Civil Engagement

As a non-profit, community-based organization we work to ensure that everyone, regardless of disability, has the power to make life choices and achieve their dreams. Navigating the world of disability services can often be confusing and overwhelming for many families. Whether you have a simple question or have no idea where to start, we’re here to help.

For information on ARISE volunteer or employment opportunities: hr@ariseinc.org

We (B.C.P.) are focused on providing a safe and confidential environment to the inner-city LGBTQ community as well as offering networking opportunities, health information and peer support. We are the voice of the LGBTQ inner-city community.

Building a world where everyone has what they need to thrive.

The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA), founded in 1981, is a leader in community-based alternatives to incarceration and policy advocacy to reduce reliance on incarceration. We provide direct services to communities in New York City, Syracuse, and Rochester, engaging approximately 3,500 youth and adults annually who would otherwise be incarcerated.

Services include gender-based substance treatment and recovery communities, sentence mitigation, court advocacy, workforce readiness, civic restoration services, emergency/transitional housing, student advocacy, violence prevention, and youth mentoring as well as afterschool programming and career exploration for justice-involved youth. The majority of our participants are Black or Latino/a and come from poor or low-income communities.

The Citizen Review Board (CRB) was created to ensure an open citizen-controlled process for reviewing grievances involving members of the Syracuse Police Department (SPD).

The CRB works to provide:

• Public accountability over the powers exercised by members of SPD• Preservation of the integrity of the SPD• A forum for people to submit complaints about members of SPD to be heard and reviewed fairly and impartially by appointed community members

Community Folk Art Center, Inc. (CFAC) is a vibrant cultural and artistic hub committed to the promotion and development of artists of the African Diaspora. Our mission is to exalt cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual and expressive arts. Public programming includes exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in the studio arts, including dance and ceramics. A proud unit of the Department of African American Studies, College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University, CFAC is a beacon of artistry, creativity, and cultural expression within the Syracuse community, the region and the world.

The mission of The Greater Syracuse Southside Homeowners Association  is to foster a strong sense of community and pride among southside residents, promote a safe and welcoming neighborhood environment, enhance property values, and collaborate with local stakeholders to advocate for the needs and interests of our diverse community. Through active Civic engagement, town hall meetings , and cooperation, we aim to create a thriving and vibrant neighborhood where residents can live, work, and play harmoniously together.

GreeningUSA advocates for sustainable communities to the benefit of local economies and environments.

Every New Yorker deserves to breathe clean air, live in safe and affordable housing, receive a high-quality public education, access comprehensive healthcare and universal childcare, and live in well-resourced communities on a livable planet. 

But for decades, corporate aligned elected officials have underinvested in working-class neighborhoods and instead prioritized the desires of greedy corporations and the ultra-rich.

A different New York is possible: one where everyone has what they need to build a foundation on which they can thrive. We just need New York’s ultra-rich to pay what they owe in taxes. The Invest in Our New York Campaign aims to support every New Yorker and our communities by:

Increasing taxes on New York’s wealthiest and big corporations to ensure they pay what they owe

Putting forward a plan for state spending that prioritizes the needs of low-income and working-class people, communities of color, and New York’s most impacted by the affordability crisis; and 

Shifting the state’s economic development efforts away from corporate giveaways and instead toward resourcing our public programs. 

A diverse and democratic community of activists grounded in Jewish values and traditions and working together against anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Jewish bigotry and oppression. We seek an end to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem; security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians; and a just solution for Palestinian refugees based on international law.

The Syracuse chapter of JVP was started in Fall 2016. In addition to the goals above, we are committed to creating community; working for peace, social justice and human rights locally; and collaborating with other Central New York groups working on these and similar issues.

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization that encourages informed active participation in government. We work to increase understanding of major public policy issues through education & advocacy. For 107 years, we have be an educational resource for voter information.

LiteracyCNY, formerly Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse (LVGS) provides adults in Central New York with the literacy tools and skills that they need to be contributing, productive, and engaged members of the community. We do this by advocating for adult education, providing instruction, and partnering with other community based agencies. Improving Adult Literacy makes our community stronger.

Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence. We pass stronger gun laws and work to close the loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our families. We also work in our own communities and with business leaders to encourage a culture of responsible gun ownership. We know that gun violence is preventable, and we’re committed to doing what it takes to keep families safe. Moms Demand Action has established a volunteer chapter in every state of the country and Washington, D.C. and is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with nearly 10 million supporters.

