EMPOWER SAN DIEGO

We are growing up!

Since assuming our nonprofit status in 2008, Empower has hired new staff, built an intern program (EMPOWERStudents!), and put our “house in order.”  Now we are expanding our previous civic engagement efforts to take voter registration and GOTV to the next level.  We seek to educate, inform and inspire youth, students, families and workers to become active in local policy and decision-making. We believe that an informed public capable of engaging local government will make San Diego a more sustainable and equitable place to live.

Join us and participate by following and supporting Empower as we grow! ¡Apoyanos!

The Problem We Seek to Address

The San Diego region lacks opportunities for individuals and community-based organizations to work together to create policies that respond to the needs of students, families, and workers.

Disproportionately low voter participation in high-poverty zip codes renders certain communities, especially the southern areas of San Diego, less visible to public officials. Thus, mechanisms for community input suffer the absence of cultural as well as socioeconomic diversity, affecting a broad range of decisions from park allocations to 'food stamp' policies to school closures.

Insular governance and a lack of transparency or genuine mechanisms for community oversight have also helped San Diego become famous for gross fiscal mismanagement.

San Diego needs a grassroots organizing force focused on creating venues for inclusive collective action and meaningful public participation to combat these systemic inequities in our region's governance.

EMPOWER is supported in part by:

Ask about our new work. 

Empower is:

>conducting voter registration and education efforts to increase participation, especially in local races and areas of low turnout.
Juntos aumentaremos la participación local.

> launching a community wide education campaign consisting of leaflets, workshops and public forums on local redistricting. 
Juntos educaremos sobre los cambios en los limites de los distritos locales.

> working with students and teachers from universities, colleges and high schools to generate community-based research, organizing and advocacy related to local government and local issues.
Juntos los estudiantes podemos hacer cambios en nuestras comunidades.

> creating a website and email newsletter that will provide up-to-date, online information and resources for community members to follow what is going on in local government and identify opportunities to participate and serve.
Juntos utilizaremos el poder del internet para aumentar el impacto politico de la comunidad.

>continuing to work with partner organizations and civically-oriented businesses to strengthen coalitions, community planning processes and regional visioning.
Juntos reenforzaremos las coaliciones y las esfuerzas de planificacion comunitaria.

Thank you for your support!
¡Gracias por su apoyo!