BLOC is a national network of young people working in communities of color to build alliances and fundamentally transform society.
Who You Are
You are directly affected by racism, sexism, homophobia, class and cross-town beef You have been “gentrified” out of your hood Your ancestral lands have been jacked and developed You were at a national BLOC Gathering in 1999, 2000, 2003, or 2004 You rock fronts and used to slang but now you rhyme and are working for change You are an artist, a youth worker, an activist, an organizer, a youth development professional, a radical teacher You are on the front lines, walking the streets You are a young mother You are a male that defines themselves politically as a feminist You rep no gender, more than one gender, your own fierce and fabulous gender You are also old enough to give a damn and young enough to have not You have been at a Rep Ya BLOC! Training You are from the deep South, the Southwest, the East Coast, West Coast, the Rocky mountains, you are urban and rural You build coalitions You are ready to transform your community
You know your role, you play your position, and you are ready to build leadership and organize your community.
Get on the BLOC!
Individual Member Commitments:
My Bloc – focusing on your own personal and political development
Our Bloc – supporting your peeps in their personal and political development
Build BLOCs – connect the organizations and groups (“vehicles”) you are a part of or connected to in the broader movement
Organizational Affiliates Commitments:
Supporting BLOC members and Organizational Affiliates
Sharing resources with other Organizational Affiliates
Some BLOC Organizational Affiliates may commit to housing a regional facilitator, providing meeting spaces for BLOC Circles, or making training available to BLOC members in the their region. Some national networks may choose to become BLOC Sister Networks.
BLOC Assemble!
BLOC is about building community where you live. We will help you connect to people in your local community and then from there, people in your region, your state and across the country.
Local: BLOC Circles meet locally and focus on Support, Learning, Strategy, Action, and Change. The function of the Circle is determined by the needs of its members.
Regional: Regional BLOC Gatherings bring folks together to share information and strengthen the Network.
National: the entire BLOC Network is invited to attend national gatherings. In January 2004, 300 young activists came together at the the 4th annual BLOC National Gathering.
MOVEMENT BUILDING TECHNOLGY Movement building organizations need movement building technology. Together, we have a shared understanding of the values and principles that inform of technology organizing. We are committed to developing:
Technology that supports face-to-face organizing: Our role is to support face-to-face organizing, thereby building on connections, community and networks that already exist. Web-based technologies can support organizing work, but not replace it.
User-centric technology that is youth- and community-driven: User-developed and -directed content and functionality. Technologists should come from the communities that they serve. Their primary experience should include technology and organizing — hence, the Organizer-Technologist.
Culturally-relevant technology: Web tools should be hard-wired with the values of the users from the inception; the vehicle for social change should be consistent with the values of the movement: open, participatory, democratic, and accountable.
