(To be completed by a manager)

The NEA Center for Organizing and Affiliate Support is pleased to announce our schedule for affiliate UniServ and Organizing staff for the coming year. We are providing these descriptions and dates to you for planning purposes with your affiliate staff.

The NEA National UniServ Training Program encompasses the following components:

• Foundations Academies
• Focus Academies
• Online Discussion Groups
• Online Course Modules
• Organizing Focused Tracks at NEA’s Constituency Conferences

1. Retired
2. Higher ED
3.  ESP                                                                    

FOUNDATIONS ACADAMIES (In-Person)

FOUNDATIONS ACADEMIES are designed for affiliate staff in their first and second years of UniServ staff work. The NEA UniServ Guidelines state that new UniServ staff shall attend the Foundations Academy within their first two (2) years of employment. Based on our experience, UDs who wait beyond their first two years have a more difficult time building basic organizing skills into their routines. All Foundations Academies include a worksite organizing experience, and focus on supporting new staff in their work of building high functioning locals that can recruit and engage members, organize around issues that our members care about, and develop emerging leaders. Foundations Academies are five full days – Monday through Friday, beginning at 8:30 AM, with travel being on Sunday and after 4:00 PM on Friday evening.

• January 6-10, 2025, Minneapolis, MN with K-12 Worksite Organizing Experience
• February 3-7, 2025, Montgomery, AL with HBCU Higher Ed Worksite Organizing Experience Postponed
• March 31-April 4, 2025, San Antonio, TX with K-12 Worksite Organizing Experience FULL - New Submissions will be waitlisted

FOCUS ACADEMIES (In-Person)

FOCUS ACADEMIES are designed for experienced affiliate staff and are on topics that are timely across our organization. They are identified at the “Transitional Level,” or “Refining Level” of affiliate staff work. These levels are context specific – you may be Refining in one topic area, but Transitional in another. Those who choose Transitional Level Focus Academies are working with locals that are just beginning to move from basic membership recruitment and servicing towards leadership and team development for the purposes of organizing and building power. Those who choose the Refining Level Focus Academies are typically working with affiliates that already have strong leadership, effective structures and a track record for using power to make meaningful change.

Each Focus Academy begins on a Tuesday morning at 8:30 AM, lasts for two and a half days, with travel out late on Thursday after 4:00 PM. Detailed descriptions can be found in the Focus Academies section of this document. (All locations are TBD, pending hotel contracting):

• Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice, November 12-14, 2024 Revised
• Advancing Racial Justice through UniServ Work, January 14-16, 2025 Revised
• Organizing on HBCU Campuses, January 28-30, 2025 **New**
• Winning School Board Elections, February 25-28, 2025
• Organizing Strategies for ESP Members, March 25-27, 2025 Revised

(See Program Description at https://www.nea.org/UD-Org-Support)

We ask that managers ensure staff schedules are adjusted so that your staff can attend and fully participate in the entire program. Participants are expected to be present and engaged for the full time as outlined above. We encourage you to have conversations with your staff so that the attendance expectations and time commitments are clear. Any schedule conflicts should be shared with NEA staff in advance.

NEA may incur considerable cost for individuals who cancel. Therefore, in the event of cancellation, the UniServ Director’s employer (affiliate) agrees to reimburse NEA for the full cost of direct-billed airline tickets and/or change fees that cannot be recovered. This may also include the cost of hotel rooms if NEA is unable to cancel the room without penalty. All cancellations must be in writing from the staff person and a copy to their manager. These cancellations must be emailed to Karla Medina (kmedina@nea.org) with a copy to Tom Israel (tisrael@nea.org).

**You may enroll multiple staff for multiple trainings on the same form.**

Program Dates and Deadlines for Manager Recommendations

NEA NATIONAL UNISERV TRAINING PROGRAMS    

DEADLINE FOR MANAGER RECOMMENDATIONS (in red)

• November 12-14, 2024 Advancing LGBTQ+ Justice (September 10, 2024)
• January 6-10, 2025 FOUNDATIONS ACADEMY K-12 Worksite Organizing Experience (December 5, 2024)
• January 14-16, 2025 Advancing Racial Justice (December 12, 2024)
• January 28-30, 2025 Organizing on HBCU Campuses (December 12, 2024)
• February 3-7, 2025 FOUNDATIONS ACADEMY HBCU Higher Ed Worksite Organizing Experience (January 2, 2025)
• February 25-28, 2025 Winning School Board Elections (January 23, 2025)
• March 25-27, 2025 Organizing Strategies for ESP (February 23, 2025)
• March 31-April 4, 2025 FOUNDATIONS ACADEMY K-12 Worksite Organizing Experience (February 28, 2025)

WHAT’S NEXT (Please share with your staff)?:

STEP 1: As the Manager, complete the Manager’s Recommendation Form. (Organizer Network Programs is a separate form) Please note, the form must be completed by the manager by the deadlines listed below for the Academy sessions that you approve your staff to attend.

STEP 2: Participants are recorded as “accepted” unless it is noted on the form that there is a waiting list. Please let your UDs know that they have been approved and should save the dates on their calendars.

STEP 3: Approximately two (2) months in advance of the program, participants will receive a separate email with the formal, individual Registration Form for them to complete.

STEP 4: Once they register, they will be provided with instructions to make their travel arrangements through NEA’s travel agency - AmTrav. (NOTE: NEA will not reimburse for travel arrangements made independently of AmTrav).

Detailed information about each Academy will be sent to all participants approximately one month prior to each session.

The number of participants for each in-person program is capped at 40 per session. Therefore, forms should be submitted as early as possible, and no later than the listed deadlines. Additional applicants can be placed on waiting lists. Managers interested in sending more than five (5) Affiliate Staff to any single program should talk with our program coordinator (Ellen Holmes, eholmes@nea.org) in advance to review expectations.