Helping social justice-focused non-profits organize, communicate and advocate effectively is what the
Three Rivers Community Foundation mini-summits are all about – and what they're already doing, says Anne Lynch.
Lynch, the Foundation's manager of administrative operations and special projects, says previous summits in Washington and Indiana counties over the past year have already helped local activists gain momentum. That includes the Washington County Literacy Council, which "has just exploded with lots of events going on," Lynch reports. The mini-summit "just seems to have empowered these people …"
The next Regional Mini-Summit on Social Change, for Butler, Beaver, and Lawrence county activists, is Sept. 25 at Slippery Rock University. The Foundation is planning a fourth one, for Westmoreland and Fayette counties, and together they will culminate in Creating Change: A Convergence for Social Justice, March 24-26, 2011, in Pittsburgh.
How necessary are these mini-summits? "Very often, in the more rural counties, people think of more basic needs – they don't think of advancing justice's cause," Lynch says. "Activists out there feel alienated or alone. They just feel thrilled to be included."
These gatherings are designed to teach capacity and skill building, such as fundraising; getting your message out, civic engagement and grassroots lobbying.
At the Indiana mini-summit, which included Armstrong County, activists took the opportunity to organize a new local group among themselves. "That's something we wanted to happen from these," says Lynch – "keeping the momentum going."
Author: Marty Levine
Source: Anne Lynch, Three Rivers Community Foundation