The Alliance Project

One of the goals of this project is to create a culturally responsive community that works for all.  Umoja is a Kiswahili word meaning “unity”. Providing our community with the critical resources needed to promote togetherness is a primary goal of the regional Alliance Project. Scaling the Umoja program to serve our community more broadly will be our next phase. Building on our existing local and regional partnerships, the Alliance Project will work to ensure access to education and to alleviate disparities among our underserved populations in our region. By fostering meaningful connections and engagement with community partners we can create positive lasting change. Click here to learn more about Jerry Brown, the Program Director for Umoja and Community Outreach, who will be spearheading the creation of The Alliance Project.

The Shasta College Umoja program provides our Black, African American and other students with a community committed to enhancing cultural and educational outcomes. Umoja offers community support, mentorship, and service learning to increase academic success. The Shasta College Umoja Program is dedicated to the academic success, personal growth, and self-actualization of enrolled students. Through Umoja practices and values (e.g. purpose, unity, community, accountability), students learn to be intentional and deliberate in their personal development. To increase the retention and transfer rates of students, the program offers community support, mentorship, academic counseling, peer tutoring, workshops, service-learning opportunities, field trips, and more. The program also strengthens the academic success of students by helping them define educational and career goals.
Unity can provide enormous resources for invigorating communities—but only if everyone is included in a community’s social, and economic life. While there is a need for all institutions to learn to draw strength across cultures and address inequities, few are as well positioned as community colleges to influence behavior outside their own institutional setting. Over the last decade, Shasta College has made positive outreach and advocacy central core values and have invested significant time, money, and resources to ensure a supportive college community for all students is created and sustained.