What organising muscle do you want to develop?
Last 24 and 25 August, I had the pleasure of being part of the team of trainers that ran our Foundations of Community Organising training, bringing together people with different experiences, organisations and starting points. It reminded me of something important about leadership development: it doesn’t look the same for everyone.
For some, parts of community organising come naturally. For others, it might be difficult to connect our personal experiences to public pressures, to wrestle with the idea of Power, to speak in front of a room, or to build relationships with people very different from ourselves. But finding something difficult doesn’t mean organising—or leadership—is only for a select few.
Organising is something we practise. In many ways, it is like training a new muscle. The first few times you try something unfamiliar, it can feel awkward and uncomfortable and you might wonder whether you are doing it right. But with consistent action and reflection, what once felt difficult becomes more natural, and eventually you will find yourself doing things you once weren’t sure you could do.
That is why training matters: a few days does not suddenly make us full-fledged organisers, but it does give us a space to learn, experiment, reflect, and then go back into our organisations and communities to practise.
Does it have to be perfect? Absolutely not, and it is more important to ask if we are willing to keep practising with others on the same journey.
Our upcoming Action Season will offer plenty of opportunities to do exactly that. If you want to keep developing your skills in organising and leadership, join an Action Team. Come practise with us:
At the Action Season Launch Day at Parliament House on Wednesday, 23 September;
At the Renters Assembly in Ryde on Thursday, 5 November;
By hosting or supporting a table talk in your organisation or community about Community Connection in the next few months;
By supporting young leaders to lead a youth-focussed Community Organising Training leading to an Assembly early next year.
Diana Olmos
Acting Lead Organiser
