Tom Tresser has been designing and delivering leadership training for over 30 years. He has designed and facilitated many workshops aimed at creative workers, nonprofit leaders, and social justice champions. These two-hour workshops include:

• “Community Organizing 101” – The basics for approaching the work of community empowerment – how do the powerless get power?
• “Grassroots Campaigning 101” – Specially formatted for creative workers – the basics for running a creative campaign for local office! – Can lead to a full-day Campaign School that includes mock campaigns where attendees deliver stump speeches backed up by signage and even a campaign song – all made on the spot!
• “Public 101” – Perhaps the most critical piece of civics we can be about – the Far Right and Big Business has spent 50 years degrading the very notion of “public” and the idea that government can and ought to deliver BIG and BOLD solutions to pressing systematic ills. This workshop uses several cases pulled from the headlines to spark thinking and discussion.
• “Civic Engagement 101” – What exactly is “civic engagement” and how can we bring more people into public life? This is a fundamental workshop to enter the converation – we explore the Civic Heart, the Civic Brain, and the Civic Muscle.

Download a PDF of Tom’s Training Offerings

CREATIVE CAMPAIGN TRAINING

Tom Tresser has been training creative workers, artists, and nonprofit leaders to lead in public life – including running for local office since 1991!

We can create in-person or online training experiences designed for the nonprofit and cultural worker. Our standard workshop is a two-hour experience and is designed for people who are exploring the idea of running for office or helping someone run and covers these basic topics:

• Why fight? Why run for local office?
• What does it take to run for local office?
• What do you bring to public life as a nonprofit or cultural worker that is unique and needed?
• The basics of a grassroots campaign
• Creative work: Crafting a one-minute stump speech
• Redy for the next steps?

We then counsel hosting organizations to prepare and be ready to offer our full-day Creative Campaign School for those who are committed to running or helping someone to run. We cover the ground on prep for a grassroots campaign and there is also a significant block of time for creative work as we create a series of mini-rallies complete with campaign speeches, signage, and music! All attendees get a USB drive loaded with resources, guides, templates, and much more! Note: The Creative America Project was a work Tom organized in the early and mid-2000’s to inspire and train artists and cultural leaders to run for local office. The work got no funding or support from America’s arts and culture organizations, so he moved on. Now he has returned to this work!