Community Organizing Training
This intensive five-day program develops the craft, theory, and practice of broad-based community organizing. Participants work with power, leadership, self-interest, relationships, institutions, public action, negotiation, and evaluation. Upcoming dates are announced through IAF Pacific affiliates; contact us to ask about the next national, regional, or local training.
Power and public action
Participants examine how power is built, used, and abused; how it can advance shared values and the common good; and how relational power supports public action and negotiation.
Self-interest and relationships
Relational meetings reveal interests, develop public leaders, and build trust strong enough for action across difference.
Institutions and organization
Strong civic institutions help people participate in public decisions, develop leaders, and sustain action beyond any single issue campaign.
Leadership
Leadership is developed through responsibility, reflection, mentoring, and public action. Participants explore the qualities and boundaries of leadership for collective power.
Who should attend?
The training is for leaders in community, faith, union, health, environmental, neighborhood, educational, cultural, and service institutions. Introductory or Foundations training with a local affiliate is recommended. We believe leaders are made, not born.
Leaders passionate about their own organisations
Do you want your organisation to be stronger, broader and more engaged?
So often organisational development and leadership training misses core concepts that are critical for mission-based and/or voluntary membership-based organisations.
The training provides tools for organisations that want to change the world while building their membership, deepening leadership, planning succession and focusing on mission.
Cohorts who want to change the world, together
Do you want to change the landscape of power in your city or region?
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In a world that divides and distracts, community organising provides a focus point for those that wish to unite, relate and act for the common good.
Consider participating in the training as a cohort of diverse peers.
Training together; learning, evaluating concepts old and new; building and deepening relationships. These are multiplication effects for a cohort coming together.
Leaders who want to leave a legacy
If not you, who? If not now, when?
Negotiation, relationality, power-with, self-interest (properly understood) and organisation are fundamental concepts for changing the world and leaving a legacy, too often neglected in corporate 'leadership training' run by consultants.
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Instead, the training with its combined approaches of personal reflection, Socratic method, relationship, explanation and agitation provides a stimulating week for leaders at pivot points in their journey; whether in the early, mid or later years of their vocation.
Research-Action Teams, Boards & Alliance groups
Need to restart or grow the energy in your research-action team?
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With common tools and concepts and the ‘big picture’, research-action teams that send their groups through training together gain massive traction and ability to act.
Not only focusing on a detailed walk-through of the organising cycle, but building up relational, power analysis skills and seeing how issues fit within the broader mission of the Alliance.
Potential organizers and invested leaders
Are you drawn to the craft and vocation of broad-based community organizing?
Training alumni say:
"The skills of this training have helped us train generations of healthcare leaders and embed community organizing into our mission"
"Engaging in this training as a team that can learn together and put these lessons into action when they return home is essential to go from taking positions on issues to building the power to take action and make change"
"Relational organizing has made me a better leader, physician and person. The skills taught at this training have anchored all the work I have done in my career."
Dr Luis Manriquez, Executive Director, Health Equity Circle, Washington State University, Spokane/Seattle
