Organizing Support Center
ROz Lee & Joan Minieri, Co-Directors
The New York City Organizing Support Center (NYCOSC), created in 1997, provides training, technical support and political education to grassroots organizations. “The purpose is to strengthen the use of community organizing as a tool to build power for justice.” NYCOSC works collaboratively with groups across the city to strengthen the infrastructure for progressive and social change and designs programs that reflect organizing needs and priorities. NYCOSC’s key objectives are to encourage and strengthen community-organizing efforts by developing local leadership. NYCOSC also provides a space for networking, collaboration and strategizing on key social and economic issues facing low-income communities throughout the City.
NYCOSC workshops concentrate on areas identified by the grassroots community such as organizing skills and concepts, grassroots fundraising and technology. Fundraising sessions focus on donor recruitment and create ready-to-use work plans. A workshop series, “Building Power for Justice; The History and Vision of Community Organizing” brings in organizers and historians to facilitate sessions co-sponsored by the Continuing Education and Public Programs at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Technology forums and projects concretely link computer communication strategies to organizing goals and foster collaboration among groups working on similar campaigns. Training is also conducted in Spanish in response to the growing need of organizers from Latino/a communities. Networking events and citywide strategy sessions have included a conference on community organizing and electoral politics and a forum on community organizing after September 11th.