate youth programs. Ccej delivers diversity and leadership training in the education, health, law-enforcement, corporate, and government sectors. Participants engage in open and honest dialogue and learn skills to improve effectiveness in a multicultural environment. They discover how perceptions, attitudes and behaviors impact the workplace. Programs are developed to meet the needs of each client. This program is how ccej originated in the community as a voice for inclusion and non-violence. Interfaith: ccej provides an interfaith/intercultural breakfast attended by over 900 people, celebrating religious and cultural diversity. The 2017 keynote speaker was luis rodriguez, poet laureate of los angeles sharing his story of healing and resilience as a formerly gang involved youth. Sisterhood rising: sisterhood rising leadership retreat(srlr) is a week-long residential program engaging youth from fourteen communities throughout california, with the goal of supporting the leadership, wellness and enhance the capacity of young organizers to lead campaigns in their respective sites.

conflict resolutionrestorative justice in schools: ccej is working to end the school-to-prison pipeline and provide schools with an alternative to suspension and expulsion to address school discipline. Restorative justice improves students accountability on campus, improves school climate and keeps students in school and out of prison. Ccej trains thousands of teachers and students per year in restorative practices. Restorative practices in communities (rpic): program utilizes facilitated dialogue grounded in restorative justice principles as a conflict resolution model and alternative to traditional forms of criminal legal systems. After an incidence of harm or conflict, rpic creates the space for those impacted to meet together and share their story, take responsibility for the harm their actions may have caused and create agreements that support what meaningful justice looks like to them. Programs include restorative youth diversion and restorative community circles.