Organizers, educators, and social change leaders can use this summer to read great books, join a new community, and build skills to better connect with their organizations' supporters in social media spaces.
You can start by joining an online community of social change leaders on the Social Change Ning site. You'll find professional development opportunities, networking groups, and discussions you won’t want to miss!
Then, take part in the Social Change Leadership Network’s Summer Series for Social Change by attending the events below.
July 22, 2010, 6:00 - 8:00pm, NYU Wagner at the Puck Building, 2nd Floor
295 Lafayette Street, Mulberry Conference Room
Oppressive dynamics play out in all areas of human life -- from social institutions, to interpersonal relationships, to how we view ourselves. They are often invisible, subtle and unconscious. Join us as we learn to unearth these dynamics and grow in a deeper understanding of how to uproot oppression and experience a liberated way of being in the world in true solidarity with all people. Since Paulo Freire's thought and methods are ultimately about action and building the world in which we want to live, we will discuss the text in practical terms of how to integrate a liberated perspective in our own work and lives. After our first meeting we can decide to meet again to continue the discussion and to plan any future readings.
Co-hosted by NYU Wagner's International Program Student Association (IPSA)
August 3, 2010, 1:00 – 3:00pm, NYU Wagner, The Puck Building, 2nd Floor
295 Lafayette Street, Mulberry Conference Room
In fostering international development, communities addressing injustices in the US must align and unite with communities around the world facing oppression and persecution. This book captures the dialogue of two pioneers of popular education connecting across geography and “development” to explore their similar pedagogies for radical change as a response to inequality and oppression. Important themes include the role of leadership, participatory education as a tool for people to propel themselves out of poverty, freedom for all individuals and pedagogical methods that help to create social change. Myles Horton focused his work in Appalachia, one of the poorest regions in the US. Paulo Freire established the Popular Culture Movement in Recife, one of Brazil’s poorest regions. Join us as we discuss this classic dialogue and situate it in current global events.
Hosted by Social Change Leadership Network
July 27, 2010, 8:30 am - 11:30am
July 28, 2010, 8:30 am - 12:30pm
July 29, 2010, 8:30 am - 11:30am
NYU Tisch Hall 40 W. 4th Street, Room LC19
Breakfast will be served.
Today’s rapidly evolving social media hold enormous promise for social change and nonprofit organizations to share resources; respond instantly to breaking news and policy developments; and connect and motivate constituents, stakeholders and potential donors. This series of learning sessions will provide insight into new trends, hands-on experience using the latest tools and guidance on how to apply the latest social networking applications to advance your organization’s broader strategies.
Why Attend These Workshops?
These sessions will provide the opportunity for you to:
Session Breakdown
Session 1, July 27: Understanding the New Social Media Environment
The first session introduces the dramatically transformed landscape in which nonprofits operate and addresses the revolution in modes of communication. It will look at how these changes have made it possible for more people to engage in new forms of activism, journalistic endeavors and efforts to shape policy and political processes, and offer new modes of cooperation between individuals and organizations. Participants will learn what new social media tools are available and how organizations can use them to advance their missions.
Session 2, July 28: Which Social Media Tools and for What Purpose?
The second session will be dedicated to describing the newest social media tools and training participants in how to use them. The workshop will explain how to use tools including internet chat (Skype), wikis (Google sites, www.pbworks.com), RSS readers (Netvibes, Google Reader), blogs and Web sites, and microblogs (Twitter) and will give participants hands-on experience with them. The particular challenges and possibilities of each tool will be discussed, and participants will learn how to adapt them to facilitate communication and coordination within organizations, between organizations, and in outreach to constituencies.
Session 3, July 29: Making Social Media Work for Your Organization
The third session will focus on marrying the far-reaching possibilities explored in the first session with the tools demonstrated in the second. It will offer general guidelines on how to design and execute social media strategies within your organization that cater to various audiences. To illustrate the challenges that need to be overcome during the implementation of a new media strategy, the workshop will draw on established case studies and develop a project in the session based on one or more examples suggested by attendees. Participants will work together and learn how these tools can facilitate collaborations in the workplace and with external partners.
Who Should Attend?
The sessions are designed for individuals and groups with varying levels of expertise – whether you are well-practiced in social media tools and want to upgrade your skills or your organization is simply curious about social media tools and their usefulness for nonprofit work. The sessions are designed for participants with a range of technical backgrounds and organizational roles. No technical skills or social media experience are required!
To gain the most from this experience we request that organizations send a participant to all three sessions. Although space is limited to one person per organization, if both a director and a staff member who manages technology want to attend, please feel free to RSVP both individuals.
If your organization is interested in having a representative attend, please be aware that you must complete a survey as a requirement for participation that will be provided to you upon RSVP’ing. The survey information will be used by the event facilitators to customize sessions for attendees. Note: an RSVP does not guarantee you a space; you will receive a confirmation.
Workshop Facilitators:
Ted Perlmutter, director of Knowledge Management at the Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University and co-author of Networking the Networks: How Pro-Immigrant Advocacy Groups Use the Internet
Tom Glaisyer, Communications PhD candidate at Columbia University and project manager specializing in the use of social media in domestic and international politics
Adam Stofsky, executive director of the New Media Project
Please RSVP here by July 19, 2010. Space is limited!
For questions or more information, please contact Becky Rafter.
Participation in the social media learning sessions is free of charge, with special thanks to the Ford Foundation and the Leadership for a Changing World Research & Documentation Component of RCLA at NYU's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
The Research Center for Leadership in Action has established the Social Change Leadership Network to facilitate connections among social change leaders by issue and by region, as well as to advance leaders’ knowledge, to support organizational capacity-building and foster leadership development.
