P3 Organizer Seminar | September 2023 - June 2024

Application Update 

Applications are currently closed for the P3 Organizer Seminar. We hope to offer the seminar again in future years, so please stay tuned to our email list and this page for updates. 

Description

This is a challenging moment for those fighting for a world where all people have dignity and agency across lines of race, class, and gender. We face a range of escalating attacks on our democracy and, for many communities, our very existence.

Simultaneously, we are wrestling with questions that have no easy answers. What does it take to organize in multi-racial communities? Is it possible to build long-term power while ensuring the safety of our communities today? How do we create organizations that are strategic and impactful, while living out our values? Exploring these questions will take time, new learning, debate, and creativity. 

At P3, we hear regularly from organizers that they are hungry to dive more deeply into research from P3 and others, and to have space to imagine how this research could help them build power. Last year, we piloted a seminar for a small group of organizers to do just that and learned a great deal about how our lab can be most supportive to organizers. 

With those lessons in hand, we're excited to convene our second seminar for senior organizers beginning fall 2023. This is a space for 6-10 organizers with a decade or more of experience in community organizing and movement leadership to take a step back from their daily work and wrestle with larger questions about organizing and power with a small group of peers from across the country. 

Through a mix of in-person convenings and online conversations, we’ll deepen our collective understanding of the kind of power we are trying to build and our best strategies to build it, look at how the right has built power leading up to this moment, and dive into research on the structures and strategies that support power building in our organizations and coalitions. In each conversation, we’ll read and discuss pieces on what is currently known on these topics before discussing how to apply this research in your own context and identifying what is missing from these frameworks. At our closing convening, we’ll work to consolidate our learnings into a vision for future organizing and research and to support each other in the hard work of applying what you’ve learned in your communities. 

Format

The seminar will run from September 2023 to June 2024. We will convene in-person in at the beginning and end of our time together, while gathering online for monthly conversations in between. At the conclusion of the seminar, participants will collaborate to share their learnings publicly in the format of their choosing. Organizers will also have the opportunity to collaborate with P3 students to develop research with their own organizations or communities. Travel and lodging for the in-person convenings are included in the seminar.

The seminar will be facilitated by Lab Director, Jane Booth-Tobin, and the P3 Organizer-in-Residence, Arianna Genis. Jane comes to the lab with over a decade of experience in organizing and campaigns, with a background in facilitation, strategic planning, and digital organizing at organizations such as re:power and TakeAction Minnesota. Arianna brings with her extensive experience in building the political power of marginalized communities via grassroots organizing, political campaigns, and organizational development at organizations like Mijente and TakeAction Minnesota, as well as time spent in digital organizing and communications, narrative strategies, and facilitation. 

Organizers are asked to commit to full participation for the duration of the group to maximize our ability to build trust and facilitate learning. 

Applications 

In addition to uploading your resume, please be prepared to share answers to the following questions: 

  • This seminar is about wrestling with major challenges to the field. What are the questions keeping you up at night about organizing and power building right now?
  • Whether you are at a moment of stepping back to reflect, preparing for a major initiative, or imagining a new approach, tell us more about why this is an exciting moment for you to participate in the seminar. 
  • What are ways that you want to grow as an organizer and a leader through your participation?
  • We have found that the most difficult aspect of the seminar for participants can be setting aside the time. Yet, full participation is essential to the experience. How will you ensure time for this?

We will interview finalists during June and complete our process by June 30, 2023. Please reach out to Jane at [email protected] with questions. 

Ideal Candidates

  • Experienced organizers at state based and national organizations committed to building multi-racial governing power grounded in people;
  • Committed to deep learning in a blended community of peers and scholars; 
  • Able to commit to full participation in the seminar.

P3 is committed to investing in a diverse cohort of organizers with experience in a range of organizing traditions. We encourage those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), women, LGBTQ+, nonbinary, or those who come from working class and immigrant communities to apply. The cohort will include 6-10 people. 

Seminar Details

  • Gatherings:
    • Two 2-day convenings in-person:
      • September 26-27, 2023
        (Baltimore, MD)
      • June 2024, Dates TBD
        (California)
    • Monthly 90-minute virtual gatherings
  • Activities:
    • Relevant pre-readings before each gathering;
    • Possible research in collaboration with a P3 student;
    • A final public report, article, video, or other output that synthesizes learnings and contributes to strategic decisions in social movements. Format to be determined by seminar participants.
  • Cost:
    • Seminar participation is free
    • Lodging and travel to convenings will be reimbursed by P3