Urban Action Learning Academy

iconset SmallerOver the last generation of environmental justice struggles, PODER has learned that it’s not enough to secure community wins over public and private resources.  Neighborhood residents themselves must be local stewards over these wins, safeguarding the benefits for future generations.

PODER created the Urban Action Learning Academy to build the skills to take action, govern together, and prepare neighborhood leaders to exert local, democratic control over land, housing, work, and food.  We are building towards an alliance of solidarity economy initiatives led by youth, immigrants, poor women, working families, and people of color.  Together, neighborhood leaders are meeting peoples’ basic needs, transforming our economies, and creating people-led entities that embody cooperation, direct democratic participation, and social change impact.

The Urban Action Learning Academy is designed to decolonize our minds, promote consciousness-raising and healing, value community members as experts, view the personal experience as a window into the systems that shape our lives, and change our relationships to power.

Edited by a team of community experts, including Rosa Gonzalez, Yeni Solis, Sandra Sandoval, Marc Mascarenhas-Swan, and Charlie Sciammas, the Urban Action Learning Academy includes bilingual English and Spanish popular education tools, activities, and skill building sessions.

The content is freely available under a Creative Commons License.  If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must give appropriate credit, indicate what changes were made, provide a link to the license, and distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.  You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. This material may NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Assessing Community Conditions, Skills & Resources

In this series, we see solidarity economies unfolding, from cocoon to butterfly, exploring through a collective process what actions we can take to support a community transition to a solidarity economy.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Governance & Stewardship

Working cooperatively is a muscle that we develop. In this series, craft the deep skills of community based governance by developing shared and horizontal leadership skills.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Solidarity Economy Projects, Practices & Models

In this series, explore what it means to get by, get ahead, and get together, weaving in our family wisdoms into a powerful strategy for advancing a solidarity economy.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Introduction to the Solidarity Economy

In this workshop, demystify the solidarity economy and expose the range of strategies that meet our community’s needs.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Interpersonal Building & Transformation for Working Cooperatively

In this series of workshops focused on interpersonal building and transformation for working cooperatively, uncover root causes, invest in personal healing processes, and build the skills to navigate and interrupt oppression.

Urban Action Learning Academy – Movement Building & Community Organizing

Building solidarity equals power. Sustaining our solidarity economies means building movements and organizing. In this series, learn about organizing and movement building efforts that break down barriers and expand support for a solidarity economy.