From March to May Plan to Win is running the Organising to Win course. A maximum of 5 additional participants are invited to join the OTW cohort for the May workshop – sign up by 27 April.
Organising is being increasingly embraced by many groups working for social and ecological justice. There is a growing recognition that in order to create lasting change there is a need to build deep, broad and sustained people power. That’s not an easy project! Skilled organisers are needed to connect people, build commitment, and catalyse effective action.
There are different approaches to organising and it can be challenging for new organisers to know where to start. Those who have been intuitively organising for years can miss valuable frameworks and theoretical foundations. The Organising to Win course brings together organisers at different points in their journey to reflect, learn and prepare for future action together.
This workshop is a great fit for you if:
- You are in a paid role as a community, issue or workplace organiser
- You are a voluntary organiser working to build power in the community
- You are a volunteer or grassroots activist who is growing in leadership, for example convening an action group
- You have completed some training in community organising but want to go deeper and practically apply what you learn to your work
Workshop Program
Saturday 26 May 2018
- The world as it is vs the world as it should be
- Base building
- Developing leaders
- Deepening conversation skills
- Tactics to build and demonstrate power
Sunday 27 May 2018
- Identifying issues to organise around
- Models for scaling up
- Developing organising plans for growth, leadership development and campaign outcomes
- Workshopping key challenges
- Ongoing development as an organiser
We encourage you to make additional time available after the workshop for reading, practice and reflection, in order to get the most out of the experience.
About the presenters
This workshop is presented by Holly Hammond and India Prior.
Holly is the director of Plan to Win and co-convenor of Plan to Thrive. Over the past twelve years she has provided training and facilitation services for many of Australia’s campaigning organisations. She draws on her background as a issues campaigner and union organiser in her training and mentoring of organisers.
India Prior is an experienced organiser who has built and supervised volunteer teams, and led other organisers in their work with action groups. She has led multiple trainings to prepare volunteers for campaign activities.
Find out more about Holly and India.
Testimonials about our organising training
- “After 12 years as a union organiser for 3 different unions in Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.A I studied the Graduate Certificate in Community Advocacy in 2014, including the Community Organising in the 21st Century unit developed and led by Holly Hammond. The course turned out to be the best professional development training I have been lucky enough to do in my field as an activist and organiser. Holly and the team have structured the course to cover the best organising and campaigning techniques and frameworks from local and international leaders and case studies. I have been able to directly apply many of the frameworks and ideas to my work, use better planning frameworks, and undertake more effective mentoring of union delegates. Generally I have gained a new motivation and resilience for the work that I do!”
Eleisha Mullane – Recruitment, Training and Campaigns Manager at the Australian Education Union Victoria branch.
- “I’ve been involved in activism for over five years and have worked for several organisations involved in creating social and environmental change. Over this time, Holly Hammond has supported and empowered me to develop my activism through campaigning and community organising training and mentorship. Without Holly’s excellent training and mentorship, I would not be the activist I am today. She has equipped me with the understanding, the patience, and the toolset I need to be an effective organiser. I’ve learned more from Holly than I could in years on my own. Holly Hammond is easily one of the best activist trainers in the country.”
Maxwell Smith – Community Organiser for the Australian Conservation Foundation
- “India ran a number of Campaign Schools for us in 2016, setting up our members with the campaigning and organising skills they needed for the election year. Our participants loved the intensive format and the ‘crowd sharing’ approach to sharing skills and knowledge between participants. It had a huge impact in kick-starting our campaign year.”
Naomi Blackburn – Head of Campaigns for the Victorian Greens
- “India’s training was a great opportunity to refine my skills and it energised me while deepening my commitment to organising work. I loved the sense of camaraderie and training with people who feel so passionately about making change.”
Participant at the Victorian Greens Campaign School 2016
- “I have had the good fortune of volunteering on two political campaigns India Prior led. As an experienced community organiser and campaigner who has run sophisticated and winning campaigns India is able to impart excellent know-how on how to devise campaign strategies to build community leadership, capacity and power.”
Apsara Sabaratnam – Neighbourhood Organiser
Location
Organising to Win: Scaling Up and Stepping Up will be held at the Save the Children meeting rooms, 33 Lincoln Square South, Carlton in Victoria. Plan to Win appreciates the support of Save the Children in making this training accessible.
We welcome interstate and regional participants. If you are unable to travel to Melbourne for training Plan to Win is available to provide mentoring sessions via telephone or online, as well as resources and study materials to support you in your development.
Fees and Inclusions
Fees are on a sliding scale of $250-$750 per person ie $250 for low income individuals and participants from unfunded organisations; $500 for average waged individuals and participants from medium sized organisations; $750 for well waged individuals and participants from larger organisations with a solid financial base. Please self-assess where you fit on this scale, considering your means, privilege and dependents, and factoring in what you would normally expect to pay for a comprehensive weekend workshop.
If money is a barrier to you participating please let us know in the application survey and we will contact you to discuss. Sponsorship is also appreciated to make reduced fees possible.
Pay the Rent: Free places in this workshop are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Lunch and morning and afternoon tea are included and we will cater for the range of special food needs. Please state your dietary requirements in the registration form.
A collection of training resources and further reading will be provided.
Register
Please complete this survey to register by Friday 27 April. Remember, there are only 5 additional places available in this training so register early so you don’t miss out! No payment at this stage, we’ll issue an invoice when we confirm your registration.
Given the Organising to Win course has already covered a number of key concepts (see the program outline) this workshop is not the right fit for people completely new to organising. A phone meeting with one of the trainers is required so we can assess your fit for the workshop and address gaps. Resources from the Organising to Win course can be shared with you for preparation for the workshop.
If you have queries about this workshop contact India Prior: india (AT) plantowin.net.au