We created a new pipeline leadership development program for the members and staff of our partner and ally organizations with the goal of elevating them into the future leaders of electoral campaigns. Using the Schools & Communities First campaign to pilot this new approach, the program provides both political education and hands on campaign experience for these core leaders. At the end of the campaign we will use the data and feedback to refine this pipeline leadership development program.

In the past couple of months, we held two bilingual core leader trainings. The first on a Saturday in late August saw 60 leaders and organizers learn about the need for tax equity and the detailed benefits of Schools & Communities First. Our partners and allies know that by joining together to pass this initiative in 2020, we can reclaim the resources that corporations have been exploiting at the expense of our Black and Brown communities. By making corporations contribute to our communities just like the rest of us, we can lift California’s public school system back up to among the best-performing in the nation and make sure that other vital community services like affordable housing and public health clinics have the public funding they need to thrive.

The second training on a Saturday in mid-October focused on 1) political education around the process of qualifying and passing ballot measures, and 2) the ins and outs of petition signature gathering. Because learning is easier when you can make it fun, we used games like Choose Your Own Adventure and Jeopardy! to engage our 18 participants. Core leaders made individual commitments to how many signatures they will gather in support of SCF, and will put their learnings to work back to their home organizations where they will train their members and volunteers. They will also train all of the Oakland Rising and partner volunteers at upcoming events to which they pledged to each bring volunteers.

Much love to Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), Causa Justa :: Just Cause, Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), Parent Voices Oakland, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy, Bay Rising, Bay Area Parent Leadership Action Network (PLAN), Filipino Advocates for Justice, Californians For Justice, Resource Generation & Bay Area Childcare Collective for spending your Saturdays getting trained with us. We’re ready to collect those petition signatures this Fall!

GET INVOLVED:

The Schools & Communities First petitions are here! With help from our partners, allies, and you, we’ll hit our goal of 5,000 signatures by the end of the year. Let us know you are interested in helping and we’ll get you trained up.