Summer “Power Hour” Trainings
Learn with us this summer! Sharpen your skills on relational organizing, building campaigns, and issue areas. Register for one or all of the trainings below. All trainings are 90 minutes and open to all.
Monday, June 29, 6–8:30 pm
Intro to People Power with the Maryland Alliance
🤸In-person at Owen Brown Interfaith Center, Sanctuary A, 7246 Cradlerock Way, Columbia, MD
What is broad-based power organizing, how is it connected to our values, and how do we do it? What has the Maryland Just Power Alliance won in the past and how did we do that? What roles are there in this work for you?
Wednesday, July 1, 1–2:30 pm
Relational Meetings, part 1: Storytelling and our public narrative
🤸In-person at St. James Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD
Building teams requires us to meet people one-on-one. Based on Marshall Ganz’s curriculum, we’ll learn the elements of a public narrative- the story of self, the story of us, and the story of now. We’ll write our stories. In coaching sessions, participants will receive feedback in small groups on their stories of self, us, and now.
Coaching sessions on sharing your story in relational meetings:
Wednesday, July 8, 9:30–10:30 am with Elizabeth: Register Here
Wednesday, July 8, 5–6 pm with Pilar: Register Here
Monday, July 13, 11 am–12 pm with Adama: Register Here
Wednesday, July 15, 5–6 pm with Pilar: Register Here
Monday, July 20, 11 am–12 pm with Adama: Register Here
Wednesday, July 22, 9:30–10:30 am with Elizabeth: Register Here
Wednesday, July 8, 1–2:30 pm
Energy affordability: Let’s dig into PJM, our regional transmission organization
🖥️Virtual Zoom, with guest speaker Jamie DeMarco
To understand why Marylanders’ energy bills are so burdensome, we have to get to know PJM. PJM is a regional transmission grid that covers 13 states including Maryland (there are 7 in the U.S.). The name derives from the original three states it covered-Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. They manage the infrastructure that delivers electricity to our homes and businesses. They also buy and sell electricity in wholesale markets. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates PJM. In this session we’ll learn more about the levers PJM uses to control the price of electricity. We’ll also learn about the governance structure.
Though all are invited, the Climate Equity team will use this learning session to inform campaign strategy.
Wednesday, July 8, 6:30–8 pm
Your vision for your power—an opportunity to reflect on your leadership:
🤸In-person at Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd, Columbia, MD
In this workshop, reflect on the roots of your interest in organizing and social change, including your faith tradition and/or values. Learn about different models of leadership within organizing. Explore your current desire to act: what are you feeling called or drawn to do now? Draw up some plans for your leadership, practice talking about them with others.
Friday, July 10, 10–11:30 am
Data Centers 101
🖥️Virtual Zoom
What is happening around data centers in Maryland and how are data centers driving energy policy and costs of electricity and potentially water?
AI models like Claude, Gemini, etc. are driving the proliferation of data centers. Data centers are like warehouses for servers that store, process and send digital information. They require huge amounts of energy for both processing and for back-up plus huge amounts of water for cooling. Many utility companies are justifying rate increases as a result of data centers.
In this training, we'll discuss: What can we do to ensure that the environmental, health and financial cost does not fall on everyday Marylanders? Where are proposed data center sites? Who are the companies that are building data centers? What actions are counties taking and what role can they take along with state government in regulating data centers to maximize local benefit while minimizing harm?
Wednesday, July 15, 1–2:30 pm
Relational Meetings, part 2: Dissecting a relational meeting
🤸in-person at St. James Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD
In part 2 of our training on relational meetings, we will learn about the structure of a relational meeting, how to schedule them, and we’ll practice doing relational meetings. In coaching sessions, participants will workshop the joys and challenges of their 1:1 meetings.
Thursday, July 23, 6:30–8 pm
Using relational meetings to build power—skills, tools, and tips
🤸In-person at Kittamaqundi Community Church, at The Carriage House, 5410 Leaf Treader Way, Columbia
In this workshop, learn about relational power, how to conduct relational meetings, and how to plan a relational meeting campaign that connects you with new people and makes new things possible. Includes tips to level up your meetings if you are already doing them.
Tuesday, August 11, 7–8:30 pm
Housing Training, part 2
🖥️Virtual Zoom
Join us for part 2 of our training series on making homes more affordable and accessible for everyone (you can still attend even if you missed part 1).
Learn how the housing shortage is making homes unaffordable for so many of us in Maryland and what we can do to solve it.
Our next step is to bring this training to our member organizations. If you are interested in bringing the training to your institution or serving on the housing team, you are strongly encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, August 12, 1–2:30 pm
Energy affordability: Let’s dig into our corporate utility companies (like Washington Gas, PEPCO and BGE)
🖥️Virtual Zoom, with guest speaker Emily Scarr
Tens of thousands of Marylanders struggle with energy bills and debt. Join us in this deeper dive into the history of corporate utilities, how they have evolved as powerful corporate utilities, the kinds of public policies that have supported their growth and influence, and the checks and balances that exist/that could be strengthened. Though all are invited, the Climate Equity team will use this learning session to inform campaign strategy.
Tuesday, August 18, 2:30–4 pm
From issue to campaign: tools, tactics, and strategies (part 1)
Please note that this session (From issue to campaign: tools, tactics and strategies, part 1) has been cancelled. We have decided to combine the content of this session into the August 25 session. Please be sure to register for the Aug 25 session.
Tuesday, August 25, 2:30–4 pm
From issue to campaign: tools, tactics, and strategies (combined)
🖥️Virtual Zoom
Before we get into a campaign, we need a plan. We’ll be drawing on the wisdom of the Midwest Academy and A Beautiful Trouble to share analytical tools that support decisions during a campaign. Then, we’ll take the analytical tools on campaign decision-making and apply them to a real campaign case study. Parts 1 and 2 have been combined into this single training session.