ActionAid Association is proud to announce the launch of “Building People’s Power: Online course on social change organizing, leadership, and communication”, commencing on July 12th, 2024. The inaugural session will be in the areaof “Building Community-based Leadership,” focusing on “Leadership in Building People’s Power.”
The course spans six weeks, with a unit on each Friday from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The “Building People’s Power” course has been meticulously designed to build the perspective of social change within emerging grassroots-based leaders and human rights defenders. It aims to contribute to the knowledge and nurture the values and attitudes of emergent leaders from vulnerable communities across India. The thematic pillars of the course are Leadership, Communication, and Organising.
Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director of ActionAid Association says: “Our work with vulnerable communities over decades has taught us that sustainable and transformative social change and advances towards a more socially and ecologically just world, requires collective actions rooted in vulnerable communities, classes and groups. “Building People’s Power” has been designed as a course to empower grassroots leaders with the necessary perspectives and tools to drive social change. We have chosen as faculty seasoned community leaders who will share their knowledge and insights by reflecting on the successes and challenges faced by social change leaders and their formations. We are confident that participants will gain invaluable insights into effective leadership and community mobilisation.”
The course is structured to provide a deep understanding of theory by reflecting on practical experiences from social change leaders and theirformations, both in terms of successes achieved and challenges faced. The units will feature interactions with social change leaders and domain experts, aligned with the specific learning agenda of each unit. Participants will have the opportunity to discover authentic narratives on mobilising communities, inspiring action, and propelling leadership to achieve significant social advances.
The course is divided into three sections, each comprising two units. Section I will deal with leadership strategies, values, and tools. Section II will cover the strategies and tools for organising communities. Section III will focus on communication, creating new narratives for engaging with various levels of stakeholders, and amplifying voices to make issues visible to a wider audience.
The course will feature human rights activists such as Bezwada Wilson, Magsaysay award winner, and National Convenor of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA), Shankar Singh, a prominent leader of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), Amarjeet Kaur, General Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, Laxmi Murthy, journalist and feminist activist and Pradip Chatterjee, President, National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (NPSSFW).
Participants in this course will gain a nuanced understanding of leadership strategies for building people’s power and challenging existing narratives. It will encourage critical thinking about the responsibilities and actions of young leaders in addressing inequalities and injustice. The curriculum aims to develop a perspective of building people’s power in the current critical context by applying strategies and tools. Additionally, the course seeks to create a cohort of alumni who can act as a support group for each other.
The six-week course, designed for young activists, will be held every Friday from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. It is bilingual (Hindi and English) and is tailored for grassroots-based activists, civil society practitioners, and students.
