Nonstop wars, terrifying floods, worsening climate effects, and a global economic crisis—this summer indeed had an eventful course that the world will take a long time to heal from.

But, as organizers, the connections we harbor and nurture amidst us are the major source of light and hope we draw on to face the darkest days.

This summer, LCN had one of its most inspiring and heart-warming events: the first annual team retreat!

Our team fell in love with Tunisia as it embraced the retreat for an entire week. We unpacked common organizational challenges, connected with each other, and grew our potential as we worked toward a collective dream we all share. Crossing that virtual boundary and collaborating in person opened up new horizons of learning, reflection and strategizing for the future.

The connections did not stop there for LCN: our LCN Europe team took part this summer in Citizen Participation University in Hungary organized by our partner ECON, where they met and connected with fellow organizers across Europe.

This summer bustled with events, and we’ll leave you with this newsletter to dive deeper into all the updates!

Mais Irqsusi
LCN Executive Director

Upcoming learning events & opportunities

Facilitating and Training in Cross-Sector Movements: Turbo-Charging Efforts for Coordination and Collaboration

The Horizons Project is bringing together movement trainers, facilitators, and organizers to discuss the current state of movement-building support in the US and how training and convening spaces could be better coordinated and envisioned more creatively to build a broad-based pro-democracy movement to counter the rising authoritarian threat. We are glad Jake Waxman will be on the panel, bringing LCN’s organizing lens to the conversation.

Panel:

  • Maria J. Stephan, The Horizons Project (moderator)
  • Carlos Saavedra, Ayni Institute
  • Jake Waxman, Leading Change Network
  • Nadine Bloch, Beautiful Trouble
  • Ivan Marovic, International Center on Nonviolent Conflict

Respondent:

  • Reverend Stephen A. Green, Faith for Black Lives

When: Wednesday, September 14 from 2pm-3:30pm ET

How: Click here to register

LCN Meet & Connect September

For the past years, Meet & Connect has been a vibrant space for our community to gather and inspire each other. We are thrilled to share that for the very first time, we will hold Meet & Connect in an accessible time for folks based in Asia-Pacific and West Coast US!

Join us to meet, connect, and share sources of hope and stories of change with organizers and leaders around the world.

When: September 23rd 8:30-9:30 am Indian Standard Time/ 1-2 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time / Thursday, September 22nd 8-9pm Pacific Time

How: Click here to claim your place at the event

Where: Online on Zoom

Let me Keep My Childhood: Community Organizing Against Child Marriage

From September 2019 to November 2021, our member organization Ahel for Community Organizing in Jordan worked with Women Now to support a powerful community organizing campaign against child marriage. Led by Syrian refugees in Baqaa, Lebanon, La Tkabruna (Let Me Keep My Childhood) campaign succeeded in canceling 60 engagements and postponing 55 marriages of girls under the age of 18!

Check out the interesting case study detailing their incredible story, method and impact!

We will also host a closed session specifically for organizations and activists in children’s and women’s rights on September 21st, 2022 from 4-5:30 pm Lebanon time / 9-10:30am Eastern Time, together with Ahel and Women Now.

Organizing in politics: lessons from Italy, Australia, and United Kingdom

With elections happening across the world this year, what does it mean to center community organizing in politics? On October 12th we will reflect on this important question with our brilliant panel of organizers who will share their rich experiences:

  • Stephen Donnelly from Australia, founder of Dunn Street and former Assistant Secretary for the Australian Labor Party in Victoria and founder of Labor’s Community Action Network
  • Federica Vinci from Italy, co-founder and former President of Volt Italia, currently serving as Deputy Mayor of Isernia, Italy
  • Dan Firth from the United Kingdom, Director of Campaigns and Engagement at New Economics Foundation and former Director of Community Organising at the Labour Party

The session will be moderated by Benedict Hugosson from the Swedish Social Democrats.

Come and explore diverse approaches in bringing organizing practices into politics, and the challenges, successes, and lessons we can draw from them!

When: October 12th Wednesday 10:30am – 12:00pm Eastern Time / 4:30 – 6:00pm Central European Time
How: Click here to register

Skill Practice Session on Relational 1:1’s

Building relationships is at the heart of the work we do as organizers, and the key to building the power we need to create change. Come join us to develop your relationship-building skills!

We will dive into the craft of relationship building and practice relational 1:1’s with other members across the world.

We are thrilled to share that this session will be led by LCN member Sadie Dean, Senior Training Manager at Color of Change! A big shout out to Sadie for her passion and leadership in creating a space for our organizing community to learn and grow

When: October 27th Thursday @ 1-2:30pm Eastern Time / 6-7:30pm Central European Time
How: Click here to register

LCN Orientation to Organizing with We The People Michigan

Join one of the most popular sessions at LCN—our 3-hour introductory session on the organizing and public narrative practice developed by Harvard Kennedy School’s Marshall Ganz and his associates!

We are excited to partner Art Reyes III, Executive Director of We The People Michigan for this session again, to learn about how organizing practices are used in action using their state-wide campaign to protect democracy in Michigan in the wake of the 2020 Presidential elections in the US. This is our second and final session with Art on their campaign case study; be sure not to miss it!

When: November 22nd Tuesday @ 12-3 pm Eastern Time / 23rd Wednesday 8-11 am Australian Eastern Standard Time
How: Click here to register

Exciting news from our community

LCN Europe at the Citizens Participatory University (CPU)

The LCN Europe team had an amazing time at the Citizens Participatory University (CPU) organized by ECON in Kunbábony, Hungary. In its 13th year, the 2022 edition of CPU brought together participants from 13 countries across Europe and focused on three learning tracks: 1) Organizing for Climate Justice, 2) Organizing in Times of Crisis, and 3) Public Narratives on Climate.

