What is the Democracy Teams Initiative, and other FAQ
We are a community of organizing trainers and coaches in the school of Marshall Ganz and the Leading Change Network who want to bring our skills to support those organizing for democracy and civic infrastructure in the US. Read below for frequently asked questions and to sign up for a free overview of the training program.
Organizing training for the pro-democracy movement
Don't see your questions answered below? Please email Jake at training@weown.it so we can get an answer posted - thank you!
Sign up for a free online info session
The easiest way to learn more is to join us for an hour info session where you can meet the coaching team and we can walk you through our approach. You can also watch a recorded overview meeting with Jake from our first pilot in July 2025.
We're soon starting a third, 3-week iteration of the program from Jul 27 to Aug 28, 2026.
You don't have to start with an info session - you can also join us by jumping in with an upcoming Introduction to Organizing workshop. One is offered every day.
Want to schedule an info session just for your organization or membership list? Please reach out to training@weown.it.
Road map of training
These 12 workshops make up the full four-day workshop agenda for a typical Ganz/LCN training workshop. (Find the participants manual for all workshops at https://i.weown.it/dti_manual. You can also read an introduction to the practice of Ganz Public Narrative here.
The curriculum is organized into one Introduction (theory) course and 11 skill-building-and-practice workshops. (The Introduction is required before moving on to the skill-building workshops.) The other four workshops that make up the "Base" will provide a good foundation for your team building and organizing work. Continue to advance your skills with the seven workshops in the "Advance" category.
How do I sign up for the full Public Narrative training?
The full Public Narrative course is now scheduled on request. If you have a group of 4-8 (or more) already, please reach out to training@weown.it to get scheduled. If not, start with an Introduction to Organizing course, then schedule a Story of Self workshop. At the end of each Story of Self workshop, our trainer will ask which participants want to continue with the full training, and get you added to the next cohort.
What do workshops cost?
Workshops cost us about $50/person to hire the facilitator and one coach for each small group of 4 to 8. However, we don't want cost to be a barrier for anyone to participate in the training. Each workshop is currently being offered on a "contribute what you can" basis, from $10 up to $100 (if you're able to contribute to our scholarship fund for other participants.)
Are there scholarships available?
Yes. And we're actively seeking scholarship funds -- please donate here if you can, or email training@weown.it if your organization would like to sponsor training for your members. If you are a donor that can help offset the cost of training for participants or support our democracy-building work, please email Jake and the team at training@weown.it.
Training Schedule
The schedule of Base workshops for the three weeks of the third pilot is below:
To sign up, pick times that work for you and/or your group and register for the corresponding workshop time on this site. See all the Base workshops listed here.
Other questions? Please let us know at training@weown.it.