S.O.N.G.

Organizing School
All over the South, SONG sees Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans folks of color, youth, immigrants, and rural folks working to make change. SONG exists to support their work of community organizing. In 2006 and 2007 we engaged in a broad listening campaign that recorded the voices of over 100 Southern and National Ally LGBTQ leaders who weighed in on what a SONG Organizing School could be.

Out of the information that was shared with us, we created the SONG Organizing School, which exists as a tool to build a different conversation and space to support organizing at this time. The School addresses such questions as:
• Because we are in a time of profound social, spiritual and political change—what are the skills needed to meet the moment?
• How can we build local and regional organizing inside and outside of non-profits?
• How can we build our own resiliency and sustainability as communities, in the face of lack of hope and rampant cynicism?

The School uses a 2 part model to accomplish this work:
First, It has a skills building component that builds analysis around 4 themes: BODY, LAND, WORK, and SPIRIT. Each component draws folks into real life conversations about our relationships to our bodies, the land we live on, the work we do and our people have done, and the Spirit that binds all of this together. We approach looking at systems of power through how people are differently affected in all 4 of these areas.
Secondly, the School has a Skills component that focuses on building groups that are sustainable, accountable, and flexible. It has skills sections on: Outreach/Visioning the People, Building Democratic Structures, Conflict, Facilitation, and other pieces.

The School holds 3 different sessions in 3 different communities per year; and partners intentionally with communities over a 3 month process to build the School with a group of local seed leaders. Its eventual goal is to create a network of over 100 organizers who will work together across race, class, culture, gender, sexuality, and age. In the SONG tradition, our work always continues to prioritize and lift up the experiences and voices of people of color, immigrants, working class folk, youth, and rural people. Additionally, we will continue our work on white anti-racist activism and on placing LGBTQ liberation more centrally in social justice struggles. We think that it is important for our communities to have actual opportunities to learn how to organize around issues that affect them in order to build power.

The next school is in Richmond, Virginia from August 20-22, 2009. After that, we are headed to North Carolina.

Camp Outs

Come join us for a weekend of SONG Kin rest, renewal, fun, and political conversation. Children are welcome and we work to make these retreats as accessible as possible. The next one will be in Georgia from October 2-4, location yet to be decided.

People of Color Gatherings
The Goals of the SONG Queer People of Color Gathering are:
* Create a place to meet and connect with other Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Two-Sprit folks of color in the South.
* Carve out a space where we are able to bring our whole selves, and build community with each other.
* Create a space to share our share our stories; share our thoughts on organizing opportunities in the South, as well as connecting around potential work following the gathering.
* Build with each other beyond identity, and towards a dialogue of shared values, and strategic organizing work that impacts our communities, and each of us.