About Learning to Win

Learning to Win is a diverse, multi-generational and dynamic community of learning and practice that brings together movement practitioners from across many organizing traditions who all share the fundamental belief that people have the ability to interpret the world around them and to transform it and that, to confront the many crises facing our people, civil society, and democracy we need an unprecedented level of cross-pollination and cooperation.

We view organizer training, leadership development and mentorship as central to building power and seek to create a space for relationship-building, learning from and with each other; and an infrastructure for identifying gaps, incubating new ideas, co-creating new curriculum and tools for broad dissemination throughout the movement for wider impact. As a community, we seek to advance a more holistic understanding of how we build power and hold one another accountable to our shared values.

Learning to Win, founded in 2019 first convened in March 2020, bringing together 60 individuals from research, training, organizing, policy, and movement-building to build a community of practitioners. This community was developed as a community of learning and practice, not a coalition or table, centered on values and focused on the purpose of broadening and deepening the pedagogy and practice of developing organizers and the power-building infrastructure we need to win concrete change in this country.

Since the first full convening in March 2020, Learning to Win has:

• Provided an ongoing container & community to deeply interrogate the questions and infrastructure gaps within organizing and movement-building today
• Developed a philosophy and practice around editing, expanding, and increasing the impact of individual & organization-specific trainings
• Supported mentorship development efforts to build the leadership of first-time organizers and mid-level organizers
• Centered healing & healing justice within community calls and conversations—as we see healing as essential to winning

Session Tracks, Approaches, and Proposal Guidelines

At the Learning to Win (L2W) 2021 Convening, we will have 5 core tracks and 4 core session approaches. If there is something that doesn’t exactly fit within the scope of the tracks, just choose the track it relates to the most. 

Important/Unique Details About L2W Convening Sessions

Each session will be 2 hours long and must include:

• Materials that participants can take away with them at the end of the session  (Even if it is just  a slide deck, or notes/next steps from the conversation)
• A kinesthetic/hands on learning experience
• Presenter(s) who are willing to be followed-up with on the topic post session

Sessions can be proposed:

• By the person(s) who want to present the topic
• By someone in the L2W community who knows the subject matter expert for the session they’re proposing and is willing to take the responsibility for outlining the agenda & outcomes (In coordination with the presenter(s))
• From the L2W Steering Committee or Convening Committee, who will designate someone who will be responsible for outlining the agenda & outcomes (In coordination with the presenter(s))

Sessions will be proposed through our Airtable Form, and reviewed/approved on a weekly basis by the L2W Convening Committee

Session presenters will not be elevated differently than how we treat every other member of our community & convening meaning:

• They will have to participate in the orientation and agree to community values
• They will have to participate/join:
  • 1 large group session (Happens at the end of every day, will repeat 5 times)
  • 2-3 other sessions (Ideally outside of their session’s approach and track but not required)

 Convening Tracks (What we’re talking about and working on together)

• Strategic Reflection & Tactical Insights
• Skill Building
• Research, History, & Intergenerational Work
• Community-Building & Centering Joy
• The First 100 Days/Reimagining Democracy

Convening Approaches (How we’re talking about it, how we’re ensuring that the people that participate get the most out of what we’re discussing)

Charette (Session Size Range: 5-60 Participants)

• Being open to and receiving feedback in real-time
• Training that has the opportunity to be edited or customized still: in content, in presentation style, or through exercises/activities within the training itself
• Simulation of actual training with time allotted for significant feedback/roleplaying of changes responsive to feedback  (“What I heard was, so let’s try….”)

Training Intensive (Session Size Range: 5-150 Participants)

• Core skills training
• When we think about capacity-building or think about necessary skills that would appear on a job description—these sessions would align
• Ideally focused  on 202 and above levels of trainings as the vast majority of participants will have participated in 101 level training or lead 101 level trainings themselves

Troubleshooting & Group Processing (Session Size Range: 5-25 Participants)

• Individual, organizational, or movement issues that we’re holding and need to be responsive to in our current political climate and ecosystem
• Smaller groups to be able to discuss real-time solutions that already exist or collectively build solutions together
• Closed confidential sessions, recording will not be an option to encourage folks to lead with where they need help/support and not where they’re the strongest

Case Studies & Field Review: The Panel Remixed  (Session Size Range: 5-150 Participants)

• Deep-dive, especially into strategy that can be replicated (I.e. GA Special Election)
• Focus on best practices to replicate, pitfalls to learn from, and reflections that can be acted on

Registration

Our Learning to Win 2021 Convening is open not only to current community members but also others who:

• share the fundamental belief that people have the ability to interpret the world around them and to transform it and that, to confront the many crises facing our people, civil society, and democracy we need an unprecedented level of cross-pollination and cooperation
• view organizer training, leadership development and mentorship as central to building power and seek to create a space for relationship-building, learning from and with each other; and an infrastructure for identifying gaps, incubating new ideas, co-creating new curriculum and tools for broad dissemination throughout the movement for wider impact
• seek to advance a more holistic understanding of how we build power and hold one another accountable to our shared values