CLP Site Profile -- Harriet Tubman Center for Organizing, Michigan

 

Partners:

• Harriet Tubman Center, an organization committed to developing the next generation of community organizers to work throughout Michigan on jobs, youth, education and other issues
• Southwest Solutions, ISAK in Kalamazoo, Creating Change in Battle Creek and other grassroots organizations
• Faculty from several Community Colleges and four year institutions
• Community Learning Partnership

Type of Program and Description:

• Currently offers a three-month organizing internship for recent college graduates who are considering careers in organizing; successful record of training and placing people in organizing
• Now exploring alternatives to create 1, 2 and/or 4 year educational pathways into organizing as an integral part of building power statewide
• Primary focus will be on creating Community College programs in 4 cities in Michigan, concentrating on recruiting and educating grassroots community leaders and youth for careers as paid organizers, developers, and change-oriented community service providers

Status:

• At the planning stage, including meeting with community groups as well as community colleges and public universities throughout Southern Michigan to identify opportunities for collaboration
• Currently raising initial resources

Support Services for the Program:

• Current Tubman internship offers a living wage for three months plus intensive training in organizing
• A major goal of the planning process is to develop sources of income, tuition breaks, and other financial support for students entering a Community College or University program in Community Change Studies

Other Innovations:

• This program is being initiated by a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing skilled, knowledgeable, and effective community organizers statewide
• The goal is to develop a program which offers this education to students in several parts of the state and reinforces organizing on statewide issues
• Outreach to colleges starts with one on one interviews, identifying interested academics, and convening them with organizers and young people to begin sharing and collaborating
• The planners hope to incorporate some exposure to organizing in other countries as an integral part of the students' education

Contact Information:

• Bill O’Brien, Executive Director, Tubman Center
• Rachael Tanner, Director of ISAK and Tubman Board member
• Jaime Nelson, Director of Creating Change and Tubman Board member
• Greg Markus, Chair, Board of Tubman Center, and Professor of Political Science, University of Michigan