Tola Organizing Academy

TO TRAIN INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING TRAINING TO INDIVIDUALS: STOCKTON EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROJECT (EOP) WAS A PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SAN JOAQUIN A+ AND OUR GOALS WERE TO INCREASE CITIZEN AWARENESS OF THE STATE OF STOCKTON SCHOOLS AND BUILD LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND ORGANIZING SKILLS OF LOCAL STOCKTON RESIDENTS.TOLA HIRED TWO PROJECT LEADS WHO THEN RECRUITED A COHORT OF 20 RESIDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 14-WEEK PROGRAM. PARTICIPANTS AND VOLUNTEERS RECEIVED SIX SEMINARS ON VARIOUS EDUCATION TOPICS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING THEMES. TOLA PROVIDED THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THESE 20 RESIDENTS TO ENGAGE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGH A SURVEY TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE STOCKTON SCHOOLS. TOLA PROVIDED THE SURVEY, THE TECH SUPPORT FOR VOTER OUTREACH, AND OPERATION AND COORDINATION OF PHONE BANKING EVENTS, CANVASSING EVENTS, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING TRAINING TO ORGANIZATIONS:LATINOS UNIDOS FOR A NEW AMERICA (LUNA) SOUGHT TOLA STAFF TO PROVIDE ONE-ON-ONE LEADERSHIP COACHING TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND SKILL-BUILDING TRAININGS AND COACHING TO THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZING STAFF. TOLA HAS BEGUN WORKING WITH THIS SMALL SAN JOSE NONPROFIT TO PROVIDE LEADERSHIP COACHING TO THE DIRECTOR AND TRAININGS TO THE 4-MEMBER ORGANIZING TEAM.

NEW PROGRAM-CLIMATETO APPROPRIATELY ADDRESS THE RAPIDLY WORSENING CLIMATE CRISIS AND BREAK THE STRANGLEHOLD OF OIL AND GAS INTERESTS ON BOLD, EQUITABLE AND ACCELERATED CLIMATE POLICY IN CALIFORNIA, THE ORGANIZING AND LEADERSHIP ACADEMY (TOLA) AND THE CLIMATE CENTER LAUNCHED A PILOT GRASSROOTS EDUCATIONAL POWERBUILDING CAMPAIGN. OUR GOAL WAS TO IDENTIFY, EDUCATE, ORGANIZE, AND EMPOWER NEIGHBORHOOD CLIMATE LEADERS TO MOBILIZE YOUTH AND OTHER OCCASIONAL VOTERS IN THEIR DISTRICT.OVER THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM, TOLA RECRUITED A FULL-TIME STAFF OF 3 INDIVIDUALS WHO IN TURN RECRUITED 48 PART-TIME STAFF AND AN ADDITIONAL 12 VOLUNTEERS. PHONING WAS AUGMENTED BY A "PAID PHONING SERVICE" TO REACH A BROADER TARGET OF VOTERS. THESE INDIVIDUALS, MOSTLY YOUNG PEOPLE OF COLOR, MADE 103,849 CALLS, SENT 4,510 TEXT MESSAGES AND KNOCKED ON 1,188 DOORS. THEY IDENTIFIED 7,378 INDIVIDUALS WHO INDICATED THEY WOULD SUPPORT A CLIMATE CHAMPION AND ANOTHER 307 WHO INDICATED A POSSIBILITY OF SUPPORTING A CLIMATE CHAMPION. OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SUPPORTIVE, 887 AGREED TO PLACE A LAWN SIGN IN THEIR HOME (ALL WERE DELIVERED), AND 313 PEOPLE INDICATED A WILLINGNESS TO VOLUNTEER AT SOME POINT. IN ADDITION TO DIRECT VOTER EDUCATION WORK, TWO MAILERS WERE SENT TO VOTERS: FIRES BROCHURE TO 20,890 WOMEN LIVING IN NORTHERN SACRAMENTO COUNTY BETWEEN 30-45 YEARS OLD. WATER BROCHURE TO 20,890 WOMEN LIVING IN NORTHERN SACRAMENTO COUNTY BETWEEN 30-45 YEARS OLD.