Cape Verdean Creole

We focus on environmental and social justice by identifying and addressing the safety and health concerns of our community through education, service and advocacy. We promote awareness, local action, and holistic thinking and address these concerns with healthy initiatives. Our fundamental principles are to: * Incorporate environmental and social justice concerns as a significant priority in public decision-making. * Seek alternative practices and procedures to minimize negative impacts on the environment. * Conserve natural resources and restore environmental quality. * Consider the social and economic impacts of the BOLD environmental and health policies and encourage a participatory process in developing these policies.

CVC UNIDO promotes the power and the potential of the Cape Verdean community. We advocate for, inform, and organize our community to reach its cultural, social, and economic well-being.

CVC UNIDO’s mission is to outreach to, inform, and organize the Cape Verdean community around issues of self-empowerment and social and economic development while advocating for and accessing resources that meet the self-identified needs of the community. This mission is accomplished by a consortium of native Cape Verdean and Cape Verdean-American individuals and representatives of local organizations that serve the Cape Verdean community in Greater Boston through a series of different programs and activities that reach out to families and youth. Goals are to bring the Cape Verdean community together to develop our collective power and strategize solutions to current challenges; to create opportunities, and an environment, where youth and families can gain tools to empower themselves and the community; to improve family cohesion through developing nurturing and parenting skills; and to assure services delivered by local, municipal, and state agencies are coordinated and culturally competent.

The St. Mark's Community Education Program improves the quality of individual lives and the community through English, literacy, and citizenship programs. Lack of literacy, low English language skills, and limited access to U.S. citizenship impede many residents’ access to jobs, education and other ways to improve their quality of life. We have a vision of residents of the St. Mark Area participating fully in U.S. society, creating a viable and stable community. We believe that we should have mutual respect and compassion for one another. Members of our community will grow in self-esteem and confidence as they gain new language skills, cultural knowledge, and U.S. citizenship. Through our English classes and US citizenship programs residents can advocate for themselves and their families, better access employment, goods, and services, participate in the US political process, and negotiate their interactions with immigration, health care institutions, schools, and other US institutions.