In today’s political climate, the key organizing principle of uniting people through their values is often forgotten as politicians and activists focus on the issues that divide us. Political “leaders” spend all their time talking about what they will do once elected, but we know true leadership is about enabling our people to do hard things together in the midst of uncertain times. So how do we flip the script?
During this session, we will discuss how transformative organizers communicate on a values-level, whether they are talking to voters, volunteers, or donors. We will brainstorm how our Stories of Self, Us, and Now can be used to build the power needed to get our candidates elected, and then we will practice adapting our own stories to specific campaign scenarios such as knocking on doors, recruiting volunteers, making a fundraising pitch, and others.
Join us on August 16th at 11am Eastern Time as we examine and practice the power of Public Narrative in political campaigns.
Speakers & presenters
Lacey has worked on campaigns since starting as an intern during the 2004 IL Senate primary, where her boss lost to a little known State Senator named Barack Obama. Since then, she has been an Organizer, Compliance Manager, Campaign Manager, Training Director, and Caucus Director for the WV House Democratic Legislative Committee. She left the Caucus in 2021 to start working with Marshall Ganz at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, where she now practices her leadership skills as a Teaching Fellow in Organizing and the Head Teaching Fellow for Public Narrative, and with the National Democratic Training Committee, where she trains organizers and candidates to run for office. When she’s not teaching or training up-and-coming superstars, you might find Lacey taking a yoga class, reading with a cat or dog on her lap, listening to K-pop, or camping with friends in the hills of her home state.
Content & learning points
In this session, you will learn how to tell narratives that enable your community to take action in the face of challenges and to identify sources of hope when there seems to be none.
- Various ways that Public Narrative can be used in political campaigns
Questions & answers
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Upcoming Events
Join us on July 30th to celebrate 10 years of transformative, people-powered organizing, community building, and leadership by our member organization, Haiyya! This milestone marks a decade of growth and impact—an inspiring journey from their roots as an organizing home for young people to a powerhouse building youth-led, feminist campaigns and leadership across India. This event isn’t just a celebration—it’s a tribute to the relationships, communities, and shared commitment that are at the heart of our global organizing community. Through stories, reflection, and joyful solidarity, we’ll honor Haiyya’s journey, explore lessons from a decade of youth-led feminist movement building, and imagine the future of people power together. Come for 90 minutes of connection, reflection, and inspiration—and to wish Haiyya a joyful, people-powered 10th birthday! Information: Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2025 Time: 8-9:30 am Eastern Time / 5:30 - 7:00 pm India time (find your timezone here) Place:
What we count—and how we count it—matters in organizing. To evaluate and adapt our campaign strategy, we need to know how to count our successes. Through metrics, we can measure success in how we’re developing leaders, functioning collectively, and achieving our goal. Metric development is also integral to building a campaign structure. But for many organizers, developing a snowflake structure out of a campaign timeline can feel like a big leap. Metrics are key to bridging that gap. Join us on Oct 29th @ 10am ET for a session with hands-on practice in developing campaign metrics and structure in organizing. In this session, we will guide you through the process of formulating a snowflake structure via a metrics journey that grounds us in who our people are and helps us identify how many leaders we need—and where we need them—to reach our campaign goal. We will also analyze campaign
Once a leadership team for a campaign articulates their shared purpose, the challenge now is to strategize just HOW they will carry out that purposeーin other words, the campaign needs to create a shared strategy. Strategizing requires us to grapple with questions around people, power, and change, such as: Who is our constituency? What is the exact problem that our people hope to solve, and a concrete goal we will achieve through organizing? What assumptions do we hold about resources and interests, and how do we formulate a theory of change that is effective in building power, realistic, and nested? What tactics could we use, and what would the timeline look like? Our skill practice sessions aim to strengthen your strategic capacity in applying these questions to your organizing work through discussions and breakout room practice using a campaign case. Join our three-part series of skill practice sessions over
In organizing, if we are to achieve our goals and create change we must eventually take action. But mobilizing our constituency can be challenging. How do I seek commitment? And how do I ensure that the commitment translates to meaningful action? In this skill practice session, we will discuss how we move a constituency from inaction to action, and how mobilizing resources can lead to more resources. We will also get on the bike and practice the “4C’s” - a way to mobilize commitment from your constituency in a way that is meaningful, and move them to join you in strategic and effective action. Join us on Thursday, November 13th 10AM Eastern Time / 6PM Jordan Time as we practice how to mobilize people and grow resources effectively in our campaigns Information: Date: Thursday, November 13th 2025 Time: 10-11:30am US Eastern Time / 4-5:30pm Central European Time
Public Narrative Coach Training Program So you took a Public Narrative workshop and found something powerful in the framework – but what’s next? How can you carry this craft into your life and bring it to your organization or community for an even bigger impact? This August, Leading Change Network (LCN) is launching its 4th annual Public Narrative training for coaches. This program develops skilled coaches who are instrumental in bringing Public Narrative to organizations, activists, and leaders. With stronger coaches, we can supercharge change by weaving this impactful craft within value-driven organizations and movements. Information: Date: Application Deadline is May 22, 2025 Place: Online on Zoom Apply Now “The program gave me an enhanced sense of calling in the work I’m doing, and offered technical skills, but also deeper faith in seeing myself as a coach and a global community
Public Narrative workshop We are excited to announce Leading Change Network’s annual Public Narrative workshop. Over a weekend in July, you can join our global network of organizers to tell your personal story, articulate your calling, and build authentic relationships with others on a foundation of shared values. It’s a unique opportunity to inspire action and advance your leadership journey. Two-day public Narrative workshop! Information: Workshop Dates: Saturday July 26 and Sunday July 27, 2025, from 9am – 3pm ET on both days. Application Deadline: July 11th 2025 Place: Online on Zoom Apply Now What you will learn Together, we will create – or re-create – the shared purpose of your community, and learn how to invite people to act on what matters most with urgency & agency. We will meet the challenge of apathy and disconnectedness with
