In 1993, SEAC organized against NAFTA, started a weekend Training Program in the summer, and joined the Free Burma movement in the fall. In 1994, SEAC launched its Environmental Justice Initiative (EJI). The EJI was a project of the POCC and was geared toward educating and empowering youth and high school students. Part of EJI eventually turned into Youth United for Community Action and became its own organization in 1996. The POCC started developing an Environmental Justice Organizing Guide (EJOG) which was completed in 1996.
It hasn’t always been easy – and we’re going to be honest about it. While SEAC initially went through a phase of incredible growth, from early on the organization has had to deal with high turnover and highly fluctuating funding (due to the nature of foundation funding). For the first phase of its history, SEAC was able to maintain a national office with between five and thirteen staff members. Unfortunately in the summer of 1996, a decision that was made due to a lack of information caused a lot of problems for SEAC. Its Coordinating Committee decided to cut a program that held activist training sessions at different schools. Their primary intent was to save money, but they did not know that some of the organization’s future income (foundation grants) was tied to it. Ultimately SEAC lost all of its staff, almost all its funding, closed the national office, and reduced the size and frequency of Threshold, its magazine. However, with the help of courageous volunteers, SEAC has rebuilt! We’ve reopened our office, staffed it, organized on the regional level, and are regularly updating our materials (like this organizing guide).
SEAC Today
But what are SEAC’s values, and current programs? SEAC promotes environmentalism in a social context, working to develop people’s understanding that environmental degradation and social inequality are deeply connected. We are not going to be able to stop our environmental crisis without curing all our other social ills such as poverty, war, racism, sexism, heterosexism, and unrestrained greed.
SEAC is a student run and student led national network of progressive organizations and individuals whose aim is to uproot environmental injustices through action and education. We define the environment to include the physical, economic, political, and cultural conditions in which we live. By challenging the power structure which threatens these conditions, students in SEAC work to create progressive social change on both the local and global levels.
(SEAC’s mission statement)
