We're building a community of trained organizers and the organizations where they ply their craft.
Join SpadeWork’s school aimed at dismantling systemic racism.
ABOUT US
SPADEWORK IS AN ORGANIZING SCHOOL TO TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ORGANIZERS.
SpadeWork aims to prepare individuals in the art and science of community organizing by providing essential skills training, case study analysis and mentorship, as well as “on the job” field experience in real-life campaigns that impact everyday people.
WE’RE GROUNDED IN THESE COMMUNITY ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES:
Organizing should build leader-ful organizations where folks can belong and change life for the better.
Organizing should build a community base of folks directly-impacted by systemic racism and inequity.
Organizing should build leadership from that base.
Organizing should aim to solve immediate problems faced by that base while also shifting the relationship of power of the base with those who control the levers of power.
Organizing is therefore a commitment to dismantle the systems of oppression that define those power relationships, particularly systemic racism and sexism.
Organizing creatively employs nonviolent direct action to leverage the power of the oppressed to transform those systems.
IN 2021, SPADEWORK PARTNERED WITH THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS:
CALIFORNIA
My Eden Voice!, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, Safe Return Project, Oakland Kids First, Oakland Rising, Emerald New Deal, and CA Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance.
COLORADO
GES Coalition, and Dayton Street Day Labor Center.
GEORGIA
GA Familias Unidas, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, and Women on the Rise.
OTHER
Michigan Liberation (Michigan) and Juntos (Pennsylvania).
2021 PROGRAM PARTICIPANT
“If you’ve been wondering ‘How do I begin organizing? What is organizing? and How do I fit into the bigger organizing ecosystem?’ then I suggest you check out SpadeWork.”
-Berto Hernandez, California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance’s Deportation Defense Coordinator
UPCOMING IN 2022
SUMMER INTENSIVE AND FALL FELLOWSHIPS
SpadeWork offers current and aspiring organizers a structured, two-step training program that provides the SKILLS and PRACTICE needed to successfully push dynamic grassroots campaigns.
Together, the Summer Intensive and the Fall Fellowships are designed to establish the baseline competencies needed to develop skilled proficiency, and ultimately, mastery as an Organizer.
JUNE 11 – JULY 30, 2022
SUMMER INTENSIVE
Location: Northern California. Heavy one-on-one field work.
Participants develop basic organizing competencies in:
deep listening and artful agitation
assessing leadership potential and leadership development
securing commitments and the discipline of follow-through
introduction to Campaign planning
Program provides participants:
Housing
$750/ week stipend
7 days of in-person Organizer Training Sessions including study of history-bending campaigns relevant to current-day challenges
Timeline & Key Dates:
Online Application Opens — March 15
Online Application Closes — April 15
Notification of Acceptance — Thru May 15
Orientation Session - June 11-14
Debriefing/Evaluation Session - July 27-30
Requirements:
Ability and commitment to work full-time. Notification of Acceptance after completion of application and interview process. For more information or to request an application, email inquiry@in-advance.org.
August 29 – NOVEMBER 18, 2022
FALL FELLOWSHIPS
Location: Placements with a local organization located in California, Georgia, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and others. Placement in a "live" grassroots, racial justice organizing campaign with a local organization.
Fellows will continue to build on baseline competencies by:
developing campaign strategy and running campaigns
recruiting and managing volunteers
crafting leadership development plans of grassroots leaders
Program provides participants:
Housing
$1,000/ week stipend
10 days of in-person Advanced Organizer Training, matched with a Mentor/Seasoned Organizer, and potential employment as an organizer upon completion of program
Requirements: Must have completed the Summer Intensive OR be sponsored by placement organization.
GET IN TOUCH
If there is fire in your belly and organizing in your blood, then SpadeWork is your pathway to become an effective organizer.
Get in touch to find out how you can join others in a journey that will change your life!
SECURE YOUR PLACEMENT IN A LIVE CAMPAIGN.
SpadeWork will select up to SIX organizations in Central & Northern California for the Summer Institute placements, and 12-15 national placements for Fellows in the Fall 2022 program. Placement organizations during the Summer Intensive will be able to nominate up to 3 staff and/or member-leaders to participate in the summer program. Placement organizations selected for the Fall Fellowship can nominate 1-2 staff organizers to go through the program. SpadeWork will also seek to place graduates from the Summer Intensive in organizations participating in the Fall Fellowship Program. So, potentially, a placement organization for the Fall Fellowship can have 1-2 of their current staff PLUS a graduate from the Summer Intensive work on their campaign!
"Learning from past victories and mistakes, and being inspired by those efforts, is critical for the development of organizers. That's what the Freedom School is all about."
-Francis Calpotura, Co-Founder, SpadeWork
“I must leave now for one of those small church meetings which are usually more exhausting than the immediate returns...but it's part of the spade work.”
— Ella Baker
We owe our present to our ancestors who fought against those who weren’t driven by love.
SpadeWork places its lineage alongside the rich history of freedom struggles around the world. We are inspired by their examples of courage and deep love of people. As a project of InAdvance, our team has been involved in organizing campaigns and social movements for decades, so our goal is to pass our insights, learnings and multiple perspectives onto the next generation of organizers.
We are an organization powered by our allies and your generosity. Please help us continue with SpadeWork by making a donation.
