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Dear reader

Community organising has been at the heart of countless winning campaigns and social movements. But to do it effectively, training is essential.

Right now, coal and gas miners have massive expansion plans for Australia.These plans threaten our health, our farmland and water resources, with potentially devastating impacts for global climate. 

These powerful corporations have deep pockets and strong political connections, but history has shown us the way to beat organised money is with organised people. 

So in 2014, the Change Agency launched the Community Organising Fellowship in partnership with the Sunrise Project, the Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales and the Sierra Club. In its first year, this ground-breaking program is training 25 campaigners and organisers across 16 campaigns in five states how to build winning campaigns by mobilising Australians around core values.

The Fellowship program is different to anything run in Australia before: 22 days of residential workshops over 6 months with expert facilitators and presenters from Australia and the US. During this intensive program, participants learn effective ways to build alliances, connect community leaders and build power where it matters. 

We are already seeing results. In the first two months, Fellowship participants shared the skills they've been learning by leading 50 workshops that reached 1000 members of their communities, strengthening their local campaigns.

We'd like to extend this reach even further, but we need your support to make this happen.

If 300 people donate $50 we can offer an additional two organisers the chance to participate in next year’s program.

Donate now to help us offer two scholarship places.

The program is supporting committed people all around Australia who are working on the front lines where the coal and gas industries are trampling the rights of communities. Others are mobilising support in politically important urban centres and promoting clean energy solutions.

Each additional participant increases our capacity to grow a generation of community organisers to stand up for clean air and water, protect our precious farmland and ensure a safe climate.

Your tax deductible donation will help us extend this program throughout Australia. 

 

James & Kate
Fellowship co-directors

p.s. Check out our new website where you can read what participants are saying about their experience of this year’s fellowship. We will call for applicants for our 2015 cycle in July. Your contribution today will allow us make sure that grassroots activists join the amazing cohort.