Join the Change Collective

• Robust learning modules: Each training will build toward planning, organizing, and executing your Civic Action Plan. This includes hard skills and key concepts to push your thinking of what is possible in your community and your place in that possibility. 
• A collection of case studies: Examples of real people working for change in their communities, with lessons of what to do, and examples of what to avoid.
• Practical exercises: Steps to apply the lessons learned to your specific project and grow in your leadership.
• A library of resources: Structured to help you move through the content, take notes, and continue your learning outside of the program gatherings. 
• Access to incredible guest speakers: Local and national experts will share their experiences and address common questions and roadblocks.
• Opportunities to connect: Engaging with each other to deepen our leadership practice and workshop content together.

The $950 cost will support Change Collective cohort members in travel and lodging costs for our National Change Labs — a core part of the training and curriculum for the program. At the Change Collective, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Removing barriers to access means anyone with financial need will be able to have costs covered through fee waivers or payment plans. Unsure whether you can cover this cost? Individuals eligible to receive a program fee waiver could include, but are not limited to:

• Employees of government, education and/or nonprofit organizations
• Small business owners
• Community organizers 
• Non-U.S. citizens
• Returning citizens

Interested applicants may be considered for full fee waivers or a six-month payment plan of $158.33 per month from enrollment through the completion of the six-month curriculum. 

To participate in the program, you must live full-time in Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, or Jackson, MS, for the duration of the program and be able to commit to full participation in in-person and virtual trainings.

Our intensive training programming will run from March–September 2025 with a National Change Lab taking place in March 2025. Local Change Labs will occur on the following Saturdays from 10:00 am–4:00 pm local time:

• Lab 1 — Saturday, March 29, 2025
• Lab 2 — Saturday, April 26, 2025
• Lab 3 —  Saturday, May 31, 2025
• Lab 4 — Saturday,  June 28, 2025
• Lab 5 — Saturday,  July 26, 2025

Changemakers accepted to the program will attend a kick-off convening at our National Change Lab in March and will attend one weekend training each month for the 5-month duration of the program. We expect participants will dedicate 10 hours a month to the development and implementation of their Civic Action Plan through online and in-person trainings and skill-building sessions.

We are dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion in every facet of the program. Our aim is to unite leaders representing various identities, cultures, religions, educational and professional backgrounds, and political perspectives. Change Collective participants share a common goal of fostering inclusivity, collaboration, and connectivity with fellow changemakers in their city.