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Erika Thorne, 12/23/06 TFC in Transition: Background Training for Change turned 15 in 2006, and founding director George Lakey retired. In celebration, we hosted a Homecoming weekend in August. Trainers, activists and social changers of all stripes gathered to celebrate George for a job -- and life's work -- well-done. Then we stayed to dream about whether and how Training for Change might evolve after 2007. The board decided to continue basic administrative functions through 2007, to give TfC, those involved and those who want to be involved, time to explore. Direct Education and Training for Change have resourced vital social change work in the US, Canada, and parts of Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Do we simply lay it down and trust the wind to take the work where it needs to go? Do we find a way to support, challenge and grow? 2007 is the year to remain connected, to ask these questions, to collect visions and concrete plans, and develop into the future.
What's planned for 2007? Two TfC workshops are on for January 2-11 in Philly: Advanced Training of Trainers with Judith Jones and George Lakey, and How to do Transformational Training with George. We will continue to support our website -- which has been accessed over one million times. Our tools section is the highest-demand part of the website and we plan on continuing to expand it. There are also training success stories, training reports, and articles. Any TfC workshop graduate can create an account and log in for access to handouts, more specialized tools and features. We will be responding to specific requests. For example, TFC has been asked to offer training of trainers in Germany with the Rosa Luxemborg Foundation and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers. During 2007, TfC will answer phone and e-mail, field training requests to appropriate trainers, maintain our database, and fill publication orders. The communication hub is moving to Minneapolis/St. Paul, where Training Associate Erika Thorne will facilitate networking among TfC future-makers, and coordinate these administrative tasks. We are well-positioned for those interested in shaping the future of Training for Change and/or Direct Ed to stay creative and stay in touch!
How Can You Plug In? With your dreams, hopes, concrete plans and energy. Write TfC at the current address: peacelearn@igc.org, or write the entire "change" listserve (see below), with your ideas and interest. Phone calls work, too: 612/827-7323. You can jump off from the key questions below for sharing your ideas, or jump from whatever place you are at. Become part of the "change" listserve that grew out of the Homecoming. Go to http://lists.topica.com/lists/change-train/prefs/info.html to join. If you have trouble logging on, contact TfC. Please respond generously to the February mailed appeal! We've got easy & fun grassroots means for you to fundraise in your locale. We'd love help thinking of potential donors with a passion for revolution, and with getting mailings out. Our goal is $17,000 for 2007 to cover the cost of this basic administration work... a bargain!! The January workshops will be a great chance for relationship-building, informally sounding ideas out, and networking. Erika will bring all input sent before January 1 by phone or e-mail.
Key Questions 2007 is a golden opportunity for honest dialogue on philosophical, strategic and tactical questions. Here are some sparkers: - during 2007 can we foster greater participation and leadership from the margins--racial, economic, gender & age? Is there interest and momentum for that? Where will it take us?
- what does Direct Ed look like in a greater diversity of communities and settings?
- how do we build on previous TfC work to bring Direct Education to more coalition situations: housing, homelessness, immigration, police and military brutality, domestic violence, gun violence and transgender rights?
- is spiritual and psychic work key to effective social change at this global moment?
- would a future TfC be yet another nonprofit? is there a spark we have that could give rise to another innovative structure or program--one that is itself revolutionary?
Thank You A whole lot of people have stepped up since the August Homecoming. There was potential for momentum to be lost, but instead we are solidly positioned to carry through on 2007 goals. The future is ours! |
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