by George Lakey

Both the U.S. and the world were busy polarizing in 2003. Early in the year the New York Times called grassroots activism "the second global super-power." People of color took the lead in defeating this round of the U.S. corporate effort to squeeze more profit out of our hemisphere: the Miami conference of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. Another dictator was overthrown by people power; the leaders of the Georgian insurgency were advised by Serbians who earlier had nonviolently overthrown Milosevic. And U.S. grassroots mobilizationforced several Democratic Party politicians to distance themselves from the war against Iraq if they were to have any hope of winning a presidential nomination.

Polarization provides opportunity for change. As Martin Luther King knew, polarization opens the door to a greater degree of justice, of freedom, of environmental sanity, of peace. No one now would know about the civil rights movement if it had not been an exercise in polarization.

As Dr. King also knew, polarization is a testing time for activists. Can we take the heat? Do we have the knowledge, the stamina, the unity, the inner strength? At TfC, 17 trainers assisted 1500 activists to move toward those qualities in 2003. Over 200 of them were given training skills to increase the ripple effect -- so thousands more can become empowered in 2004 to face nonviolently these turbulent times.

"Without a vision, the people go to war."

A crucial part of an alternative, peaceful vision is when grassroots people make themselves human shields for other activists to work for democracy and justice. TfC spent two years creating the most extensively researched training curriculum in this field, Opening Space for Democracy: Third Party Nonviolent Intervention -- over 600 pages of exercises, simulations, and hand-outs including a trainer's manual. The book includes a detailed 23-day curriculum that prepares people to do the dangerous work of defending human rights and people's struggles for justice.

In 2003 we field-tested the curriculum with colleagues from Thailand and Zimbabwe, for the newest international nongovernmental organization in this work, Nonviolent Peaceforce. In light of the 18-day test we extensively revised the curriculum, published it on our website, and began to share it through the first of a series of trainings of trainers.

Unlearning racism, classism, and homophobia

Activists can't handle the pressures of polarization if we can't maintain unity among people working for justice and environmental sustainability. Domination maintains itself by keeping people apart, by keeping white people clueless about how to work effectively with people of color, bydistancing social classes from each other, by privileging heterosexualmen over other genders and sexual orientations.

In 14 training events TfC facilitators assisted a range of people to break out of their unconscious and divisive behaviors, from young anarchists to elderly college faculty members. TfC trainers built unity in 8 otherevents, from assisting disability movement leaders and labor leaders to forge coalition, to nurturing a network of spiritual activists. Getting smarter about people power

We're finding rising demand for smart strategy that uses nonviolent action to assert human values against profit and domination. For example, the Canadian Solidarity Assembly called us to their national conference to assist their facilitation team. The question: how to move170 leaders from a range of social movements across Canada togreater clarity and focus by learning strategy insights from each other?

In 17 workshops TfC trainers worked with strategy and tactics of nonviolent action, including environmental leaders from across the state of Kentucky. The work has motivated us to create a new "Strategy Project" in 2004-05 which will equip more trainers to empower activist groups with strategizing skills.

The largest Super-T yet

TfC's eighth Super-T in Philadelphia included two dozen participants from Canada, Britain, Serbia, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, and around the U.S. We took our "signature workshop" -- the Training for Social Action Trainers -- to Wells College students and to the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. We prepared a special training for the faculty of Rollins College (Florida) which emphasized the pedagogy of diversity -- how college teachers can teach in ways that support the voices of difference in the room rather than marginalize them.

All together, TfC did 13 three to five-day workshops for over 200 trainers, a quarter of whom were people of color. This is in addition to the 30 specialized trainers in the field of third party nonviolent intervention who participated in two events. TfC's vision is for every social movement working for justice, environmental sanity and peace to have its own, highly competant trainers to assist activists to make the most of turbulent times. Since 1992 TfC has led over 130 training of trainer events in North America alone!

TfC's capacity growing

The work in 2003 cost about $165,000, which was covered by workshop fees, consulting fees, foundation grants, and individual contributions. Because demand is growing TfC will need more income in 2004, especially to expand the anti-racism work, fund the Strategy Project, and respond to requests from the Global South. TfC Training Associates grew from 8 to 10 in 2003 and met twice to increase their effectiveness in responding to the need.

Grateful thanks for the enthusiasm of volunteers (including those who host our Philadelphia participants), trainers who donate their time, satisfied graduates who tell their friends to come to TfC trainings, localsponsors all over the world, staffers Marjorie Fulmer, DanielHunter, Skylar Fein, Susan Lee), Central Philadelphia Friends Meeting, Board members, and generous donors.