Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund

Since April 2007, CACEF has been working with Training for Change to develop our leadership empowerment educational initiative. This is a long-term project designed to affect positive social and political change at the grassroots level. By working with people within their communities, CACEF will impart leadership knowledge and skills so that people will be empowered to affect positive change to the issues and challenges they face in their daily lives. Leadership and organizing techniques will be taught for local, state, and even national issues.

The vision for this project is to provide leadership education to people within their communities. Through the use of case studies we will work to impart leadership knowledge and skills so that people will be empowered to affect positive social and political change to whatever issues or challenges they face in their daily lives. The curriculum is not issue-based and is non-partisan; the focus is on the leadership itself.

Three phases are envisioned:

• Phase I — the research and curriculum writing stage; planning for phases II and III
• Phase II — training CAC trainers to deliver the curriculum; offering seminars and workshops around the state; planning for phase III
• Phase II — creating infrastructure to deliver the leadership development curriculum on a sustainable basis; institutionalizing citizen empowerment training through partnership with universities and colleges in Indiana.

Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund is currently in Phase I, conducting the preliminary research necessary to lay the foundation for this curriculum project.

The essence of this research phase is to explore support levels with stakeholders, identify possible parallel efforts within colleague organizations, while gathering and refining the “Citizen Action Coalition approach” to organizing and political action, including key information and insights from thirty years of experience.

The research phase includes several components:

• Research pool — The research effort is reaching out to individuals representing the following groups: Citizens Action Coalition, Southeast Neighborhood Development (an Indianapolis-based neighborhood group), Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, Indiana Community Action Association, Service Employees International Union (current Justice for Janitors campaign in Indianapolis), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 481, United Senior Action, Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis, Peace Studies programs at Goshen College, Manchester College, and Earlham College; Ball State University, Butler University, Public Access Indianapolis, Common Cause Indiana, Michiana Quality of Life, Hoosier Environmental Council, Earth Charter, Indianapolis Peace and Justice Center, Indianapolis Community-Building Institute, Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities, Organization for a New Eastside, and La Plaza. This list includes people who have directly worked on social action campaigns related to Confined Animal Feeding Operations, neighborhood revitalization, health care issues, and coal gasification, merchant power and ethanol plants.
• Phone interviews — Training for Change is completing eight to ten phone interviews of 45-60 minute length. Five interviews are complete, with a sixth scheduled.
• E-mail interviews — The phone interviews are being supplemented with ten to fifteen additional e-mail interviews.
• Focus group(s) — In mid-July, we will hold at least one and as many as three focus group meetings in Indianapolis and, logistics permitting, connecting participants from distance locations in Indiana via videolink.
• Synthesis and summary — By August 6, 2007, we anticipate the completion of the research phase. The product will be an annotated summary of research ready for further study and reflection. It will include comparison and synthesis with key insights and curriculum/training offered by partner and colleague organizations. We are working to achieve funding for the second phase of the leadership development initiative.