• The Choice

    Leadership is taking the responsibility for enabling others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty. Taking the first step to empowering our communities requires that we challenge ourselves and others to make THE CHOICE to organizing in the face of these uncertainties we face every day. This lesson introduces you to the craft of organizing as it relates to the major movements in U.S. history and provides a framework for re-shaping our ideas about leadership.

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  • Story of Self

    How can you lead others if they don't know who you are, where you come from, and what your values are? Mastering the art of public narrative allows you to establish firm ground with your constituency in which to collaborate, lead and find common purpose. Each of us has a story to tell that can move others to action. Story of Self is the first part to public narrative where you will learn to convey why you are called to leadership in your movement.

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  • Story of Us & now

    Once your constituency understands why you are called to lead, it is time to motivate others to collective action. Learn to build power with others by mastering the second part to public narrative- the Story of Us & Now. Tell a story of the new community you’re forming together with others, and a story of the action you are asking others to join you in taking.

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  • Building Relationships

    Organizing is based on relationships and creating mutual commitments to work together. In this lesson, learn to recast our individual interests as common interests, by building relationships and having one on one's and small group meetings to create the foundation for local campaign teams.

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  • Theory of Change

    In order to create change in the world we have to engage in action. But in order for action to mean something it needs to be guided by a clear, compelling strategy that lays out a believable path to change. The work of strategy and the purpose of this session is figuring out how to turn what you have into what you need to get what you want; how to turn the resources you have into the power you need to achieve a specific, measurable goal.

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  • Getting Commitment

    Since our power comes from our relationships with others and our shared resources together, we are weakened if we are not constantly inviting others to join us in meaningful, purposeful work. Getting into action requires that leaders engage others to make explicit commitments to us and to achieve specific, measurable outcomes. We are often afraid to ask to much of others and if we do, we are afraid that they won't show up. This lesson introduces the 4 C's of commitment as a way to engage others

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  • Coaching 101

    Leadership in organizing is about enabling others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty. Coaching, put simply, is the act of enabling others.Organizing campaigns are rich with challenges and learning opportunities, but sometimes we are fish in our own water and we cannot see the challenges we are swimming in. Coaching in organizing helps to alleviate this problem. Coaching helps individuals to overcome motivational, strategic, and informational challenges that might otherwise hinder

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  • The Art of Being an Upfront Trainer

    The Art of Being an Upfront Trainer

    Leading upfront trainings comes with the responsibility of delivering high quality, clear and thought-out trainings that set participants up for success in the field. This section provides some of the principles, methods, and tips for making your teachings the best that they can be.

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  • The Art of Facilitating

    The Art of Facilitating

    To pull off an effective training you must have a diverse training team with clear roles. Small group work is a cornerstone of engagement trainings and this section will focus on the basics of being a Facilitator – a skill that is important for every member of your team to become comfortable with.

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  • Using Needs Assessments

    Using Needs Assessments

    We all know that learning occurs at the edge of our comfort zones. When we got to 7th grade, they pushed us a little bit harder than in 6th grade, a good 201 class builds on the information we learned in the 101 class, ect. As trainers, our challenge is figuring out where that edge is for our participants, and then how to take them one step further. Consider this: you’re getting ready to train a group on Online Campaign Strategy and you’ve just downloaded a set of trainers notes from the NOI

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