Overview
This is a self-paced crash course in “movement data,” with a deep dive into data for legislative advocacy and organizing (including distributed organizing). Participants will have three weeks to practice building an organizing plan with metric goals, learn how models work, and develop tests before coming together with other participants and a re:power trainer to debrief and discuss learnings. They will also investigate and practice working with open data, and assessing the data safety of their organization.
Who is this course for?
Staff across departments: This course is helpful for staff across departments: Data, organizing, and digital staff will all find that this course takes their work to the next level.
Future Data Managers & Directors: Past students have successfully pivoted to data manager & data director roles after completing this course.
Ideal participants come from all walks of life–we welcome everyone from data practitioners looking to sharpen their skills, to complete beginners who are passionate about organizing. Here are some attributes shared by all our applicants:
- Open to new things: Participants should be excited about challenging themselves to learn new ways of doing the work and partnering with others to come up with creative solutions.
- Technical Aptitude: Whether you have experience working directly with data or not, we are interested in organizers who are able to pick up new technical skills quickly and proficiently. If you like spreadsheets and lists, or investigating innovative ways of organizing, you may be a good fit.
- Organizing Insight: You don’t need to be a professional politico, but we’re looking for applicants with experience doing organizing work on the ground. That work can be tied to grassroots, electoral, and/or issue organizing. We seek to support organizers who are currently part of an organizing effort or are seeking to build one.
- Dedication to Inclusive Politics and Intersectional Solutions: At re:power, we center race, class, gender and sexuality across all our trainings—it’s part of our practice of inclusive politics. We encourage organizers to be open to new ideas regarding inclusive politics, especially from their fellow organizers who will reflect our diverse communities.
Course Expectations
This is an asynchronous, self-paced course that culminates with a live debrief conversation on Zoom. Our self-paced course will include 6 modules consisting of recorded video sessions that provide guided instruction to the participant, and a thought and practice exercise for participants to practice what they are learning. Participants can work their way through the modules at their own pace and on their own time. We do ask that all participants complete all 6 modules before the live debrief session.
We recommend participants set aside about 3 hours a week for coursework.
Lesson Plan
- Module 1: Intro to Movement Data
- Module 2: Data During the Electoral Cycle
- Module 3: Data for Issue Organizing Campaigns
- Module 4: Data Collection & the Ladder of Engagement
- Module 5: Open Data
- Module 6: Next Top Model
We will also provide supplemental materials on Tests and Experiments, as well as Digital Safety.
