Volunteer

Collective Action Training Series: Earth Day Cohort

The Collective Action Training Series is a specialized 6-week course that will teach you the fundamental skills you’ll need to organize in your community. You will be putting these skills into practice in real-time, so expect to leave with homework and Action Items. At the end of the series, we will be taking action together from all corners of the country on Earth Day.

 

Real change only happens when people get organized. And organizing is something that anyone can learn to do. Anyone. Anywhere. Can organize. 

Training Call Schedule
RSVP here

Week 1: Campaign Introduction 101 – How to Build Local Campaigns (March 9)

In this training, you will learn the basics of building strategic campaigning. You’ll learn how to identify local issues in your communities, create a strategy that wins, and develop tactics that meet your strategy.

Action items:

  1. Everyone has been invited to join Greenpeace Academy, our online training hub (check your email!). Please complete the Local Organizing Track to align on foundational skills.
  2. Start planning! Using the Week 1 Guide, you will decide on your goals for the training series and start planning your Earth Day event.
  3. Come to next week’s meeting. The more prepared you are from the above action item, the better. We’ll provide deeper support in that meeting.

Resources:

  1. Sign up for our Slack and join the #earthdaycohort23 to get the latest news, ask questions, and meet each other.
  2. Questions? I’m sure you have them. Use this form to send them over.

If you need a refresher or have to get caught up, check out the recording:

Week 2: Build Your Campaign – Identify Your Issue, Target, and Power Map  (March 16)

You will put last week’s training into practice during this action week. You will finalize your campaign, goals, targets, and tactics using Greenpeace resources. You will do some light power mapping to understand how to influence your decision-maker best.

Action items:
  1. By Wednesday, March 22nd, please complete the Week 1 report back using our guide.
  2. Please complete the Greenpeace Academy Recruitment 101 course if you still need to. We will refer to some of these learnings in next week’s call. Please Haley at  if you cannot find your invitation to join.
  3. Decide on your event/tactic on Earth Day and add it to our Mobilize. You’ll use this to recruit to your event, and we need it for tracking purposes so that no one falls through the cracks. There is guidance on adding your event at the top of the page. You can always change and edit details later if you’d like to.

If you need a refresher or have to get caught up, check out the recording:

Week 3: What is Power? Principles of Organizing (March 23)

Understanding the types of power is critical to learning how to shift it. This training will focus on people power, which is central to organizing. We will talk about how to move hearts and minds into action and core principles to start building people power for your campaign.

  1. Add your event to Mobilize
  2. Start building your list of potential attendees 5-10
  3. If you want to, use this form to send messages through our peer-to-peer texting tool, called Spoke.

If you would like a shirt or supplies for your event, use this form.
If you need a refresher or have to get caught up, check out the recording:

Week 4: Building People Power – Hard Skills (March 30)

During this action week, you will start recruiting people to your Earth Day Action. This is the hardest part of organizing but the most important. We will review hard skills so you can practice recruiting people and spaces to recruit people together.

Action Items are going to look different for every person depending on where you are on your Earth Day Journey and that is okay!

If you need a refresher or have to get caught up, check out the recording:

Week 5: Shifting Power and Storytelling (April 6)

In this training, you will learn how to shift power from decision-makers to people. You will learn how to use stories to influence power and challenge narratives. We will show you best practices when meeting with decision-makers. 

Week 6: Preparing for your Earth Day Action (April 13)

This is our “putting it all together week! You will get lots of support to dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s to ensure your event is successful, fun, and creates an impact in your community. 

Week 7: Earth Day Action Week (April 20-28)

During the Action Week, you will speak with an elected official about climate change, and how it impacts your community. Together, we’ll be reclaiming Earth Day and using it to shift the narrative around climate change, starting ripples within our own communities that will turn into waves across the globe.
The next few weeks will be filled with ACTION. This email is to help give you everything you need to be successful.

  1. Schedule a check-in meeting with a coach before your event using the request a coach form.
  2. Want to recruit Greenpeace supporters to your event? Use the local event recruitment form.
  3. Haven’t decided on the event? Here’s an easy and impactful action you can still do with little planning.

During your events, PLEASE take photos and send them to our Slack channel. “Pics or it didn’t happen” is a real thing in organizing. Additionally, if you plan on posting to social media, use the hashtag “#GreenpeaceUSAEarthDay.”

If you need a refresher or have to get caught up, check out the recording.

How do I prepare for the training series?

  1. Complete our Local Organizing Track in Greenpeace Academy to align on foundational skills – Email invitations will be sent on March 3rd.
  2. Block out 2-3 hours a week for calls and action items. The more you plan for this, the easier it will be to manage.
  3. Read through the Slack Guide, join the Greenpeace USA Volunteers Slack, and join the #earthdaycohort23 Slack channel.