Essex County Community ECCO - is a non-profit, interfaith, broad based community organization on Boston’s North Shore that include churches, synagogues, a family housing project, school parents’ groups, and labor unions. ECCO’s mission is to develop leadership to build power and collaboration among families and communities on the North Shore. We are guided by a firm belief in the democratic principle that all people are created equal and have the right to make decisions about important issues affecting their neighborhoods. ECCO is governed by a board elected annually by the membership, and has a staff of one professional organizer. ECCO accepts no government funding for its operating budget.
 
    
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Essex County Community ECCO - is a non-profit, interfaith, broad based community organization on Boston’s North Shore that include churches, synagogues, a family housing project, school parents’ groups, and labor unions. ECCO’s mission is to develop leadership to build power and collaboration among families and communities on the North Shore. We are guided by a firm belief in the democratic principle that all people are created equal and have the right to make decisions about important issues affecting their neighborhoods. ECCO is governed by a board elected annually by the membership, and has a staff of one professional organizer. ECCO accepts no government funding for its operating budget.
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What’s New!
Future ECCO Activity in 2008-2009

Youth Violence Prevention and Positive Youth Development: In Lynn and Gloucester, our two new youth violence prevention programs will begin to run full swing for the rest of this year. Periodically, ECCO will be looking for volunteer mentors to take part in various different youth activities.

Breaking Through Initiative: we will continue to develop culturally sensitive forms of preparation for the school’s Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) program. The focus includes other allied health pathways, including registered nurses. This would provide for low-skill nonnative workers bilingual preparatory workshops, weekly studies groups, contextualized ESOL and CNA courses, self-paced math instruction and tutoring modules and course specifically for the math needed for the health care field.

Literacy: With the Lynn Literacy Task Force we will continue the literacy preparation described as the Pathways Education Programs. It will connect literacy with education and jobs training, concentrating again on health care, as well as construction trades, food services, and building maintenance. A first in this is that are working with the Lynn school department, and it would be in Lynn Tech in the evenings. (The Tech has otherwise not been having evening ) We will continue such contextualizing, recruiting, and motivation for literacy such as in the proposed family nights in which there would be music and food. Pre-K and Kindergarten children would be given science and math projects while their parents are taught their importance. On different nights groups that are part of the task force will present what they offer in this area.

CORI Reform ECCO will begin to work locally on the reformation of the CORI policy, in hopes that a resonable alternative to high recidivism rates as well as employer security can be reached in the city of Lynn.

State funding legislative activity

E-Team: ECCO has helped restore the state funding for the Eteam Machinists, job training program.

Safe Teens/Safe Communities Coalition ECCO has been working intensively with it's very successful coalition of community non-profit organizations around the state to advocate for further state funding in support of youth. This year, the Safe Teens/Safe Communities has been advocating for the increase in three primary funding sources:

  • Shannon Anti-Gang Violence fund: The primary source of funding for a variance of local youth violence prevention programs.

  • Department of Public Health, Youth Violence prevention fund: ECCO communities we're deemed "fundable, but with insufficient funds" for this grant last year, with an increase in this program, the city of Lynn will automatically be funded for this

  • Youthworks: This fund helps support nearly 4,000 "high risk" youth employed on the North Shore.

    • Cape Ann Core group: There is significant development of a core on Cape Ann. In December there was a meeting of 25 persons to discuss this. Several new congregations, clergy, and laity were present. A potluck dinner meeting in January will follow. This may soon lead to a new program initiative, probably with youth at risk.

    Jobs Team: The next meeting of the Jobs Team will be in January at the Church of St. Andrew in Marblehead. Please contact Tom Lemons at TLemons@eccoaction.org for more information.
    		 
         
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