Accompaniment (Standing With Others)
We believe that a just, rural New York involves all of us. We also believe that those who courageously call out for justice need others to stand with them — to accompany them in this quest.
Rural Academy of the People (Nurturing Leadership)
RMM’s Rural Academy of the People (RAP) offers a variety of adult education programs through our Centers and online that are initiated and designed by rural, grass-roots leaders.
Youth Empowerment
Rural & Migrant Ministry has been on the cutting edge of offering creative and effective programs that support young, emerging leaders in rural New York for more than 35 years.
Immigrant Legal Rights Project
The Immigrant Legal Rights Project assists people in protecting their legal rights by working hand-in-hand with RMM’s Rural Academy of the People and our long tradition of advocacy.
Community Good Federal Credit Union (Financial Equity)
In partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of New York, RMM has embarked on a pioneering initiative with the Community Good Episcopal Federal Credit Union to establish financial stability and equity among rural and farmworking families.
Programs
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Summer Overnight Leadership Camp film
Read more: Summer Overnight Leadership Camp filmVideographer Ross Corsair created this moving film about the children who attend RMM’s Summer Overnight Leadership Camp.
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Justice Celebration
Read more: Justice CelebrationRMM is pleased to partner with Grace! in Lyons to host a monthly gathering that brings together the diverse people who make up RMM. We begin with music, prayer, presentations and an individual sharing the story of their life’s journey. Afterward, we share a meal, courtesy of the women-owned cooking cooperative Las Chefs Latinas. Come…
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The Rural Academy of the People
Read more: The Rural Academy of the PeopleThrough the Rural Academy of the People (RAP), RMM offers a variety of adult education programs through our Centers and online that are initiated and designed by rural, grass-roots leaders. From ESL/Literacy classes, to Know Your Rights workshops, to developing cooperatives and numerous other programs, RMM is assisting people as they develop their understanding and explore…
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Delegations & Retreats
Read more: Delegations & RetreatsRMM offers regular opportunities for ally groups to visit our Centers, meet with our people and explore our programs. If you would like to set up a daylong delegation, let us know! Contact Administrative Director Sakima McClinton: [email protected] Artists in Residence
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Justice for Farmworkers Campaign
Read more: Justice for Farmworkers CampaignThe Justice for Farmworkers Campaign (JFW) was created as a statewide educational and legislative movement aimed at giving farmworkers the same rights that every other New York State worker receives. Early legislative campaign successes included the right to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities in the fields, and the right to the same minimum wage…
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Long Island Farmworker Cooperative
Read more: Long Island Farmworker CooperativeRMM is working with nursery workers in eastern Long Island as they create their own cooperative. The cooperative has its own greenhouse, in Brentwood (thanks to the Sisters of Saint Joseph), where members grow plants and vegetables. If your congregation or organization would like to purchase items, please get in touch with Maria del Mar…
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Mujeres de Esperanza / Women of Hope
Read more: Mujeres de Esperanza / Women of HopeMujeres de Esperanza / Women of Hope is a group of rural women who look to support one another through a variety of workshops and meetings that focus on leadership development, empowerment skills, community building, personal growth, self-esteem and solidarity. From art therapy and creative expression, to identifying and recognizing trauma, Mujeres de Esperanza is an…
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The Youth Arts Group
Read more: The Youth Arts GroupThe Youth Arts Group (YAG) was founded by four teenage women in the 1990s. They were determined to create a program for young people in the Hudson Valley that helped use the arts to bring about change. With more than 100 alums, and a college matriculation rate among YAG graduates more than 95 percent, YAG…
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The Youth Economic Group
Read more: The Youth Economic GroupThe Youth Economic Group (YEG) was founded by young people in the Catskill mountains in 2010 to help them develop economic security while also working for economic justice. One of the most powerful tools YEG uses for self-empowerment and community development is the creation and management of their own cooperative business, Bags for Justice. Members…
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Union Solidarity
Read more: Union SolidarityRMM is partnering with Trabajadores Agricolas Unidos (TAU), an effort sponsored by UFCW and RWDSU to implement the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act.
