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Causes: Community & Neighborhood Development, Economic Development
Mission: Granite state organizing project is an organization of 28 religious congregations, community groups and labor unions working together to improve the quality of life in south-central nh through leadership development, advocacy and grassroots organizing.
Programs: Moral economy campaign:granite state organizing project staff and volunteer leaders convene a statewide coalition, the nh alliance for a moral economy. The organization studies the impacts of wage and safety net polices on nh families and advocate for changes. The organization also collects stories of nh families who struggle with low wages, lack of affordable child care, paid sick days or health care. It supports those individuals as they share their stories with administrators and policy makers. Activities include pressing for an increase in the state minimum wage, working to make child care subsides available to more families and support the continuation of medicaid expansion.
non-partisan voter engagement: granite state organizing project's staff and volunteers began a program of deep canvasing, reaching out to community members who traditionally do not vote. The organization went door to door in low income communities in manchester and nashua to survey people about how they felt about raising the minimum wage and to encourage people to vote in local, state and federal elections. Door to door canvassers carried and shared information about how to vote and about same day voter registration. On election day, key communities were canvassed again with door hangers and reminders. Volunteers gave several rides to the polls in both communities.
youth and education organizing: granite state organizing project's young organizers united (you), is a group of high school aged immigrant and refugee youth who come together to advocate for positive changes in manchester's high schools and to address education reform issues. They focus on lifting student voice, supporting policies and practices of student centered learning and work to increase college aspiration and attainment for all manchester youth. You members testify before school committee meetings or board of mayor and aldermen meetings, they attend conferences and seminars on school reform and restorative justice issues and participate in other granite state organizing project activities.
housing justice and active by-stander training programs.