The Chamberlain Network Holds Its First Civic Leadership Convening

This February, The Chamberlain Network brought together 15 veterans from across the country for our first-ever Civic Leadership Convening in Atlanta. Over the course of three days we focused on one question: how do you turn concern into action?

The answer, it turns out, is to build community and empower veterans with the skills to put it to work.

Over the course of the convening, participants worked through the full arc of civic engagement, from understanding how elections and local advocacy actually work, to developing the specific skills needed to show up effectively. They practiced storytelling, media outreach, social media campaigns, direct-to-camera communication, and organizing community events. Breakout sessions gave participants time to apply what they were learning to their own issues and communities, mapping their networks, and drafting real plans they could take home.

The agenda was designed to maximize skill development and relationship building. Day one grounded participants in the landscape of the domestic deployments we’ve seen over the last year, and how to communicate to their communities and elected officials with impact. Day two focused on the future, and the safety of our elections. By day three, the focus shifted to what comes next with each participant leaving with a clearer sense of their own issue area and the tools to start moving.

Peer relationships often matter as much as any workshop.

We were proud to see fifteen people come in as individuals and leave as one community.

We're already thinking about our next convening later this summer. If you're a veteran who wants to learn how to be an effective advocate in your community, stay tuned for the next application cycle.