Grassroots Leadership Development (GLD) Program

The Grassroots Leadership Development (GLD) Program is a leadership training program designed by AOP to help individuals become better, more effective leaders in their communities. Participants come from across the state, representing diverse communities, backgrounds, interests, and abilities. GLD brings them together for training that is designed to enhance their existing skills, teach new skills, and facilitate constructive work for change in communities and organizations back home.

All GLD participants are either members of low-wealth communities or closely bonded to low-wealth communities. They are also proponents of specific public policy agendas affecting low-wealth people and communities, e.g. tax reform, constitutional reform, and environmental protection. As Earl Tarver of the Alabama Council on Human Relations notes, “The GLD program transforms persons from attenders at meetings to people who stand up and speak and organize in communities.”

The GLD program contains two phases:

• A series of participatory workshops held over a one-year period;
• A subsequent six-month practicum for active learning and development of leadership skills.

Participants learn to challenge external and internalized oppression, make persuasive presentations, plan and carry out effective issue campaigns, communicate effectively with the media, and work constructively in their communities. All participants receive thorough training in rationales and strategies for tax and constitutional reform, and have the opportunity to work with some of Alabama's leading advocates and organizers in these areas.

Leadership succession and nurturing young leaders is another objective of the Grassroots Leadership Development program. GLD alumni continue to progress in their leadership. Cindy Lowry is now the executive director of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, where she worked as an organizer during her tenure with AOP. Tracy Perryman has joined the board of FOCAL. Leewood Morgan joined the board of Alabama Arise and was also elected to be the president of his residential association. Pamela Madzima received a promotion at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, and Alden Harris now serves as International Marketing and Trade Specialist for the State of Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.

Alabama is fortunate to have a wealth of closely knit communities, each with their own leadership, strengths, and challenges. Through the Grassroots Leadership Development program, the Alabama Organizing Project brings community leaders together for collaboration, training, and enrichment. Only by developing a network of highly competent leaders across the highways and rural roads of the state alike can we hope to harness the power of the people to effect change in the statehouse and beyond.

Program costs include lodging, food and travel expenses for participants. AOP also offers children’s activities for participants who need to bring their children. AOP works hard to secure funding to allow us to offer full and partial scholarships to those applicants in need. In order to help cover some of the expenses, we ask all applicants who are accepted to pay a $25.00 registration fee. We also ask participants to contribute in other ways as described in the GLD Program Policy. It is AOP’s desire to make this program a valuable resource and a meaningful experience.

Although the program is open, interested participants must secure the sponsorship of an AOP member organization to be eligible to apply.