On Saturday February 24th, the New York Worker Center Federation welcomed its third cohort of worker-leaders, embarking on a four month journey of leadership development and solidarity building as part of the Delfino Leadership Institute (DLI). This year’s cohort will focus both on enhancing organizing skills and the importance of intersectional movement building.
The DLI space is unique because it brings together worker leaders from almost ten different worker centers, representing different industries and various communities. The space is multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual with simultaneous interpretation in Spanish, Bangla and Nepali (The NYWCF remains committed to language justice and is actively expanding language accessibility of our trainings). With each training, participants are actively breaking down the barriers that divide our communities and building cross-cultural solidarities.
The inaugural training of 2018 began with a grounding in political education, as the cohort honored and reflected on the movements that have come before and recognizing the contributions they are making towards the future. Participants were introduced to the basics of base building and outreach, two focus areas of this year’s cohort. In order for organizations to run successful campaigns that propel our movements forward, having a strong and powerful base is key. Enlace recognizes the important role the base plays in winning campaigns, which is why it is a critical component of our Integrated Organizing Approach (IOA), the methodology we use to win campaigns and strengthen our movements.
Overall, the energy in the room was electric! With almost 30 worker-leaders present, new energies and excitement flooded into the space. Folks were courageous in sharing both personal stories as well as personal commitments they made to themselves and each other. They expressed commitments of learning from each other and taking action together. They plan to meet both within the training space and out in the streets!
The next training will take place on March 24th.
Unity is Power!
*The Delfino Leadership Institute is dedicated to the memory of Delfino Velazquez. We will continue to honor his legacy and his family’s struggle for justice.
**The New York Worker Center Federation is a collaboration amongst leading worker centers in New York City, convened and coordinated by Enlace
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