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Rural Women’s Assembly
Read more: Rural Women’s AssemblyCreating Community: Serenity, Courage & Wisdom The Rural Women’s Assembly was established 20 years ago because rural women face barriers of poverty, prejudice, language, isolation and a lack of skills to create, or take advantage of, resources and opportunities. Many deal with gender violence and lack support systems such as childcare, healthcare and transportation. Challenges…
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Voices of Long Island Youth
Read more: Voices of Long Island YouthVoices of Long Island Youth (VOLIY) is our newest high school Youth Empowerment group. Created by young people who had been a part of the Summer Overnight Leadership Camp and the Summer Day Program on Long Island, VOLIY is based at the Amandla Worker Education Center in Riverhead, on eastern Long Island. Using podcasts as…
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Youth Arts Group Members Learn from Each Other
Read more: Youth Arts Group Members Learn from Each OtherThey gather around a large table draped in serapes, eating pepperoni pizza and sharing about the highs and lows of their week. Maddox has won first place in his school track meet. Guillermo has done well on a science test. Elizabeth is celebrating her birthday that day. Some share in English, others in Spanish. Eighteen-year-old…
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Youth Scholarships
Read more: Youth ScholarshipsRMM works hard to support the dreams and opportunities of the members of the Youth Empowerment Program through two scholarship programs, The Camp Nurses Scholarship Fund and the Pedro Cruz Scholarship. The Camp Nurses Scholarship Fund was created by the passionate and compassionate nurses of our Summer Overnight Leadership Camp to support graduates of Camp,…
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YEP Practices
Read more: YEP PracticesYouth Empowerment Program PRACTICES October 2022 Listed below are goals, practices, protocols and curricula included in the Youth Empowerment Program of RMM. Mission Statement To stand with rural youth as they work to bring about systemic change and develop their leadership skills through a model of popular education and community-building. Practice RMM seeks to first…
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Summer Overnight Leadership Camp and Summer Day Programs
Read more: Summer Overnight Leadership Camp and Summer Day ProgramsOur Overnight Leadership Camp and Summer Day Programs is where RMM gets to meet young people from isolated spots across New York, and they get to meet us. At first glance it is a typical camp :the woods, swimming, boating, music and the arts. swimming, canoeing. A place where children get to be children. But,…
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Las Chefs Latinas
Read more: Las Chefs LatinasAn inspired group of women in the Finger Lakes have launched a cooking cooperative, and RMM is standing with them!
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Justice Organization of Youth
Read more: Justice Organization of YouthJustice Organization of Youth (JOY) was founded by members of our Summer Overnight Leadership Camp in 2016 to give a voice to young people, primarily from farmworking families in the Lake Ontario and Finger Lakes regions of western New York. JOY offers presentations to schools, community events and congregations across New York by performing original…
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CASA
Read more: CASAThe Center of Alliance, Solidarity, and Accompaniment (CASA) is worker-led group that strives to bring about change in eastern Long Island. Artists in Residence
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Bags For Justice
Read more: Bags For JusticeThe Youth Economic Group (YEG) manages its own cooperative business, Bags for Justice. Members design images and silkscreen them onto shirts and tote bags. Members learn essential life skills that include: public speaking, marketing, time management, communication, design and silkscreen production. The bags are sold around the state at many events. Bags for Justice is…
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Artist Educators Bring Joy to Overnight Camp
Read more: Artist Educators Bring Joy to Overnight CampFor more than 35 years, Rural & Migrant Ministry’s Overnight Leadership Camp has been giving children an unforgettable summer experience. Rural, migrant and underserved youth, ages 8-17, spend a week in a tranquil, woodsy environment; for many of these children, it’s a rare opportunity to feel safe, and to be heard, loved and accepted. A key purpose of…
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Celebrating Justice and Diversity in Western NY
Read more: Celebrating Justice and Diversity in Western NYThe Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director of the Interfaith Center of New York, shared her experience at November’s Justice Celebration at Grace! in Lyons, NY. They call it the Justice Celebration, and for good reason. Each month, Rural & Migrant Ministry partners with Grace! to host the Justice Celebration in Lyons, in New York’s…
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Justice Concert Unites Folks in Western NY
Read more: Justice Concert Unites Folks in Western NYIt was an afternoon that offered food for body and soul: The inaugural Justice Concert, to benefit Grace! Church in Lyons, with an assist from folks at Rural & Migrant Ministry. While the two have been co-sponsoring their monthly Justice Celebration of food, fellowship, storytelling and performance for some time, this was the first of…
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Coffee House Full of Warmth and Joy
Read more: Coffee House Full of Warmth and JoySCARSDALE—It promised to be a celebration filled with warmth and joy, and it did not disappoint. The halls of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church rang out with music and witnessing at Saturday evening’s Coffee House, an event the church sponsors each year to benefit the Youth Empowerment programs and Summer Overnight Leadership Camp of Rural & Migrant…
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Artists in Residence
Read more: Artists in ResidenceRMM believes that the arts are essential to building community and effective movement work. Each year we welcome artists in residence as we are intent in incorporating the arts into all of our programs and our centers. Each year, we welcome artists in residence, as we are intent on incorporating the arts into all of our…
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Cociendo Culturas
Read more: Cociendo CulturasCociendo Culturas is an emerging sewing cooperative that works hand-in-hand with the Bags For Justice Cooperative as well as on other projects. Artists in Residence
