Sixty four domestic workers and staff from their organizations gathered in northern California to kick off the SOL (Strategy Organizing Leadership) capacity building program on May 26-29, 2011. The excitement of beginning this 2 year program and their new roles as part-time organizers bubbled to the surface from the opening moments of the retreat.  For many of the workers, this was the first time they had travelled and the first time they met domestic worker-leaders from other cities.  Their eagerness was apparent, and at no point did they hesitate to build relationships with new people, engage in political education, learn organizing skills, and raise their self awareness through body-based practices.

We began the four days by talking about how their individual experiences as women, workers and immigrants exemplify the need for the CARE campaign and connect them to each other and to seniors, the Union movement, and the broader need for social change.  They created collective visions that cemented their commitment to changing their local communities as well as national conditions.  The rest of the retreat focused on raising their self awareness and organizing capacity given the crucial role they play in the CARE campaign and broader social change.  Through somatic practices, they identified their fears, challenges and strengths as new organizers.   

The retreat marked the beginning not only of the five multi-day training sessions, but also of their tenures as part time organizers.  Since their work as organizers will often focus on recruitment, the session worked to help them build self awareness of how they show up doing outreach, and helped them build the skills and competencies need to excel in this work.  Participants developed individual commitments to guide their individual growth and development over the next year.  These commitments addressed their individual desires to build characteristics like confidence, courage, and interdependence.  And they also spoke to their dedication to building the 26 emerging domestic worker organizations they represent by bringing in hundreds of new members through their outreach over the coming year.  The retreat closed with participants creating peer groups of three to four women in different cities that will do monthly calls to support and push each other to succeed as organizers and leaders.

The next NDWA SOL training is scheduled for late October in New York City.