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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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. 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. 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. 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.

WELCOME TO ECCO

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. Founded in 1981, ECCO has organized around a variety of issues affecting families on the North Shore, including activities directed at affordable housing, public safety, quality education, childcare, workforce development, health care and youth activities.

Recent ECCO Activity, 2008

Youth Violence Prevention and Positive Youth Development The Southern Essex ECCO group, in partnership with the College Application Education Project Inc. (CAEP) has worked on getting some funds from the city's Shannon Anti-gang Initiative fund to create a Street Outreach Worker program. This program, unlike other Street outreach worker programs, is created to deliberately prevent "at risk" youth from joining and being recruited by North Shore gangs.

Worker Antonio Guitierezz of Lynn emphasizes a violence prevention tactic by creating relationships with youth, and providing them with alternatives to a potentially destructive lifestyle.

The Cape Ann ECCO group has also been working on creating Youth Violence Prevention programs. In partnership with Sustainable Cape Ann (SCA) and the Cape Ann Business Incubator (CABI) ECCO has just created a new "interest based" youth program located in downtown Gloucester. The purpose of the program is to give a "cool hang-out" space where a roundtable of youth creates the activities within. The program is currently finishing with it's development phase and has just hired a program coordinator Lauren Riley.

The Cape Ann ECCO group has also been working closely with the regions Workforce Investment Board doing outreach for this summers "FirstJobs" program. The program asks local business to hire high risk youth, after they attend a two training seminar administered through the Workforce Investment Board.

Job Training Machinist (E-Team): We continue our most famed program. This training in the skills of factory machinists for good paying jobs has had 189 graduates. Success is due in part to working closely with employers and unions so that students are trained for available jobs; to date all graduates have received jobs. Recently, we have had larger classes with a large number of women for the first time. The annual training course goes from fall to spring, requiring three nights a week plus Saturdays.

Job Training in Health Care: Our Jobs Team has been doing extensive preparation for extending the methodology of the E-Team into the field of the allied health professions. Many job training programs that help health care workers advance to better paying levels are not filled because of lack of prerequisite skills including English writing and conversation and mathematics. We will provide tutors for incumbent employees to meet these needs in contextually sensitive ways so that they can pass entrance exams for local college LPN and RN programs.

State Housing Development Resident's Group: Through the Resident’s Group formed in 2004, the residents of the Gloucester Riverdale park advocate for themselves with the Housing Authority, leading to substantial building repairs. An alliance with the Cape Ann Food Pantry has resulted, as well as a strong relationship with the Gloucester police, and the community center has been kept open for after school and summer youth programs. Residents and ECCO leaders meet monthly with the Housing Authority; they also have gone to the State House to lobby legislators for funding for capital improvements for State Housing Developments.

School Funding Initiative: In bleak financial times for the city of Lynn, city officials are proposing large cuts into the local school budget. In response to this, ECCO is bringing together a cross section of the community to begin to have conversations with local officals to address this as an issue.

Economic Development Comittee: ECCO in partnership with the North Shore Labor Council (NSLC) Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) and several others, is creating a committee that will look into the effects on the local community of the city's proposed "Waterfront Development" and "Sagamore Hill" developments. The hope of our committee is to gain a reasonable community benefits agreement that includes money set aside for low income housing, and guarantees construction jobs for Lynn residents.

CORI Reform: ECCO has begun to host meetings with state and local legislators to ask for a reformation of the state's CORI system (Criminal Offense Record Information). Studies are showing more and more that the CORI system is directly linked to a higher recidivism rate for ex-offenders. ECCO is asking state legislators to look into a more fair hiring practice for ex-offenders (with the exception of violent and sex crime offenses).

State funding legislative activity

ECCO is one of six members of the faith based community organizing umbrella Massachusetts Communities Action Network (MCAN), and we work at the state level with other groups with similar commitments. Through our legislative oriented actions, the following funding sources are in the State budget:

Shannon Anti-Gang Violence Initiative Provides $11 million in funding specifically geared towards crime violence intervention and prevention programs. ECCO as well as some others have been dilligently working on a funding increase for this grant porogram from $11-$15 million.

DPH Youth Violence Prevention Fund The Department for Public Health (DPH) youth violence prevention pilot fund is $2 million dollars. ECCO and the Safe Teens/Safe Communities Coalition have been working to increase that funding to $5 million in both the Governors budget and the Legilsative.

YouthWorks Administered through regional Workforce Investment Boards the "YouthWorks" programs offer training and job placement for after school and out of school time students. The funding for this program is currently $6.7 million and ECCO is asking legislators to increase that to $9.0 million

In addition to funding, our legislative efforts contributed to an increase in minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.50, effective January 1, 2007.

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