report cover featuring diverse youth participating in Inland Congregations United for Change's Youth Organizing Project for low-income youth in the Inland Empire of Southern California
Social Movements and Governing Power

From 2008 to 2019, the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI) published reports under our previous name, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE). 

February 2015

By Veronica Terriquez, Michael Chavez, and Angela Ross

To provide some frame of reference for the Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC)’s efforts, this report begins with a brief overview of the history and geographic context of ICUC’s work with youth. This report:

  • Outlines the process by which ICUC seeks to develop youth members’ leadership and engage them in campaigns;
  • Describes ICUC’s current youth membership and the involvement of its members in youth organizing activities; and
  • Details the various ways in which ICUC contributes to the healthy development and leadership capacity of its members.

The findings presented are based on surveys collected from 61 ICUC youth in 2013, follow-up in-depth interviews with 10 ICUC youth members, interviews with staff, participant observations, and archival data.

Download report

Sowing the Seeds of Change

Read our other publications by research area

    Immigrant Integration & Racial Justice

    Our work on immigrant integration and racial justice brings together three emphases: scholarship that draws on academic theory and rigorous research, data that provides information structured to highlight the process of immigrant integration over time, and engagement that seeks to create new dialogues with government, community organizers, business and civic leaders, immigrants and the voting public to advance immigrant integration and racial equity.

    Economic Inclusion & Climate Equity

    In the area of economic inclusion, we at ERI advance academic theory and practical applications linking economic growth, environmental quality, and civic health with bridging of racial and other gaps; produce accessible and actionable data and analysis through the data tools; and establish research partnerships to deepen and advance the dialogue, planning, and actions around racial equity, environmental justice, and the built environment.

    Social Movements & Governing Power

    ERI’s work in the area of governing power includes: conducting cross-disciplinary studies of today’s social movements, supporting learning and strategizing efforts to advance dialogues among organizers, funders, intermediaries, evaluators, and academics, and developing research-based social change frameworks and tools to inform—and be informed by—real-world, real-time efforts towards a vision of deep change.

    Publications Directory

    In 2020, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) merged to form the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI).

    The full list of publications published under our previous and current names can be found in our publications directory.

    a view of the Los Angeles skyline