About the Event
Goal:
Provide platforms for different Pennsylvania Environmental Justice (EJ) stakeholders to learn about and effectively engage in the practice and regulation of EJ in a manner that leads to lasting state EJ collaborations helping each other find EJ challenges and strategies that can further EJ across PA.
Objectives:
Help community members identify key EJ issues and barriers facing orgs/communities in PA
Identify residents, organizations, advocates, institutions, and businesses in PA actively working on EJ issues and build capacity in and
between organizations
Strengthen, create, and connect regionally active EJ groups
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Build an EJ network across Pennsylvania
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Determine how community residents can participate in shaping EJ policy
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Connect industries with communities to address EJ issues
Structure of Event:
The City of Harrisburg and Harrisburg University are hosting the main virtual event, which is being shared with participants around Pennsylvania. In order to create regional coalitions, EJ community hubs will host virtual events that allow local partners to get together for networking and the afternoon activities. EJ community hubs will create locally specific ramp up and follow up activities that bring folks in the regions together in advance and after the main event.
EJ Community Hubs
EJ in PA community hubs serve as the convener of local organizations interested in environmental justice, community health, and community connection. The EJ community hubs will provide a space for local dialogue that will lead to a long-lasting connection within the community, kicked off at EJ in PA. The EJ community hubs will be given access to materials to assist in creating a local EJ event with the Conference, including sample outreach materials, pre-conference materials to encourage local interest, and materials to assist in maintaining communication after the one-day conference. We plan to continue the EJ community hubs in autumn 2021 to report on local activities that have happened since the event, to share best practices between hubs, and help plan for future events.