Organizer Apprenticeship
2024 Peer Learning Lab:
April- September 2024
Overview
For years, base building organizations have been talking about the need to both develop pathways for Black, Brown and Asian organizers to come into organizing, and also for the need for deep development of new organizers; 2024 provides the opportunity to support the latter. The Organizing Center Fellowship program is designed for both organizers to deepen their practices of organizing and for supervisors (leads, Organizing Directors, E.D.s) to strengthen their resilient leadership.
Program Overview
For Organizers
April 1- 5 Week-long, in-person retreat
-
What is base building?
-
What is power and how do we build it?
-
Organizing conversations (overview and lots of practice)
-
Intro to transformative leadership development & campaign cycles
-
Intro to “organizer math”
April 19- Aug 23- 2x/ month virtual sessions (10am- 1pm, every other Friday on zoom) that
provide space to debrief organizers' experiences in their work, build relationships in the cohort, and get trained on additional topics.
Sept. 6th In-person session to celebrate and close the fellowship
For Supervisors
April 1-2 Required: Participate in the first two days of the organizer training to ground in the program arc and approach to organizing conversations
April 3- 5 Optional & Encouraged: Additional days at the retreat to strengthen
supervisory practices and build relationships with other supervisors; participation in retreat social activities; participation in retreat closing activity
April- Aug. 2 hours per month of 1:1 coaching from a seasoned E.D. or Organizing Director
Aug 23rd Fellowship Evaluation with organizers
Sept 6th In-person session to celebrate and close the fellowship
Goals
Organizers
-
Build skills in organizing conversations, leadership development and campaign development
-
Deepen understanding of power–how we build it and how we win it
-
Deepen understanding of base building as one organizational form in the movement ecosystem
-
Build relationships with other new organizers in PA
-
Develop an approach to resilience practices that will support their sustainability
Supervisors
-
Ground in the training program we’re using with organizers to support their ability to reinforce the program
-
Support their ability to lead in grounded, resilient ways that support the leadership & development of their team
-
Get support for individual needs through coaching
Who is this program for?
This program is for base building organizations that are committed to growing a skilled team of organizers inside a resilient organization. This is for organizations that are committed to building and winning power for all oppressed people, especially Black, Brown and Asian, poor and working class, and women and gender-oppressed people.
​
In 2024 this program is by invitation only.
​