NOW is dedicated to its multi-issue and multi-strategy approach to women’s rights, and is the largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life. CNY chapter covers Onondaga and nearby counties.

The North Side Learning Center (NSLC) was founded in 2009 and exists to aid in adult and youth literacy development, and to be instrumental in teaching self-sufficiency and self-actualization to newcomers in our community. Students come from dozens of countries around the world. Beyond the core of teaching English to adults and providing academic support to their children, additional programs are offered as resources allow.

We are the Central New York office of the New York Civil Liberties Union, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to protect the civil rights and civil liberties of all New Yorkers. Our regional office covers seven counties.

The New York Civil Liberties Union, the New York affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union, promotes and defends the fundamental principles and values embodied in the Bill of Rights, U.S. Constitution and New York State Constitution, including freedom of speech and religion, and the right to privacy, equality, and due process of law. We carry out our mission through public education, advocacy and litigation.

Peace Action New York State is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes non-violent resolution of conflict, the abolition of nuclear weapons, halting the global spread of conventional arms, building a human rights culture, and supporting human needs instead of militarism.

A community chapter in Syracuse is the Nuclear Free World Committee of the Syracuse Peace Council.

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power, and fight to ensure that government works for the people – not big corporations. We mobilize activists to grow democratic movements, watchdog Congress, sue the government when it fails to do its job, petition regulatory agencies to safeguard the public, and engage in cutting-edge research that effects change.With rare exceptions, we don’t participate in partisan political activities or endorse any candidates for elected office. We take no government or corporate money, which allows us to remain fiercely independent and call out bad actors – no matter who they are or how much money and power they have.

The Stand is an online South Side community newspaper that is written for and by South Side residents. As the voice of the South Side community of Syracuse, the paper aims to start a community conversation online by inviting residents of the South Side to share their stories. The paper is the brainchild of the South Side Newspaper Project, a collaboration of the South Side Community Coalition, Syracuse University and a number of dedicated South Side community residents.

Established in 1974, Syracuse Model Neighborhood Facility, Inc., now d.b.a. Syracuse Community Connections. (SCC) is the managing entity of the City-owned Southwest Community Center (SWCC) located at 401 South Avenue. SWCC, in the tradition of settlement houses also known as community or neighborhood centers, provides services and activities designed to identify and reinforce the strengths of individuals, families and communities. SCC provides a refuge for community residents with a variety of services to meet a number of social, health, economic and nutritional needs. 

The Syracuse Gay and Lesbian Chorus is a community choral ensemble of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people and their allies, dedicated to providing and performing an eclectic and entertaining offering of quality choral music which reflects the diverse nature of our community and serves to unite us with the wider community around us.

Join our community of over 2 million activists across the nation fighting for change and for justice. For 114 Years the NAACP has spent fighting against racism and discrimination across the country and in our very own communities! We work to disrupt inequality, dismantle racism, and accelerate change in key areas including criminal justice, health care, education, climate, economy, advocacy & litigation and next generation leadership.

The Syracuse Urbanism Collective strives to build access to human-centered, walkable, vibrant communities and spaces for all. Our goal is to enhance the urbanism of Syracuse through physical installations and programming in public space, as well as advocacy on policy and design.

Upstate Drone Action is a decentralized, informally-organized, grassroots network of activists mostly from upstate New York. We seek to educate the public and Hancock Air Base personnel re the war crimes perpetuated with the MQ9 Reaper. This unmanned aircraft is remotely piloted via satellite from Hancock, home of the 174th Attack Wing of the NYS Air National Guard located just north of Syracuse in the Town of DeWitt. We also seek to educate the public about the risks of drone proliferation and blowback as well as the surveillance and civil liberties threat the Reaper and other robotic planes pose domestically. Legitimized by international law and by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, Upstate Drone Action members heed our consciences and the Nuremburg mandate to expose and impede our nation’s war crime. Committed to nonviolent direct action and civil resistance, members periodically undergo arrest, trial, fines, Orders of Protection and incarceration.

Syracuse VFP is a chapter of Veterans For Peace and welcomes veterans, active military, and supporters in the greater Central NY region who share a vision of building a culture of peace and social justice. We are part of a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. We are one of of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.

One of Syracuse’s longest-surviving community gardens, cultivated primarily by community members living near the garden, the West Newell St. Garden utilizes a shared harvest model and holds regular garden workdays, garden lunches, barbecues, and fishing trips. West Newell Street Community Garden is a social change garden, striving to be inclusive of individuals from diverse backgrounds and ethnic groups.