vaplp@engageva.org
Application due Friday March 13
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Application due Friday March 13 ❁
Program Details
Skill-building Retreats
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Movement Leadership
May 15-17 | Middleburg, VA
Community Organizing
June 12-14 | Washington, DC
Narrative + Storytelling
July 17-19 | Harrisonburg, VA
Organization Development
July 17-19 | Harrisonburg, VA
We’ll lay the groundwork by reflecting on our roles in the social change ecosystem and white supremacy culture, analyzing power dynamics within social movements, and envisioning Virginia's future.
Focusing on relational organizing, we’ll examine how organizing can create political homes through base- building, leadership development, campaign design, and movement strategy.
This retreat will begin and end with storytelling about our past and future, with a primary focus on narrative change through framing, messaging, audience analysis, and strategy evaluation.
We’ll explore how we build resilient organizations through topics like principled disagreement, generative conflict, theory of change, facilitation, and decision-making.
Workshop Goals
Retreat 1: Movement Leadership
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Participants will be able to define and explain the Social Change Ecosystem and identify their current and future roles within the SCE, as well as utilize the connections and relationships that sustain them to move the work of social change forward.
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Participants will be able to define white supremacy as a foundational epistemology of the dominant culture and society; identify characteristics of white supremacy at play in our daily lives and practices; and devise strategies and implement practices to combat white supremacy culture in our work.
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Participants will reflect on different time periods of U.S. history with significant historical impact and analyze what factors led to certain social movements taking off.
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Participants will identify their values, reflect on the tension between espoused and enacted values, and connect shared values within the organizational and systemic structures we move and work in.
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Participants will be able to identify imagination deficits in organizational and sector work patterns, and incorporate radical imagination as a process and tool for strategy-building and planning in liberation and social change work.
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Using the previous workshops and a modified version of the Powell Memorandum, participants will chart a path to transform Virginia from what it is to Virginia as it should be.
Retreat 3: Narrative + Storytelling
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Participants will share their stories of self, us, & now with each other; and will be able to harness their own stories as tools to advocate.
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Participants will be reflect on the relationship between culture, cultural organizing, and narrative work; identify dominant and counter narratives in our society.
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Participants will analyze numerous case studies of narrative campaigns to identify the components of successful narrative strategy.
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Participants will pull from the Base-Building workshop and practice tailoring to different audiences.
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Participants will be able to incorporate intentional framing and strategic messaging into their narrative change strategy, utilizing tools like a message box.
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Participants will identify indicators for narrative success and use the Continuum of Impact to analyze narrative and social impact strategy.
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Participants will be able to define the different storytelling areas or “themes” within social change work and craft stories within the thematic frameworks that center abundance and liberation rather than pain or trauma.
Retreat 2: Community Organizing
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Reflecting on the work of the ancestors and leaders who have come before us, participants will be able to illustrate and share the torches they carry and legacies they hope to leave behind in their lives and work.
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Participants will be able to define and identify the components of social change movements and community organizing, and describe their relationships to one another.
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Participants will be able to identify their constituency and base; and develop and implement a base-building plan to grow, communicate, and mobilize their base(s).
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Participants will be able to independently and collaboratively devise holistic strategies for deepening engagement and fostering leadership for the members of their organizing base.
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Participants will take a deep dive into campaign strategy and tactics, including but not limited to the life cycle of a campaign and a window into direct actions.
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Participants will analyze the opportunities and barriers of different organizing strategies and apply what’s learned to a simulated debate of which organizing strategy is “best” for certain scenarios.
Retreat 4: Organization Development **ADJUST
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Participants will be able to define and explain the Social Change Ecosystem and identify their current and future roles within the SCE, as well as utilize the connections and relationships that sustain them to move the work of social change forward.
-
Participants will be able to define white supremacy as a foundational epistemology of the dominant culture and society; identify characteristics of white supremacy at play in our daily lives and practices; and devise strategies and implement practices to combat white supremacy culture in our work.
-
Participants will reflect on different time periods of U.S. history with significant historical impact and analyze what factors led to certain social movements taking off.
-
Participants will identify their values, reflect on the tension between espoused and enacted values, and connect shared values within the organizational and systemic structures we move and work in.
-
Participants will be able to identify imagination deficits in organizational and sector work patterns, and incorporate radical imagination as a process and tool for strategy-building and planning in liberation and social change work.
-
Using the previous workshops and a modified version of the Powell Memorandum, participants will chart a path to transform Virginia from what it is to Virginia as it should be.
Sample Schedules
Staff Preview
Program Stewards
Nico pic + bio
Facilitators
Facilitators for Pod 12 will be posted here in February, 2026
Selections Committee
Harmony pic + bio
Selection Committee Members for Pod 12 will be posted here in January, 2026
VAPLP Commitment
The Virginia Progressive Leadership Program (VAPLP) is a collective learning experience built on trust, shared growth, and deep engagement. Each participant contributes to the strength of the cohort, and our time together is designed to honor both your leadership and the leadership of those learning alongside you.
Because of this, participants are expected to attend every retreat weekend and every workshop in full, to the best of their ability. This commitment supports not only your own development, but also the relationships, continuity, and collective learning that make the program transformative.
We ask for this level of participation because:
Our curriculum builds over time. Each session connects to the next, creating a cohesive arc of learning.
Your presence matters. The program depends on the trust and accountability developed within the cohort, and that can only happen through consistent engagement.
We honor everyone’s time and effort. VAPLP invests significant resources to make this program accessible and free of cost, and we structure each weekend intentionally to support participants’ growth.
We understand participants are balancing many responsibilities. We ask that you communicate proactively if conflicts arise and approach this commitment with intention and presence.
Because VAPLP invests significant resources to provide a no-cost, accessible program, participants who leave a retreat early, do not attend a retreat or workshop, or withdraw from the program without consulting with the Program Stewards may be responsible for reimbursing associated costs, such as accommodations or travel stipends, when applicable.
Application Process
1. Application
Our application includes contact/employment info, community affiliations, four free response questions, and a stipend self-assessment. Responses can be submitted in written, visual, audio, or video form. You will be notified by Thursday, March 19, if you have been selected for an interview.
2. Zoom Panel Interview
Selected applicants will be invited to a Zoom interview with two members of our selections committee. We provide the interview questions beforehand for transparency. They focus on your experience, motivation for applying, and your hopes for the program.
3. Selection Notice
Applicants are evaluated based on alignment with VAPLP’s goals + purpose. We will notify all interviewees of our decision on April 8th.
4. Confirmation
Selected applicants must confirm their participation and commitment to the program by Friday, April 10th. Once confirmed, participants will receive onboarding materials, required forms, and details about our first retreat!