LCN Europe was represented by Masha Burina and Jens Kristian Vittrup Rasmussen, who hosted a Public Narrative workshop for the CPU participants. Leaders told stories of reconnecting to ourselves through nature, the importance of sharing our ups-and-downs to break through isolation, and finding hope in our communities.

The energy and momentum that the team experienced coming out of CPU this year is a testament to the commitment of the organizers towards the movement for climate justice, its urgency, and the desire for collective action. We are excited to continue building together with ECON in the coming months and years.

Haiyya’s Youth for Climate Resilience Network National Meet-Up

Haiyya’s Youth for Climate Resilience Network convened in New Delhi last month for a 3-day national meet-up to discuss various climate change issues, work on collaborative climate campaigns, and grow through peer learning.

25 young climate leaders, organizers, coaches & mentors from across India working on myriad climate issues like climate adaptability, flood mitigation, waste segregation, climate education and more came together under one roof to ideate and work towards a common goal. They shared a powerful space of collaborative learning and imagining a better future with climate leaders from across India.

Here’s what LCN has been up to

LCN Meet & Reflect

LCN had its second Meet & Reflect on July 26th, a space dedicated to reflecting and learning on our work as organizers.

18 organizers and leaders from diverse backgrounds, from Ecuador to the US to Japan, joined us to reflect on their experiences from the past 3 months, and share lessons in their personal leadership and work to build leadership and create change.

Orientation to Organizing

Over 140 organizers and activists across the world came together on August 18th for our Orientation to Organizing to learn how we can build people power in our communities for democracy! We partnered with Art Reyes III, Executive Director of our member organization We The People Michigan, to learn from their state-wide campaign to protect democracy in Michigan in the wake of the 2020 Presidential elections in the US as a case study. Art shared powerful moments and examples from their campaign as we explored how organizing and narrative practices are used in action. Eager to learn more? Don’t worry – we have a second and final session coming up with Art on November 22nd that you can sign up here!

LCN Training of Trainers

LCN recognizes the paramount importance of training qualified, skilled trainers to continue adding value—that’s why we launched our pilot Training of Trainers program for BIPOC trainers around the globe!

Led by Sarah ElRaheb and Mais Irqsusi, the 6-month program took place between February 23rd, 2022 and June 9th, 2022; with the coordination support of Celine Lebrun Shaath.

The program went ahead to graduate 11 trainers from 9 different countries, followed by a post-program showcasing from which the team emerged with a firm resolution to design future ToTs in response to the urgent need voiced by our participants for such spaces where trainers feel equipped to facilitate upfront sessions and understand the framework in a deeper manner.

Launch of the LCN Public Narrative Coach Training Program

Meet the brilliant cohort of 30 soon-to-be Public Narrative coaches!

This diverse group has been sharing a memorable journey, developing the heart and skill of the craft of Public Narrative coaching, and deepening their own stories along the way. We’re thrilled to cascade Public Narrative throughout values-based organizations to superpower their change-making through the development of these powerful coaches.

This new LCN leadership development program was led by Rosi Greenberg (Lead Trainer) and Noa Yammer (Program Coordinator), along with an amazing team of passionate meta-coaches who have guided participants on their coaching journey: Tanvi Girotra, Sadie Dean, Jake Waxman, Andy Ornelas, and Noor Masood. The team was supported by Sakher Mahmoud (Tech Coordinator) and Mariana Garza (LCN Comms Coordinator).

We are excited about all the emerging opportunities for this global cohort to use their craft to create an impact in their organizations and communities! Stay tuned for how you can join next years’ cohort, or email us to be placed on an early notification list!

LCN team’s first in-person retreat in Tunisia

The LCN team had an incredible time during its first in-person team retreat in Tunisia!
The experience was magical—the first in-person gathering after 2 years of working together, with tons of learning, reflecting and dreaming under the welcoming Tunisian sky.

As Marshall Ganz joined us in person, we unpacked common organizational challenges, connected with each other, and grew our potential as we worked toward a collective dream we all share.

We had the privilege of meeting 15 inspiring Tunisian leaders, alumni of Marshall’s classes at HKS and the Arabic organizing course led by our organizational member Ahel.
Organizing diverse projects, the Tunisian leaders engaged with us in exchanging stories of hope and exploring how to create sustainable moments to build people’s power.

Energy still courses through our veins from the rich ideas and conversations—we cannot wait to embark once again on our journey to build the LCN community together!

LCN Resource Center featured resources

Check out some of our new resources and visit the LCN Resource Center for more!

Organizing Twenty-First-Century Activism: From Structure to Strategy in Latin American Social Movements
By Jessica Alexis Jolicoeur Rich
We would like to introduce this article by Jessica Alexis Jolicoeur Rich in which she proposes a third structure for social movement organizing, the federative coalition, which incorporates some of the advantages of hierarchy while avoiding some of its pitfalls.

From LCN Organizational Members [Available for LCN members only]
“At times, we miss assessing ourselves that might lead to further challenges”
Haiyya Campaigner’s Guide, To build/strength of your community & Campaign
By Haiyya
An amalgamation of simple tools to assess your community’s leadership growth and campaign journey.

Do you have any resources related to organizing and would like to share?

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Wherever in the world you’re leading change, stay safe, and keep on organizing!

In solidarity,
The LCN Team