Leadership, Organizing, and Action
Spring 2027
Class-SSC 31169
Overview
Leadership, Organizing & Action is an accelerated, 3-credit undergraduate course where CUNY students learn the fundamentals of community organizing through immersive learning, collaborative projects, and individualized coaching. Working in teams, students develop a real organizing mini-campaign while building practical skills in leadership, strategy, and power-building.
Semester: Spring 2027
Location: City College, Room TBD
Units: 3 (Undergraduate)
Instruction Mode: Hybrid Synchronous
Spring 2027 Schedule
Virtual Learning
The course begins with two virtual evening lectures—the week of January 25, 2027 and the week of February 1, 2027—introducing core organizing concepts to prepare students for the in-person intensives.
Weekend Intensive I (February 19–21)
Foundations of Leadership & Organizing
The first weekend focuses on the foundations of community organizing. Students develop their leadership story, practice relational organizing, analyze power structures, identify shared challenges, and begin forming organizing teams.
Weekend Intensive II (March 5–7)
Strategy & Action Planning
Building on the first intensive, students develop strategic organizing frameworks, design team-based mini-campaigns rooted in the strengths of their own communities, and create action plans for collective change.
Coaching & Continued Learning
Following the weekend intensives, students participate in two additional virtual sessions in March and April. During this phase, teaching fellows provide individual and team coaching to help students refine their campaign strategies, strengthen their leadership, and prepare their final projects.
Closing Session
The course concludes with an in-person closing session during the first week of May, where students reflect on their learning, share their organizing projects, and celebrate the completion of the course.
How to Enroll
If you are interested in registering for the Leadership, Organizing, and Action Course, please complete the Pre-Course Survey.
If you are not a CCNY student, you must go through the ePermit process and adhere to all the guidelines and deadlines to successfully register for the course. Please check with your advisors and financial aid offices how the course can count towards your degree. Each campus has different requirements per major.
For additional questions, please reach out to Ricardo Anez Carrasquel at ranezcarrasquel@ccny.cuny.edu.
Interested in Learning More?
Attend a virtual information session!
What’s Next?
Students who successfully complete the course become eligible to apply for LDSJ's 2027 Social Change Fellowship, a year-long leadership development program for CUNY undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in social justice and movement building. Applications for the fellowship will open on February 8, 2027. Selected applicants will be notified by April 10, 2027.