18 May. 2021

Organizing for Power – Workers Rising Everywhere

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

A skills-focused training and networking program for organizers worldwide: May 18 – June 22, 2021


Location: Online event

Time: May 18, 5 pm CET – June 22, 7 pm CET, 2021

Registration closes May 3, register now!

For further information, have a look here!


Organizing for Power (O4P) is an invaluable educational program to train organizers across the world. The program’s focus is on building supermajority participation in structure-based organizing environments, primarily trade unions. Though it is open to all serious organizers, O4P is intended specially for those seeking to win the toughest battles by building high participation unions and other structure-based organizing groups, such as tenant unions, led by actively engaged super majorities.

Started in October 2019, led by acclaimed labor organizer and educator Jane McAlevey, and hosted by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, O4P’s first pilot workshop attracted thousands of organizers from dozens of trade unions and organizing groups across thirty countries.

Over four sessions, our participants – often gathering in groups of five to fifty people – practiced essential skills including organic leadership identification, one-on-one conversations, and the role of structure tests in building strong organizing bodies. Our pedagogy relied heavily on small-group practice and role playing, allowing participants to learn through action. Guest speakers from across the world grounded our trainings using real-life examples from their organizing battles.

A follow-up workshop, quickly arranged in March 2020 to meet the fast-unfolding Covid crisis, confirmed the need for spaces where organizers can come together across borders, build networks and communities, and craft collective approaches to winning organizing struggles, both during the pandemic and beyond it. With only five days’ notice, this second workshop again attracted thousands of organizers. Since the second workshop series took place in the context of a global pandemic, making it impossible for people to come together physically, we broke participants out into small online groups led by experienced organizers from across the world for small-group conversations and role playing.

Building on these two successes, in September 2020 we held Strike School, our most ambitious O4P program to date. We made several changes, including requiring group – as opposed to individual – registration, because we firmly believe that we are only going to win if we’re in this together. Even with this higher bar to entry, Strike School brought together 3,000 organizers from 70 countries for a 6-part course held in 7 languages and including multiple trainers, guest speakers, and breakout sessions led by a team of more than 130 trained facilitators.

In 2021 and beyond, we plan to continue building on these successes, hosting various skills-based trainings that will give organizers the chance to meet and join forces with like-minded people and organizing groups from across the world. As always, these workshops will be completely free of cost. The only price of admission is your commitment to take the program seriously, which includes participation in all sessions, showing up on time, doing the homework, and using the lessons learned to organize for power.

SCHEDULE

The training starts on May 18th and runs once per week for six consecutive Tuesdays, concluding on June 22nd. (Note to our Asia-Pacific audience: due to time zone variation, your sessions might take place on Wednesday mornings.) Each class lasts 2 hours. Participants will be encouraged to complete optional organizing assignments in between classes.

WEEKLY 2-HOUR CLASSES FOR 6 WEEKS

  • Tuesday, May 18
  • Tuesday, May 25
  • Tuesday, June 1
  • Tuesday, June 8
  • Tuesday, June 15
  • Tuesday, June 22

Look here for further information!

If your union or organizing group would like to take part in future O4P trainings and become part of our global network, please contact Organizing for Power coordinator Ethan Earle (ethan.earle@rosalux.org) and lead trainer Jane McAlevey (acollectivebargain@gmail.com) in the language of your choice.