The UUP Organizing Academy is a program for UUP members who are serious about strengthening and growing our union. It offers ten workshops on organizing topics such as: one-on-one conversations, campaign planning, managing data, building teams, and more.
The following training series can be provided by UUP Organizers at your chapter in-person and online:
- 100-Level: Basics of Organizing
- 200-Level: Applied Organizing
Additional information about each training can be found below. Each training is one hour long. To learn more and schedule a training, please reach out to Amy Sheldon at asheldon@uupmail.org.
This training is for new and seasoned UUP union activists who want to:
- Build union power
- Grow UUP's membership
- Learn leadership skills
- Run effective campaigns
UUP will be offering the 100-level series during the week of January 8th, 2024. Please use the links below to sign up.
100-Level Courses (Basics of Organizing)
The 100-level Organizing Academy training series, Basics of Organizing, starts with the foundational skills that UUP members need to be effective organizers, as well as a solid understanding of the theory and practice of union organizing. Note that it is helpful, but not strictly required, to take all courses in order.
Organizing 101 -
Organizing Conversations:
The bedrock skill of organizing, there is no substitute for the one-on-one organizing conversation. This workshop will teach you the basic steps of a good organizing conversation, addressing and overcoming objections, and active listening. Sign up here.
- Scheduled Training Dates:
- Monday, January 8th @ 12 PM
Organizing 102 -
Assessments & Debriefs:
After every organizing conversation we need to stop and reflect. What just happened? What can come of it? This workshop focuses on two key aspects of a conversation campaign: assessments and debriefs. Assessment is a subtler art than it may at first appear and good organizers know that every person can be assessed in different ways. In addition to our own assessments, we need an outside perspective on our conversations. Debriefing is the practice of reporting to another organizer on your conversations to reflect on and really understand them and how to proceed. Sign up here.
- Scheduled Training Dates:
- Tuesday, January 9th @ 12 PM
Organizing 103 -
Activists, Organizers, & Leaders:
Organizing is about bringing people together. Beyond growing the organization, you also need to develop your members into leaders, activists, and member-organizers. This workshop will teach you about the different kinds of active member, how to identify good potential leaders, and how to recruit them. Essential for building your bench of potential Chapter leaders. Sign up here.
- Scheduled Training Dates:
- Wednesday, January 10th @ 12 PM
Organizing 104 -
Union Communications:
How we talk about our union matters, but communication is more than just talking. This training will go over the nuances of talking about UUP the right way, as well as the elements of good union visibility - a "passive" form of communication - including bulletin board maintenance and good use of UUP identifiers. Sign up here.
- Scheduled Training Dates:
- Thursday, January 11th @ 12 PM
Organizing 105 -
List Work:
If organizing combines data and relationships, this training introduces the “data” portion. You’ll learn both what data you need to keep track of when organizing your Chapter and efficient methods for storing it. Sign up here.
- Scheduled Training Dates:
- Friday, January 12th @ 12 PM
200-Level Courses (Applied Organizing)
The Applied Organizing series of Organizing Academy trainings takes the individual skills that member-organizers learn in the 100-level trainings and extend them to larger-scale projects: team-building and campaigns. Here is where member-organizers learn to handle organizing project coordination. Strongly recommended, but not required, that interested trainees complete the 100-level trainings. Note that it is helpful, but not strictly required, to take all courses in order.
Organizing 201 -
Planning for Power:
Effective campaigns all have a strategy: a plan to win. This workshop teaches two important planning tools for campaigns. One is the SMART planning system that enables you to build plans that can really be followed, tracked, and accomplished. The other is SWOT analysis, an essential skill for understanding your chapter’s situation and its capacities.
Organizing 202 -
Chapter Organizing Systems:
Every member-organizer knows how to have a one-on-one organizing conversation, but building a strong organization doesn't happen as an accumulation of conversations happening ad-hoc. It requires organizing the organizers into a team. Beyond this, your Chapter needs a representative in every relevant work area. Your reps are the eyes, ears, mouths, and hands of UUP in every part of your school. They let Chapter leadership know about the pressing issues in their areas and ensure that the members and potential members in their areas know what the latest from UUP is. This workshop will teach you how to assemble an organizing team and a rep system, and how to keep each running to make your chapter organizing successful.
Organizing 203 -
New Employee Outreach:
In the post-Janus public sector organizing environment, reaching and recruiting newly hired employees is the most critical task for a union’s long-term viability. This workshop will cover the elements of a good New Employee Orientation, but it is more focused on one-on-one follow up. The orientation meeting can only go so far and keeping in contact with those new employees you meet is vital for making sure all who want to join UUP have that opportunity.
Organizing 204 -
Political Organizing:
While all unions have to worry about politics, as a public-sector union, UUP is even more directly impacted by legislation and politicians. As such, organizing for political power is a critical part building UUP. This training goes over the kinds of political organizing, how to identify and recruit good potential political activists, as well as the underlying values that inform UUP’s political commitments.
Organizing 205 -
Running a Campaign:
We organize to build power, but to what end do we apply the power we build? To flex that muscle, we run issue campaigns to put the organization to work making life better for your colleagues and fellow members. This workshop will teach you about what a campaign is, its elements, the theory of solidarity as power, and how to identify good issues for a campaign.
How do I sign up?
To learn more and schedule a training, please reach out to Amy Sheldon at asheldon@uupmail.org.
