Facilitate for Freedom Training (Fall 2026)

2026 is a year shaped by political precarity and heightened pressure for our movements for liberation. As our groups convene to make decisions about tactics, budgets, and plans, we believe that how those meetings are facilitated can have a critical impact on both our outcomes, and the group’s culture. With skillful facilitation, we can unlock sharper strategy, deeper trust in our groups, and more precise focus in our formations.

Our flagship 3-hour online Facilitate for Freedom Training lays the groundwork for how anyone facilitating a meeting can make choices that guide the group towards our most liberatory values. Through dynamic storytelling and real meeting examples, this training introduces two of AORTA’s facilitation pedagogy principles: remove barriers to full participation and the practice of principled disagreement.

The Facilitate for Freedom Training is for you if…

• You facilitate meetings about decisions, conversations, and processes of collaboration in social justice work.
• You are ready to reflect on your own group process facilitation practice.
• You feel full alignment with AORTA’s commitment to move groups that we facilitate towards: deep democratization and collective governance, developing many leaders, building resiliency and healing, the practice of principled struggle.

We welcome you wherever you are in your facilitation journey - beginners and seasoned practitioners alike.

Fall 2026 Training Dates

• August 20, 2026, 10am-1pm PT/11am-2pm MT/12-3pm CT/1-4pm ET
• September 24, 2026, 10am-1pm PT/11am-2pm MT/12-3pm CT/1-4pm ET
• October 20, 2026, 10am-1pm PT/11am-2pm MT/12-3pm CT/1-4pm ET
• November 12, 2026, 10am-1pm PT/11am-2pm MT/12-3pm CT/1-4pm ET

Access information

• Zoom: We will be meeting via Zoom. If you have access to a computer or laptop, we encourage you to join the training by computer to make navigating the materials more easeful
• During the training, we will be navigating between two windows: Zoom and a collaborative slide deck. We will not be using the screen share function.
• Breaks: In our 3 hour training, we will be taking one 5 minute break and one 15 minute break. This break will be timed on the day of to adapt the needs of the group.
• Captions: We will be offering CART Captioning during the training.
• Breakout rooms: This training has one breakout room interaction. Participants can opt in or out of having conversations with other participants.
• Chat: This training includes use of the chat function in Zoom. Participants will be asked to enter responses in the chat throughout the training.
• Pre-training Materials: Before the training, you will receive a view-only, screen reader friendly version of the training slide deck to review if that supports your engagement.
• Post-training Materials: Before the training, you will receive an editable version of the training slide deck to keep. You will also receive a recording of the training, along with a transcript.
• Tech and access support: A tech and access support person will be present throughout the training to attend to any emergent participant needs regarding Zoom, the slide deck, and access.

Communications

• After registering you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite. Reminder emails will be sent from Eventbrite that include the zoom link and training details. These emails will be sent 7 days, 2 days, and 15 minutes before the training date. A follow-up email will be sent with the recording and training materials within 1 business day of the training. If you have not received any of these communications, please contact us immediately. We are not able to issue refunds or extend access beyond the designated time.

How to choose your rate:

AORTA offers our public trainings at different rates depending on your individual and organizational access to money and wealth. Our sliding scale is an intentional effort to distribute resources equitably between organizations and organizers we work with.

Please reflect on the self assessment linked below to help you consider what rate to pay to attend this workshop.

https://aorta.coop/public-program-rates

Rates* for Individuals (cost is per person):

These rates are for you if you are paying for the training without financial support from an organization.

• Solidarity: $90
• Sustain: $135
• Full Cost: $180
• Redistribution: $270

Rates* for individuals supported by organizations (cost is per person):

These rates are for you if you are a member of an organization that is paying for your participation in the training.

• Solidarity: $325
• Sustain: $575
• Full Cost: $825
• Redistribution: $1075

*Note: The rates above do not include eventbrite fees.

Please note our refund, transfer, and cancellation policy for virtual trainings:

AORTA is a small business that depends on stable revenue from our trainings and offerings. As such, we are not able to make exceptions to our refund policy.

• All of our training fees are non-refundable.
• All registrants will receive a recording of the training.
• You may request a transfer of your ticket to a different date within the training series (e.g. a training in the Spring of a calendar year) if a spot is available at your selected ticket rate. Requests must be made more than 7 business days prior to the training.
• Additionally, you can transfer your registration to a different participant (their name and email address must be shared at least 3 business days prior to the training).
• If AORTA needs to cancel the training (due to unforeseen circumstances, such as the trainer becoming ill), then we will do our best to reschedule the training for a later date. If you are unable to attend at the rescheduled date, or if AORTA is not able to reschedule the training, then you will have the option to be fully refunded, transfer you registration as outlined in 3 and 4 above, or convert your registration fees to a donation to support AORTA’s ongoing work to strengthen movements and organizations working for social justice.