The Solidarity Leaders Lab offers an opportunity for leaders to take intentional time away from day-to-day challenges to be in community with others who are working towards just futures and regenerative practices.
This fellowship program has three goals: to build relationships that bolster our access to mutual support, to learn and refresh practices that help move us collectively towards durable and positive change, and to renew our energies in an environment crafted to open our hearts and light up our vitality.
What do we mean by “Solidarity Leaders”?
Often, leadership is defined narrowly to mean the person at the top of the organization, or the community initiative, or the family. We don’t see it that way. We subscribe to the idea that leadership is actually a way of approaching your Good Work in partnership with the people around you, helping others move towards a shared purpose while fostering durable relationships and strong collaboration.
Leadership is about how you activate and inspire other people: sharing the load, creating vital authentic relationships, and inviting participation, accountability, and commitment. It is an ongoing practice.
“Practicing leadership – enabling others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty – requires engaging the heart, the head, and the hands: motivation, strategy, and action.”
We will anchor our exploration of leadership by cultivating:
- Clarity of Purpose: The ability to clearly discern and name the purpose of our shared work
- Compassion: The wisdom to move from a place of groundedness, compassion, and patience despite the urgency of the challenges we face
- Collaboration: The skills to facilitate durable change by creating vital, equitable conditions for others to move towards shared purpose
Through interactive sessions, we will reflect on our work through a systemic lens, learn and practice the skills essential to solidarity leaders, build trust with each other, and cultivate joy and vitality! Topics will include: Sharing Power and Decision-Making; Participatory Facilitation and Organizing; Cooperative Principles in Practice; Just Transition and the Solidarity Economy.
Program Dates
We will meet every other week for 3-hour sessions, in-person at our space Kingston NY, with a few longer days and one 3-day retreat. The full schedule will be released in January. Here are a few key dates:
-
- Kick-off: Friday, April 3, 10am-5pm
-
- Retreat: Thursday morning – Saturday evening, May 14-16 @ The Uplands
-
- Wrap-up: Friday, June 12, 10am-5pm
-
- Celebratory Dinner, Wednesday, June 17, 5-8pm
Who is this for?
This program is for leaders at all stages and across sectors. There are many ways to work towards a just and regenerative future. Whether you are coming with decades of solidarity economy expertise or just starting the journey leading social change work, we invite you to join us.
We aim to gather a diverse group of 16-20 leaders who are open to the concept that we are stronger together, and who are eager to connect and learn across arenas of experience. This program is primarily offered in-person and one of its benefits is the relationships you will build with each other, therefore it is ideal for folks who live in the region. We may accept people from outside the region as long as they can commit to attending all sessions in-person.
Eligibility
If you are aligned with Just Transition, have been called to work towards positive, collective change, and want to spend time in reflection with allies, practicing skills, and clarifying your purpose, this program is for you.
-
- You are committed to Just Transition in action. You might be a community activist, a leader in an organization, or a working member of a collaborative project or business.
-
- You are based in or near the Mahikantuck Valley/Hudson Valley of New York, and can participate in-person in this program.
-
- You are able to commit to the program dates! Please check over our key dates above to make sure you will be available during the program’s timeframe, including the retreat on May 14-16.
-
- You are eager to connect with other change-agents to strengthen your work and contribute to a network of mutual support.
PREREQUISITE: You must have taken our one-day workshop The Art of Facilitation. If you have not yet taken this workshop, we will be offering it March 20 and March 25, 1-5pm, in advance of the fellowship start.
Application and Registration Process
- If you have questions or want to meet the facilitators, please attend a fellowship info session to learn about the program. If you have further questions, you can also contact us and we will be happy to get back to you. INFO SESSIONS:
- Dec 3, 2:00-2:30pm – on Zoom
- Dec 18, 2:00-2:30pm – on Zoom
- Jan 7, 6:00-6:30pm – on Zoom
- Jan 27, 2:30-3:00pm – in-person
- Missed our info sessions? We can share the recording with you.
- Applications will be open for submission Dec 1 – Feb 1. Submit your application via our simple application form. If you’d prefer to fill out the form by hand, we are happy to provide you with a printed version.
- After you apply, we will contact you by February 15 to share next steps, which may include a short interview.
- You will receive notification of acceptance on or before March 1, and will have until March 15 to confirm your participation by registering.
- If you end up on the waitlist, we will notify you by the end of March if we are able to include you in this year’s program.
Facilitators
This fellowship program is being created and offered by GWI’s programming team who have decades of combined experience in facilitation, program design, and transformative experiences. Drawing from their individual styles and backgrounds, as well as GWI’s extensive toolbox honed over six fellowship programs, scores of workshops, facilitation engagements, and cohort-based programming, the facilitators for this program are collaborating to design and provide this holistic cohort experience. To read more about our team, please visit our People page.
Deadline: FEB 1, 2026
Please submit your application by Feb 1. If accepted into the program, you will need to confirm your participation by March 15. Our online application form can be found here.
Accessibility: Our registration form includes a question about accessibility needs. We are able to offer closed captioning for any online portions of this program.
Fee
The full cost of this fellowship, per person, is $4600-$3500 (depending on the total number of participants). In order to be accessible, we are offering a sliding scale fee. General guidance for selecting your fee can be found below. Your fee will be used to cover program facilitation, materials, space rental, meals, etc.
| Fee Level | Amount Requested | Fee Guidance |
| “I want to cover the full cost of the program” | $3,500 | If your participation is paid for by an organization with a generous professional development budget or if you are paying for this class on your own and your current level of expendable income is ample, we encourage you to select this fee that supports us in covering the actual costs of offering this program. |
| “I can cover this!” | $2,250 | If your participation is paid for by an organization with a regular professional development budget or if you are paying for this class on your own and your current level of expendable income is adequate, we encourage you to select this discounted fee. |
| “This is a stretch for me.” | $1,250 | If your participation is paid for by a small organization with an irregular or limited budget for professional development or if you are paying for this class on your own and doing so creates a sense of trade-offs within your limited expendable income, we encourage you to select this discounted fee. |
| “I can pay something.” | $600 | If your participation is paid for by an emerging organization with an irregular or limited budget for professional development or you are paying for this program on your own and doing so creates a sense of hardship because you currently experience limited access to a level of financial resources adequate to meet all your needs, we encourage you to select this discounted fee. |
| Full Scholarship (limited number) | $0 | If you are applying to this program on your own and paying a fee would create a sense of hardship because you currently experience limited access to a level of financial resources adequate to meet all your needs, we encourage you to apply for a full scholarship. Full scholarship participants have access to a need-based stipend to help cover costs of participation. |