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Applications are now open for the 2021 Community Organising Fellowship for social and environmental justice campaigners.

The Community Organising Fellowship is Australia’s most intensive training program for experienced campaigners seeking to expand their organising skills and build powerful networks.

The Fellowship is an immersive six-month program that expands participants' capabilities and resources through practical individual and team-based exercises, case studies and access to guest speakers, peer learning and mentoring.

Over seven years, the Community Organising Fellowship has trained and nurtured a national network of 170 effective organisers who support many of Australia’s high-impact campaigns. COF graduates include organisers and strategists from the climate, environment and union movements, campaigns for Aboriginal self-determination and justice, refugee and asylum seeker campaigns, and many other social movements.

We welcome diversity. Participants have been aged from 19 to 78, from urban and rural communities, grassroots campaigns and big NGOs. What they've had in common is a passion to learn and to win, and at least a few years campaign experience.

Applications close September 30.

Check out tCA’s website for details and to apply. Let us know if you need extra time to prepare your application or want to discuss our sliding scale of fees and opportunities for partial and full scholarships.

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Welcome new subscribers! I hope you find the links and resources in the newsletter useful in your campaigning and activist education work. Drop me a line to suggest resources for next month's enews.

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scissors

Cutting the issue: Why campaign on part of a problem?

The Change Agency team have been teaching campaigners to 'cut the issue' for 15 years. This strategising process challenges campaigners to differentiate between problems and issues. An issue is part of the problem, and also part of the solution. Our People Power Campaign Strategy Training Guide illustrates this distinction with examples. Under-funded public health is a problem. Over-crowding and long …

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Great online resources

Enews subscribers regularly share with us the websites and online resources they’re developing, discovering and learning from in their community organising. Enjoy this month’s batch and be sure to drop us a line to suggest links for the next enews.

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Damn good advice covid-19 safe workplace

Damn good advice on creating a COVID-19-safe workplace

This handy guide sets out the steps NFP organisations need to take when we're thinking of bringing our people - staff, managers and volunteers - back to their usual workplace. Published by Our Community and the Institute of Community Directors Australia.

Read more.

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scenario planning

Making strategic decisions in the context of COVID-19

The tools of scenario planning can help social sector leaders better prepare their organizations for the different, possible futures that may unfold. Scenario planning is an approach to thinking about the future that is rooted in the recognition that even in the best of times, we can’t accurately anticipate what will come ahead; but decision-makers can begin to imagine multiple …

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movement pantry

What’s in your movement pantry?

In this blog, Deepa Iyer (senior adviser with Building Movement) draws an interesting parallel between stockpiling food during the pandemic and cultivating relationships, practices and frameworks to equip ourselves for action. Perhaps we're more prepared than we think...

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new syndicalist

Identifying leaders and leadership

Jane McAlevey has sharpened many organisers' thinking about how to identify, cultivate and harness leadership. Here's a links to an 11 minute video where McAlevey explains her thinking. This New Syndicalist blog summarises her three 'takeaways' and why they're so useful to union and community organisers.

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terms to avoid

What do I say? A guide to language about disability

Excellent guide produced by People with a Disability Australia. "Ableist language is language that is offensive to people with disability. It can also refer to language that is derogatory, abusive or negative about disability. Ableism is the systemic exclusion and oppression of people with disability, often expressed and reinforced through language..."

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work that reconnects

Open sentences

Open Sentences is a structure for spontaneous expression. It helps people listen with rare receptivity as well as speak their thoughts and feelings frankly. People sit in pairs, face to face and close enough to attend to each other fully.   They refrain from speaking until the practice begins.  One is Partner A, the other Partner B...

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