Success Centers: An NGO Changing Cannabis From Within

By Natan Ponieman and Javier Hasse.

Success Centers is an NGO (non-governmental organization) founded in 1983 with the aim of bringing equity to marginalized populations.

The NGO was established by Superior Court Judges who saw the need to provide alternative education, employment and training to young people returning to community from detention, says Liz Jackson-Simpson, Chief Executive Officer at Success Centers San Francisco.

“Since then, we remain true to the course. We provide training and job placement services:  Construction, Tech, Health, Hospitality, Cannabis and the Arts," the organization states.

The Power of Change from Within

Marginalized populations have been locked out of society for generations due to a lack of equity, says Angela White, Equity for Industry Program Manager at Success Centers San Francisco.

Success Centers focuses on the populations that have been most affected by unjust policies, like the War on Drugs, implicit and explicit bias, redlining and other social inequities that have resulted in high incarceration rates and unequal access to wealth, power, and resources amongst black and brown community members.

Aprende sobre cannabis en Español en El Planteo.

For the equity community, the NGO provides tools that enable participants to best market themselves in the industry.

The NGO uses its experience in creating alternative programs in education and workforce development to create career pathways that provide fair and livable wages, and training programs led by industry leaders to ensure its clients are receiving cutting edge, relevant skills.

“The first questions we ask when working with a cannabis business are: ‘What is your Equity footprint?’ and ‘How are you creating career pathways for marginalized folks?’,” tells us Angela White.

Programs for 2020

For this year, Success Centers plans to continue with its Women in Cannabis Entrepreneurial Boot Camps and Cannabis Industry Educational Campaigns.

Other programs include industry specific job training, advocacy for livable wages, field trips, mentorships among jobseekers, entrepreneurs and business owners, support for municipalities to create systems of equity from the start, and first source hiring.

“Success Centers is adept at removing barriers that prevent our clients from equally accessing the myriad opportunities that exist. This creates an alternative pathway to success and access to economic justice. This begins with building resilience, creativity, belief in self, and self-advocacy,” concludes CEO Liz Jackson-Simpson.

Photo: Jennifer Skog/MJ Lifestyle