CPLAN LEADERSHIP CAPACITY BUILDING

Hello everyone-we hope you support our fund-raising efforts for  the Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network CPLAN- our labor of love!    My name is Julia Mejia - as the first person in family to graduate high school and obtain a bachelors degree, I recognize the important role education has played in breaking the cycle of poverty.  

Growing up in a single parent household with an undocumented and under-educated mother while living in an under-represented neighborhood trying to navigate an under-resourced education system was a challenge.   And while education is a pathway out of poverty we know that without the proper foundation students who struggle to successfully navigate the system are at greater risk for poor health, housing instability, and financial insecurity as adults in the future.  



Our children's fate should be different.  Fast forward to 30 years later and navigating our current educational system is still just as challenging for many families.  Especially for those who have diverse learners with social/emotional needs and those impacted by trauma stemming from homelessness, immigration, incarceration, system involvement, violence, and other issues, it can be even more daunting.  
Drawing from personal and professional experience led to the launch of CPLAN (Collaborative Parent Leadership Action Network) an organization created to amplify the voices of those most impacted by education policies and practices throughout the Commonwealth.   Our goal is to ensure parents, students and educators are at the forefront of every decision that impacts student learning. 

CPLAN leaders provide the tools and techincal assistance to help other families successfully navigate the educational system through individual activism and through collective policy advocacy change.  We do this by hosting trainings, events and community dialogues that bring elected leaders, policy-makers and families together to explore these issues in a safe space!

CPLAN brings students and parents together from all sectors (district, charter, private,METCO etc.) and works with educators, policy-makers and community leaders to provide every child with a well-rounded and culturally responsive education.   CPLAN sets the table for families to inform, influence and advocate for practices and policies to improve educational outcomes for today’s most vulnerable students.


CPLAN participates in public hearings, state house advocacy and works closely with community groups to ensure our schools have the resources they need to provide high quality education to our families. 

CPLAN  takes a “Community Centered Approach to Systems Change”.   We  create spaces to explore ways we can successfully incorporate intergenerational and interagency approaches that explicitly create space for those most impacted by trauma, incarceration, criminal justice system, and poor educational systems, helping to inform, influence and inspire systems change.




We hope to continue to  building upon our work.  Please consider making a  tax-deductible contribution to our fiscal sponsor Health Resources In Action on behalf of CPLAN to help us achieve our goal.  

Thank you on behalf of CPLAN!



Julia Mejia