

WiLD Academy – Online Course
January 27, 2022 - April 7, 2022
| $800Application Deadline is Monday, January 10th at 5:00 p.m. CST (spots are limited and priority will be given to groups of 3-8 people with an organizing project).
Organizing for this Moment
As we continue to make sense of our lives during the challenges posed by this pandemic, it’s natural to feel paralyzed by fear and isolation. Yet, within this time of great uncertainty—not only concerning public health, but how we prepare for a new year with so much at stake—there are opportunities to come together and inspire leadership.
Since in-person training and building community across our causes continue to be difficult, the WiLD Project is moving forward. After two successful years of shifting our signature organizing workshop online, we are proud to announce the next WiLD Academy, an online opportunity for ongoing learning, developing ourselves as organizers, and building the foundation for effective campaigns that can rise to the challenges of the moment.
What You Will Learn
This 10-week online course on Leadership, Organizing, and Action, modeled after celebrated civil rights organizer Marshall Ganz’s course at Harvard University and presented by the Wisconsin Leadership Development Project (WiLD Project), offers participants the opportunity to learn five basic leadership practices:
- How to articulate a story of why you were called to lead, a story of those whom you hope to mobilize, and a story of action: self, us, and now.
- How to build intentional relationships as the foundation of purposeful collective action.
- How to structure your team with shared purpose, ground rules, and roles for effective leadership.
- How to strategize turning your resources into the power to achieve clear goals.
- How to translate strategy into measurable, motivational, and effective action.
Logistics
Here’s what you need to know about the WiLD Academy:
- Time Commitment: This is a 10-week course, with two 120-minute meetings per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 p.m. CST) and homework assigned in between. On average each participant can expect 7-10 hours per week, including reading, reflection, and applying learnings to an organizing project completed outside of class. Additionally, each participating team will be encouraged to have a regularly scheduled meeting to review learnings and plan next steps of their organizing project.
- Online Learning: The course will be conducted on an engaging online platform and will feature live trainings, readings, small group discussions, reflection exercises, and a personalized organizing project. A brief training will be provided in advance of the course to familiarize participants with the technology.
- Training Team: Top trainers Nneka Akubeze, Jake Waxman, Anita Krishnan, Dan Grandone, and others will lead sessions and provide small group coaching (click here for trainer bios).
- Cost: While the actual cost of the workshop is over $1,300 per person, we are committed to price not being a barrier for participation and are offering it on a sliding scale based on need starting at $800-$200 per person (scholarships also available).
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