Popular Education & Leadership Development Program

In addition to and woven throughout Fuerza Laboral's campaigns are the two pillars of our model for systemic change: Popular Education and Leadership Development. Our Popular Education Program is the engine for generating new membership; we organize a year-round schedule of workshops on topics related to worker and immigrant rights, as well as leadership development, such as our monthly Basic Workers' Rights Course, a Workers' Compensation course, a RI Wage Law 101 course, and more. Members take turns hosting our twice-monthly Spanish-language radio program, which relates personal experiences with labor abuses to educate our over 20,000 regular listeners on their basic labor rights. 

Fuerza Laboral has a well-defined "leadership ladder" in which members are trained and supported take on increasing levels of involvement. We envision that this systematic process of leadership development will result not only in a core of leaders who play key roles in advancing the mission of Fuerza, but also in likely candidates for future taff positions, at Fuerza or other organizations.

Since our founding in 2006, thousands of workers have participated in our workshops and courses to learn about basic labor rights and organizing. Through intensive training, 1-on-1 mentorship and hands-on organizing experience, many have confronted power and won results on the job, at the Rhode Island State House, and with national level decision-makers.