Building Leaders Together

Sponsored and Conducted by Together North Jersey, Building One New Jersey and Building One America

Who: This training is for leaders from all over New Jersey who want to become more effective in making a difference – including organizers and volunteers from the faith community, labor, electoral politics, public office holders and grassroots leaders. 

What: The training teaches ordinary people to unleash their capacity to impact the social, political, environmental, and economic decisions affecting their lives. The training has been designed and will be conducted by experienced organizers affiliated with Building One America.

When:  The training will take place during four weekends in January and February 2015. 

• Friday, January 23 7pm to 9pm with an overnight stay (including welcome reception from 9pm to 10pm)
• Saturday, January 24 9am to 9pm (breakfast, lunch and dinner provided)
• Saturday, January 31 9am to 5pm (breakfast and lunch provided)
• Saturday, February 7 9am to 9pm (breakfast, lunch and dinner provided)
• Saturday, February 28 9am to 5pm (breakfast and lunch provided)

Where:  Rutgers University - Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, 33 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Cost:  Tuition plus room and board is $300 per participant or $200 for affiliates and qualified applicants. 

Topics covered include:

• The principles and techniques of community organizing to build power
• Tools to make and sustain relationships
• Discover your self-interest and understand the self-interest of others
• The public arena, a medium of exchange
• Analyze and learn to understand and impact power structures
• Build support with money and media
• Facilitate an effective meeting
• Create the building blocks of a power organization
• Launch and win strategic campaigns
• Structure personal and organizational time effectively
• Analyze local issues from a metropolitan, state and national perspective

This training will ask you to reflect upon what it means to be a leader in the public arena. You will engage with other participants to develop new skills. Our intention is to create, during our time together, a learning community that emphasizes self-reflection, introspection and mutual inquiry.

You will benefit from an environment which will give you the opportunity to take risks, to practice new behaviors in dealing with others, to re-examine your current strengths/weaknesses and to receive constructive feedback. By the end of the session, you will develop a plan of action to take these skills back to your organization as a powerful leader.

This training is sponsored by Together North Jersey with support from the Bloustein School at Rutgers University and with Building One New Jersey, a statewide grassroots organizing network. The training was designed and will be conducted by experienced trainers from Building One America, a national organizing and leadership training network.