Our Mission
Worcester Roots is a collective of youth and adult organizers on a mission to create opportunities for economic, social and environmental justice.
We send these roots of opportunity into our communities, sprouting up cooperatively run and green projects and initiatives that build toward our vision of neighborhoods that are safe for living, working and playing.
Our Values
Adopted March 2009
- Environmental, Social and Economic Justice: We struggle for a world where everyone is able to access the necessary resources to live a healthy, dignified life, without prejudice, exploitation or toxic environments.
- Power of Youth: We acknowledge and support the power and potential that youth possess. We proactively recognize and provide opportunities for youth as leaders within the organization and in the world.
- Cooperative Economics: We envision a new economic order that is based on community need and cooperation, not on profit, competition, or disregard for people and the environment.
- Grassroots Movement Building: We nurture democratic, horizontal, and non-authoritarian relationships while ensuring ethical practices within our organization and amongst community members. Our work is effective when it contributes to larger movements for social and environmental justice.
- Anti-Oppression: We are against racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of structural and individual oppression. We proactively encourage diversity and inclusivity in our work.
- Collective Liberation: We organize with communities by listening to peoples’ experiences, identifying injustices, and valuing everyone’s voice in building sustainable solutions.
- Direct Action: We take action locally, bioregionally and globally for radical, systemic change.
- Participatory Education: We are committed to building learning environments that respect every participant’s experience and prioritize the voices of youth, people of color and working class families and individuals.