Introduction: This activity, which I developed and led for the National Education Union in the U.K. and Wales, aims to support union staff to make the members feel and be empowered, teaching them by modeling what it means to “own” the union’s organizing. It disrupts the transmission model of training and with it the hierarchy of the business union.

In curriculum and instruction this format would be identified as “student-centered instruction” relying on small groups. It uses a format of

I think it differs from other models of union organizing because it assumes that members, even those who are very new, have much to teach one another—and staff running the workshops. It relies on the workshop leader being very knowledgeable about the issues and being able to let participants “own” their ideas.