History
In 1993, a group of community and labor organizers came together with a shared vision for building and strengthening the organizing infrastructure in Minnesota. To build this infrastructure, the founders formed OAP and worked to increase the number of skilled and diverse organizers and build deeper relationships and capacity among organizing groups. Underlying all of OAP’s work has been a commitment to providing organizers with the skills and tools to be more effective agents for social change in their communities.
To fulfill this mission, OAP created a six-month apprenticeship program for emerging organizers. The apprenticeship focuses on core organizing principles, but within a context of multicultural multiracial Minnesota communities working for equity. This dynamic training experience is a transformative one for the apprentices, but also for OAP as it continually engages in different communities with varying experiences. OAP’s apprenticeship program has been a model for other statewide and regional training programs across the country, and OAP graduates have become leaders in state, regional, and national organizing campaigns and organizations.
In 2006, the Organizing Apprenticeship Project expanded its mission to deepen the commitment to racial justice. Through research and policy analysis that thoroughly examines the structural causes and solutions to racial inequity, OAP gives organizers and community organizations real tools for advancing a racial justice agenda. Resources include an annual Legislative Report Card on Racial Equity, a series of Racial Equity Policy Briefs, and budget tools.
Informing all of OAP’s work are the networks and relationships that grow out of regular meetings of organizers and community groups. OAP provides the creative space for groups to draw on their own experiences to create a shared vision for strong and equitable communities. These sessions allow participants to articulate issues and strategies, which, in turn, inform OAP’s research and policy papers, and build a stronger bridge between research and community organizing.
