When I first began organizing as an undocumented student on campus at Cal State Fullerton, my biggest challenges was building up my skill-set so that I could effectively run campaigns on my own. When I attended my first training at the Social Justice Summit at Cal State Fullerton in 2006, I saw the power of joining a passion for justice with helpful tools and advocacy skills that move pro-immigrant policies.
Today, I find myself a more seasoned organizer, thanks in part to the help from training spaces like the Social Justice Summit. When I reflect on milestone fights, such as the hard-won AB 60 Driver’s License bill, the California TRUST Act, and others, I notice a connecting thread between those that made it possible. From the undocumented pre-med student activist to the community organizer, not only do we have a fierce passion for working towards a future where immigrant communities live brighter, healthier, safer lives, but we are also committed to developing supportive spaces that build a stronger and more inclusive movement.
Whether it is through up-to-date information, face time with allies, or sharing helpful strategies, it is critical that we be involved in spaces for knowledge exchange between advocates of diverse levels of experience and from different walks of life. This is why the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) has committed to creating such spaces through our biannual regional trainings.
This October, I am excited to facilitate a training session in “Unlocking Our Power: Moving Pro-Immigrant Policies”, CIPC’s 2015 Regional Trainings for new advocates who want to utilize their passion to the fullest by gaining valuable skills and know-how on the issues at the heart of our work.
Participants in CIPC’s Regional Trainings can learn more about various policy tracks and gain powerful tools to effectively engage in legislative advocacy and media work. Our all-day trainings are designed to provide basic and core trainings on advocacy, ending unjust detentions and deportations, health and public Benefits, communications, and worker’s rights. Aside from breakout sessions across various issue areas, our trainings also feature engaging guest speakers for morning and afternoon plenaries with enriching discussion topics.
One Regional Training will be in Oakland on October 15th and another will be in Los Angeles on October 19th. For more information on CIPC’s 2015 Regional Trainings and full session descriptions, click here.
I hope that by creating and maintaining training opportunities like these, we can empower new leaders to combine their passions with the skills needed to make our movement the strongest it can be.