We are working to rebuild the capacity of communities and grassroots leaders to organize for positive change by providing training through popular education, as well as technical assistance to individuals, organizations and communities working to address issues of social injustice.
Learning to be a community organizer is learning to be in control of your life. Community organizing training is about unveiling the mainstream power dynamics that exist to keep marginalized people “in their place” and then realizing that we have the power to bring those dynamics into balance.
People learn through G.O.T. Power, MSPJC’s training program, that we can’t and shouldn’t sit back and wait for those in authority to make changes for us—but that we are the ones who know best what our communities need. The most powerful and lasting way for change to occur is by doing it ourselves.
The training started with one of the most successful slogans in the past 40 years: “We are the 99%!”
But who are the 99%? Have you ever thought that you were part of the 99%? What does it mean to be part of the 99%? Who are the 1%? Those and many other questions were answered after sharing in the 99% Spring Action Training, Dozens of trainings took place all around the country, getting together approximately 100,000 people concerned about the issues happening in our country. This included people who already are involved in some kind of social action or people who only want to know what this 99% concept is about.
Walk Against Fear Launching CelebrationJoin us to celebrate as the walk starts. You are welcome to join the walkers as they walk towards the Mississippi state line. You can go for as long or little as you like. We would love to have you with us!
Our training program, G.O.T. Power, has had a very exciting month. Jacob and Allison facilitated our first weekend-long Core Organizer Training January 20-22. Twenty-five participants from across the city participated in this weekend of learning the foundational skills of grassroots community organizing. Participants joined us from organizations such as Youth for Youth, Memphis Center for Independent Living, ADAPT, Workers Interfaith Network, Obama for America, Grow Memphis, and Landmark Training. We all learned so much together in this intensive weekend, and we look forward to offering the training in this format again soon.
Speaking of the next Core Organizer Training, we are thrilled to announce that our next training will be offered in Spanish this spring for the rapidly and powerfully growing Latino community of organizers in the Mid-South. Details to be announced soon. Contact allison@midsouthpeace.org to be placed on the wit-list for this training.
speaking on Revolutionary Pacifism: structural violence at home and abroad
MSPJC is offering our first Core Organizer Training in a weekend format January 20-22, 2012. If you've been wanting to take the training but can't commit to the 8 week sessions, this is for you! You'll receive the same 14 hours of training in the foundational skills of organizing, plus the many added benefits of taking the training and forming community in a more intensive setting. Read more information below and register here.
The Core Organizer Training teaches participants the foundational skills they need to be effective organizers and win on issues that are important to them. We are incorporating a new model of learning, one based on popular education and integrating experiential education. This allows people to learn in a hands-on, direct manner, while also drawing out the expertise that the individual already has within. The result is a training that is fully interactive and has direct application in each session. The Core Organizer Training is so new we highly recommend that even past G.O.T. Power graduates take this training, as completely new tools are used to teach the skills in a totally new way. Topics covered include: Intro to Organizing, Organizing your Community, Campaign Planning, Facilitating Meetings, Media, Transforming Conflict, and Direct Action.
The Mid South Peace and Justice Center's G.O.T. Power program is offering our first weekend-long flagship grassroots community organizer training, the Core Organizer Training, on January 20-22nd at Caritas Village.
You'll receive the same 14 hours of training in the foundational skills of organizing as in our 8 week series, but with the added benefits of taking the training over an intensive weekend. Join us and learn the skills you need to make your work in the community more effective. Topics covered include: campaign planning, working with diverse communities, media, facilitation, conflict transformation, and nonviolent direct action.
You can read more about the training and register here.
We are Occupy Memphis. We stand with the Occupy Wall Street Movement and all other nonviolent democratic uprisings around the world.
We are here to denounce the control of our government by the 1%. We the People have a right to govern ourselves; that right has been usurped by corporations, big banks, Wall Street, the Federal Reserve, and the wealthiest 1% of our population. These elites put profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality.
They say we have a budget crisis, but what we have is a priority crisis. They say we have a fiscal deficit, but what we have is a deficit of democracy. They have taken our silence for consent, but no more.
Please join us for the graduation of the participants of our first Core Organizer Training on Thursday, November 3rd from 6-8 p.m. at our office, 1000 S. Cooper. Bring a side dish or dessert to share and help us celebrate this group of new grassroots community organizers!
Our graduates have completed the 8 week Core Organizer Training, where they've learned and experienced the foundational skills of being a grassroots organizer. Graduates had the direct, hands-on experience to facilitate meetings, practice talking to the media, strategize the steps of a campaign, and design and implement a direct action.
We are under one month away from conference time, and we want to be sure that you put GKC on your calendar now so you don’t miss any of the great events we have in store this year.
Register online here to reserve your space today!
We are very excited to begin the conference weekend Thursday evening, October 20th, with a concert with political singer/songwriter David Rovics at 7pm at Otherlands Cafe. Rovics has been called "the musical version of Democracy Now!"
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