ACTIVATE CHANGE MAKERS

Power-Building Academy Curriculum

Ella Baker on microphone
Paulo Freire lounging on chair
Two men engaged in candid conversation

We take inspiration from these influential schools of thought.

POWER-BUILDING ACADEMY GOALS

  1. Develop new leaders who commit to long-term organizing to create policy and systems change.
  2. Design responsive and results-based policy solutions.
  3. Achieve [education] policy changes that work to decrease racial disparities.
  4. Increase voter turnout in targeted areas where turnout is low, but there could be huge impact.

KEY ORGANIZING SKILLS

  1. Organizing Cycle
  2. Self-Interest
  3. Public Narrative/Storytelling
  4. One-on-Ones
  5. Power-Mapping
  6. Campaign Strategy Development

KEY APPROACHES TO POWER-BUILDING ACADEMY EXPERIENCES

  • Create space for healing
  • Leverage narratives and stories to facilitate and foster learning
  • Create opportunities for reflection on content and experiences through pre-session and post-session work
  • Facilitate hands-on, interactive, and dialogical experiences vs. talk/teach to Power-Builders
  • Provide opportunities to engage with and learn from established organizers
  • Consider and facilitate with attention to different learning and processing styles
  • Create opportunities for Power-Builders to learn by seeing the systems and work in action and doing/applying their organizing skills to real campaigns

FACILITATORS

  • We believe in a co-facilitation model where two people facilitate each session together

  • We believe facilitators should meet some of the following criteria:

    • Have experience facilitating group discussions, learnings, and action

    • Have experience as a community organizer

    • Have experience with policy research and development

    • Have worked intimately with Black and Latinx communities