[Dialogue] Info about faith-based community organizing training

[Janice Ulangca]

Colleagues - I send this info in the interest of "knowing the field" - promising efforts in directions we have worked in and have experience to contribute to.  Just in case a personal contact might be fruitful ...

I just got info about DART - Direct Action & Research Training .  At first I thought, "Another Alinksky-style training program...  lots of them ... "   but it seems to be more - involving faith communities in a substantive way.  Board and staff people come from varied denominations.  Below are 2 testimonies from the web site, which has much more info on track record, principles, history, what DART groups do and do not do.  

Janice Ulangca


To learn more about DART's approach to organizing, check out DART's new YouTube video: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shv8jeHyn0E>.

Web address:   www.thedartcenter.org

About the training:  
The Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center will be accepting applications until January 15, 2010, from those interested in pursuing a career of empowering communities and working for social change.

2010 marks the 10th year since DART first launched the Organizers Institute. After years of research into best practices, experimentation, evaluation, and refinement, the Organizers Institute has become a nationally recognized field school in the training of grassroots community organizers in the country.  The 7-day classroom orientation and 15-week infield training starts July 2010. Training locations will include placements in several states around the country.

The DART Organizers Institute combines a 7-day classroom orientation with 15 weeks of infield training at a DART host organization. This is a paid training program that includes: a $7,000 living stipend, transportation to the classroom orientation and host city, and mileage reimbursement during the infield training. Room, board, and tuition will also be paid by DART during the 7-day classroom training. After successful completion of the program, DART will work to place graduates into permanent full time salaried positions ranging from ($30-33,000/year for Associate Organizers and $32-37,000 for Lead Organizers starting salary + health & benefits).

Graduates from the four month DART Organizers Institute have gone onto accept Executive Director and Associate Community Organizing positions throughout the country.

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Below are 2 testimonies from the DART web site www.thedartcenter.org   Charles Grant is pastor of Bon Air Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA.  James Proctor, from Jacksonville, FL,  is Presiding Elder of the AME Church.  Additional testimonies are there from a Catholic priest, a "Full Gospel Baptist" church pastor, and a Rabbi.

Rev. R. Charles Grant
When I learned of the effort to organize in Richmond, I was one of the early clergy to be involved. Right off the bat, I was personally attracted to congregation-based community organizing for several reasons: first, it was a faith based and guided program for achieving long term community change; second, organizing is concerned with getting to the root causes of the problems plaguing our society -- not just another inadequate band aid for an insoluble problem; third, congregation-based community organizing, in general and DART in particular have a tested and documented track record of success -- we didn't have to "invent the wheel" to bring greater justice to our community; forth, it provides the structure for establishing real relationships across racial and cultural divides; fifth, it gives a focus to my faith commitments and my calling as a pastor. Many pastors 'talk the talk" of doing justice. Through congregation-based community organizing, I have discovered the vehicle for me and my congregation to begin to "walk the walk" as well. Finally, I find the skills and power I develop through my justice ministry cross over to other facets of my ministry as well. Now I cannot imagine being a pastor without doing justice ministry. Our local congregation-based community organization is known as RISC (Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Community). RISC has made a tremendous impact on my congregation. For years, my suburban Presbyterian congregation has been a leader in our area when it comes to community ministry, conversation around contemporary social and political issues, and advocacy. We talked about justice a lot, but we had not done justice. Now, through RISC and DART our people are experiencing a growing sense of empowerment and fulfillment, as we work with other people of faith to bring God's justice to our metropolitan area: we are getting things done we never even dreamed of talking about! At our most recent action meeting, our turnout was twice what we had achieved in our five years with RISC -- about a third of our weekly average worship attendance. The buzz around our congregation since the meeting has really been exciting. Our people feel like the commitments we secured in the action meeting were significant. We are already beginning to think of turning out for a community action the same number of people we turn out for worship.

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Dr. James Proctor
My involvement with our local organizing effort, known as ICARE (Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation, and Empowerment), has powerfully reinforced my conviction neither that pastor, nor any one else should not do for people what they, together, can do for themselves. When people are involved in researching, planning and implementing strategies and processes to solve problems it is a great source of empowerment for them, the congregation and the community. Moreover, it is theologically sound to help parishioners to identify their "gifts" and use those "gifts" for the "common good." For more than two hundred years, the African Methodist Episcopal church has labored to promote justice for its people. My involvement with ICARE simply helped strengthen my resolve to work with others in the community to accomplish what one congregation alone could not accomplish.  ....
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