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From the very beginning, 50CAN has bet big on harnessing the expertise of advocacy and politics within our network to develop the next generation of advocates and leaders. That’s why, since 2011, 50CAN has trained more than 400 aspiring advocacy leaders. This year, we’ll add more than 150 new advocates to that number through our 10 local and national leadership programs.
Below, you’ll find the full list of our leadership programs and their goals. We look forward to sharing updates with you on their progress—and the impressive advocates taking part—throughout the year.
DelawareCAN | MOVE Advocacy Bootcamp
The MOVE Advocacy Bootcamp will recruit and train 30 new participants in 2019, focused on building a broad set of skills that include advocacy, communications and education policy. Participants will craft their own advocacy campaigns, taking at least five actions over the course of the year to make change happen.
DelawareCAN | Juntos
Juntos, a roundtable and advocacy training program for organizations that serve Hispanic youth, will recruit eight new member organizations in 2019. Each group will complete at least five advocacy actions over the course of the year as they work to ensure a brighter future for Delaware’s Hispanic children.
DelawareCAN | Youth Advocacy Council
DelawareCAN’s Youth Advocacy Council will also enter its second year, training a new cohort of at least 20 students on advocacy. Working together, the cohort will produce a report on their policy priorities and secure at least one policy win from those recommended in the report.
GeorgiaCAN | Parent Organizing
GeorgiaCAN will be recruiting an additional 750 parent participants into their parent organizing work, including two parent organizing fellows who will play a leadership role in organizing the parents and focusing their efforts on meaningful advocacy actions.
HawaiiKidsCAN | WAVE
The WAVE leadership program in Hawaii will gain 25 new participants this year – 15 teachers and 10 students, with an aspiration of half being of Native Hawaiian descent. These participants will speak at multiple advocacy events throughout the year, craft policy proposals, and submit testimony to the state legislature and Board of Education.
PS 305 – Miami, FL | Parent Power Accelerator
PS 305’s Parent Power Accelerator program will recruit and train 10 new parent leaders in 2019, who themselves will organize at least 100 other parents to advocate for the social and emotional learning campaign.
Charleston, SC | RISE
RISE, one of our longest running leadership programs, will recruit 50 new fellows in 2019. Fellows will be trained through a 12 week program, and will be essential in identifying, assessing, and supporting the opening of a national high-quality school operator.
TEN – Denver, CO | Parents Lead Fellowship
The Parents Lead Fellowship in Denver will grow by three cohorts this year—a total of 30 new participants—who will be trained over the course of 16 in-person sessions. Participants will each lead a community advocacy campaign that they develop through the program.
TennesseeCAN | Change Agents
TennesseeCAN’s youth advocacy program, Change Agents, will recruit 16 new student participants this year for a four-week advocacy training course. The course culminates in a trip for students to Nashville, where they’ll meet and discuss education with state legislators. Two alumni of the program are returning this year to help lead the new participants.
National | National Voices Fellowship
50CAN’s National Voices Fellowship, which takes emerging local leaders and works to elevate their voice to the national audience, will bring in at least eight new fellows this year for training on education history, advocacy, politics, and communication. Throughout the year, each fellow will obtain at least five major communication hits, including conference keynotes and panels, newspaper columns, and on-camera appearances. Interested in getting involved yourself? Let us connect you with leadership training in your city or state.→
Thanks for all you do. I look forward to sharing updates from the field as our leaders pave the way for change across the country.