A million years ago I co-founded the Free Shakespeare Company with Frank Farrell and became its Managing Director. I acted in some 20 plays and projects with them and recently found myself giving presentations on performing Shakespeare! It was a blast to revisit the subject!
I teach “Civics 101” for the awesome training and leadership development organization i c stars. The most current class, Cycle 47, sent me a wonderful set of images expressing how the class (four sessions) impacted them. I was deeply touched. Thank you. If you would like a civics workshop, please contact me at tom@civiclab.us. You can see the workshops I offer via the POWER Institute.
Saturday – July 18, 10am-12pm CST
Register @ https://tinyurl.com/CE-Time-Isolation-7-18-20
The times call for more participation in public life, not less. How can we do justice, do civic work, and fight for equity and the well-being of our neighbors in a time of isolation? This webinar experience will address this issue and participants will join small groups to explore, share, and – hopefully – laugh! We will share insights around isolation, resilience, effectiveness, tool building, and more. It will be facilitated by Tom Tresser and Jonathan Peck, of the CivicLab (www.civiclab.us), Chicago’s “do tank” for innovation and capacity building around civic engagement and social justice. Jonathan and Tom have a combined 60 year experience in social justice, organizing, and grassroots campaigning.
Registered for the June 13th session were leaders from these institutions:
University of Chicago – WTTW Public TV Chicago – Loyola University – Northwestern University – Ohio University – Mercer University – Cal State University (Channel islands, Chico, Los Angeles, East Bay, San Marcos, Long Beach) – Stanford University – Centenary College of Louisiana – San Jose State University – Emory University – Tisch College of Public Life, Tufts University – Stanislaus State University – Sonoma State University – Texas Christian University – Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Frederick Douglass Center for Collaborative Leadership- Cincinnati Federation of Teachers – Indivisible Illinois – New Have Christian Church – Sierra Club – STRUT Learning – Center for Media & Democracy – Blocks Together Chicago – Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights – Arts Alliance Illinois – Lutheran School of Theology – Northside Action for Justice – SEIU – Enlace Chicago – Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights – NAME Illinois – Vietnamese Association of Illinois – Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago – Public Health Institute – Arts Alliance Illinois – Ohio University – Northside Action for Justice (Chicago) – UNICEF USA – Illinois Collaboration on Youth – UBUNTU Academy
…with these titles:
Director of Campus & Community Engagement – Faculty Director of Community Engagement – Director, Office of Service Learning – Director of Community Partnerships – VP, Community Engagement -Executive Director, Student Civic Engagement – Faculty Director, Global Studies Program – Program Director, Community Action Volunteers in Education – Founding Director – Restorative Justice Coordinator – Organizer – Deputy Director for Civic Engagement – Team Lead – President – Census Coordinator – Youth Programs – Field Organizer – Deputy Director, Civic Engagement – Director of the Center for Campus & Community Engagement -Organizer – Community Engagement Manager – Chief Program Officer – CEO
Illustration: Gracia Lam
The CivicLab was profiled in the June 27th edition of Progress Illinois.
“July marks one year since the CivicLab, a non-profit organization, opened its “democracy design studio” in the West Loop of Chicago.
Looking ahead, one of the CivicLab’s co-founders says big plans are in the pipeline for year two of the co-working space, which is dedicated to collaboration, education and innovation for social change and civic engagement.
Seven organizations focused on issues such as housing justice, voter registration and health care are currently working out of the CivicLab’s storefront, located at 114 N. Aberdeen St.
Other activists, designers, educators and tech experts also gather and do research at the space, which is housed in a rehabbed 1890s firehouse that sits across the street from Harpo Studios, where “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was previously filmed.
In addition to offering a place where people can collaborate, the CivicLab hosts educational workshops and is behind the volunteer-based TIF Illumination Project, which is working to promote transparency around Chicago’s controversial tax increment financing (TIF) program.” [read the full article]
Chicago is said to be the city of Big Plans. But WHO made those plans and who benefits from them? Many big-ticket projects have been proposed by City Hall over the years in order to make Chicago a “world-class city.” But what, exactly, is a world-class city? This study group will review the history of community planning in Chicago, starting with the 1909 Burnham Plan and will investigate key players in the city’s planning history in the present era. Who are they and what, exactly, are they planning for us? We will seek to understand the context and motivations and outcomes for these plans. We will look at the Right To The City movement and other frame-challenging planning movements to see what other sorts of visions can be surfaced for the future of our great city.
This is a peer process of inquiry. The sessions will be co-facilitated by CivicLab co-founder Tom Tresser and CPS teacher and manager of the CivicLab Research Team, Emily Finchum.
There is a Kickoff Event on Saturday February 15 6-8pm and a Finale Event on Saturday April 5 6-8pm. There is no charge to participate. Attendance at all sessions is encouraged. YOU MUST REGISTER HERE.
As an educator and organizer I love to share my research and insights (such as they are). It’s gratifying to know that so many people at least took the time to graze the presentations I put online. Use the contact form to reach me if you’d like a copy of one of these presentations or if you’re interested in a presentation at your organization.
Is there a cause you feel passionate about? Is there an injustice that needs righting? Are you inspired to serve and innovate for the common good?
If so – then you may be thinking about starting a nonprofit organization to channel your efforts and deliver new solutions for your community.
This two hour workshop will walk you through the reasons to and NOT to start a nonprofit organization and what your first steps should be in you DO decide to start a new organization.
$15. Please register online via EventBrite = https://np101-11-6.eventbrite.com.
You will learn:
Tom Tresser is the instructor for this class. Tom is the co-founder of the CivicLab, which is the 13th nonprofit enterprise he has founded or led. He teaches nonprofit management for the Graduate School of Social Work at Loyola University and a number of classes on civic engagement, public policy and leadership for other local educational institutions.
Tom Tresser has been doing TIF Illumination workshops all over the city. Now you can see what over 1,600 other people have seen – how TIFs work REALLY.
Attend the “TIF 101” workshop at the CivicLab on Tuesday, September 17 at 7pm. 90 minutes. $10. You’ll be Illuminated! Register via EventBrite.