BREATHE

BREATHE (Building Relationships for Environmental Action Through Health Education) is an Environmental Justice organization by and for students in Carson High School. We formed this BREATHE in Carson High School because our community, predominantly a community of color, faces high exposures to toxic pollution from multiple sources. Many heavy industrial plants and facilities border, or even surround, low-income communities of color. Schools and homes are sandwiched by industrial facilities that regularly emit chemicals into the surrounding air and water, affecting children's and families' right to a healthy environment to live, learn, and play.Started in 2007, People's Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment's BREATHE project trains high school students with critical analysis skills to interpret the social, political, and environmental conditions of their communities. The youth's capacity is built through learning community organizing and leadership skills in order to build their own organization and run meetings and campaigns. BREATHE demands changes from government and industry that result in environmental justice for our communities!