GAMALIEL TRAINING BUILDS AND SUPPORTS POWERFUL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

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National Leadership Training
: This is a seven (7) day residential training event that presents the basic concepts and tools needed to be an effective leader. It affords a person the opportunity to reflect on his/her present and future potential roles in the public arena. The method is Socratic. The style is agitational. This training is offered four times each year in the Untied States and three times each year in South Africa.

Clergy Training: We conduct a three (3) day program once annually for clergy whose congregations are members of an affiliate organization. This training is conducted by and for clergy. These men and women are faced with balancing the demands of maintaining their own institutions while at the same time addressing issues of justice and community concerns. This training includes tools, concepts and methodologies for becoming effective in both realms, while providing a supportive network of clergy experiencing similar dilemmas.

Advanced Training: A three (3) day program offered once annually to 75 top leaders. This program is designed to challenge and equip leaders to assume major responsibilities with their organizations. Advanced training participants leave equipped to return to their communities and to do power analysis, cut issues, conduct major actions, create a core team or run a major fundraising event.

Ntosake: The word comes from South Africa and means "She who walks with lions and carries her own things." This is a women’s leadership training program conducted by and for women. It is designed to present ideas and concepts for becoming effective and powerful leaders. It also provides a support network for women. The program is designed to help women overcome the internal and external obstacles faced on the journey to becoming powerful and effective leaders.

Local Training: These are training programs conducted twice a year in the local setting of each of Gamaliel’s affiliates. These trainings are usually day-long or weekend sessions. Each of the 80 sessions attracts 50 to 200 leaders. The trainings either introduce new leaders to the basic concepts of organizing or develop, for established leaders, specific skills around outreach, voter registration, power analysis and recruitment.

For the professional staff of our affiliates

Organizers Retreat: This is an annual event for all the professional organizers of the network. Senior organizers lay out the concepts and tools utilized by organizers in this field. Experts from related field also address the gathering. Most importantly the retreat affords the organizers the opportunity to learn from one another.

Staff Development Sessions: Two times each year all organizers gather to discuss certain key aspects of this work. Topics include cutting metropolitan wide issues, raising and managing funds, recruiting members, developing leaders, etc.

Training of Trainers: This is a two (2) day program offered annually to organizers. It enables the Foundation to develop a skilled and diverse team of trainers.

For clergy, other key leaders, and professional staff of the network

National Leadership Assembly: In December of each year, five hundred of the leaders and staff of the network gather to learn from each other, participate in workshops conducted by top academic, religious, political and labor experts, and map out a strategy for the coming year. At the assembly decisions are made around addressing major issues and expanding the network to new areas. The various components of the network, the National Clergy Caucus, Ntosake, Gamaliel’s board of directors, and the staff meet together to make commitments for achieving goals for the coming year. Our major allies such as politicians, bishops, authors, and key staff from foundations are also in attendance.

A Learning Organization

Ours is an environment for learning, nurturing and growth, where relationships are developed through a daily exchange of ideas and experiences. An intangible, but perhaps most invaluable commodity of the Gamaliel Foundation is the mutual support of the leaders and organizers as they engage in the work of creating healthy communities. The Founding Fathers of this country wanted there to be a "robust debate in the market place of ideas". And so it is with us.

 

 

Teaching ordinary citizens to unleash power within themselves to collectively impact social, political, environmental, and economic decisions affecting their lives.

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