Breaking down barriers to form progressive, action-based partnerships in Northern California and the Central Valley
Testimonials
-Tom Wheeler, Environmental Protection and Information Center
"I attended the Humboldt Regional Community Organizer Training and I'm sure glad I did! The training was not only fun and engaging, it was also extremely effective. Already, I can see the training paying off in my work. Through the lessons and exercises, I have become more confident and skilled in organizing community members, crafting strong and compelling messages, and winning campaigns. Equally important were the great connections and relationships built during the workshop period. Humboldt's grassroots are now much more verdant and strong!"
"The CGP training was very valuable as it gave us important information about building community power towards moving elected officials. The training has improved our efforts towards working to establish tenant protections and anti-displacement policy in our coastal California city of 155,000 residents."
-John E. Silva, M.D., Vivienda Para Todos
"Although I've been a community organizer for over eight years, David Hunt's training crystallized some key lessons for me: Progressives often lose because they don't take time to understand the power structure and figure out a winning strategy that utilizes their power more effectively. I highly recommend this training to any activist seeking to win more political battles."
-Marv Hsia Coron, Protect San Benito
"This training wasn’t just great for me, it was great for our community. All the attendees I spoke with were raving about it. A number of people set up a debrief meeting a few weeks later to review and reinforce what they learned. This is real world, practical information that will make many of the activists in our community more effective. I know it will help me."
-Neil Davis, Executive Director of Walk and Bike Mendocino
"After doing a lot of community organizing work in our community over the last couple of years, we now finally have the tools that allow us to actually understand and do this work effectively. One of our partners shared that for the first time she understood the power and how best to use it. Another partner shared how now he understands that protests and yelling is not the only strategy available to bring positive change. With this training we are a more confident and powerful movement!"
-Hector Lara, Reinvent South Stockton
"The community organizing workshop I attended immediately benefited several aspects of my work. I applied the skills learned in meetings, focus groups, presentations and more. Additionally, as someone who engages in my community in many different ways, I was also able to implement the tools in my own personal and grassroots efforts within my community. The workshop itself is engaging right from the moment you start. Plan on being attentive during the entire time, because you won't want to miss anything. There are so many tips and tools that will help you in all that you do."
-Amanda Barragar, Ascend Wilderness Experience
-Dillon Delvo, Little Manila
"The training was a truly powerful experience for all of us involved at Little Manila. [It] gave us an important tool in community organizing and has helped to center us in understanding real power. This is something organizations representing marginalized communities definitely need to be reminded of, especially with limited resources and purposeful distractions from today's oppressors. Also, the opportunity to network in the context of bringing structure to our movements with other local progressive groups was priceless. I highly recommend this organizer training with anyone who desires to fight for marginalized communities and save our democracy."
"This training was one of the best trainings I ever had the blessing to participate in. I learned more from David in 2 days than my entire time as an intern with Cooperation Humboldt. I really appreciated his sense of honesty, critical awareness, and compassion. The training helped alleviate some of my feelings of disempowerment because he actually taught us tangible tools/skills to be an effective community organizer and gave real-world examples to support it. I will forever use that strategy chart and remember to never join an organization that abuses people's life energy. For someone who is really determined to make things happen for their community but don't know how to, this training is a must. Thank you for showing us that real change is possible."
-Erika Aoki, Cooperation Humboldt
"I learned a lot of concrete tools from the training I have already applied to local organizing. The most important lessons shared with me were related to power, and strategies related to recognizing the power of others and what power you and your community have as citizens in a republic. I also enjoyed the opportunity to meet other local organizers, some of whom I am now working on projects with. I left the training with a more developed sense of how to realistically strategize and organize for positive social change. The training was 100% worth every minute and dollar spent."
-Delo Freitas, Planwest Partners
"The training provided through the Community Governance Partnership for San Joaquin County was a pivotal moment for progressive coalition building in our communities. Not only was Mr. Hunt's training for direct action campaigns detailed, collaborative, well organized, perfectly executed, and inspiring in itself, the camaraderie that spring from two days of focused activity among representatives from several dozen groups is carrying the region forward toward better collaboration for a number of projects. We are most grateful to CGP's Rich McIntyre and Amanda Ford for their effective organizing of area organizers, and to David Hunt for his inspired teaching of important organizing strategies."
-Barbara Bargain-Parrilla, Restore the Delta