Citizen Works Projects

These projects form the core of our initial effort to build broad citizen coalitions to challenge the corporate takeover of our democracy.

1. First Thursday Forums:

Citizen Works convenes and organizes monthly meetings of top leaders at some of the nation's best citizen organizations - from PIRG to TransAfrica to the Democracy Action Project. These meetings provide a space for citizen leaders to share ideas, campaigns, and strategies.

2. Training Program:

There are dozens of programs across the country to train activists. Unfortunately, they run below capacity and without coordination. We're changing that by linking these groups, creating materials, and building a national calendar of grassroots trainings. Click here to use our National Training Directory.

3. Website with Civic Tools:

Our website has the best collection of citizenship tools anywhere on the web, as well as providing a database of useful documents on all sorts of issues. Soon, we'll be introducing a database of training organizations, a comprehensive event calendar, and a Citizen Spotlight on individual activists each week.

4. Young Leader Exchange:

Though inspired young people are found everywhere, many young leaders come to Washington, DC with a plan to make a difference. Organizers, researchers, and advocates that will help form the leadership of the rising citizen movement are invited to our bi-weekly Young Leader Exchanges to build an active network and strengthen the bonds of the citizen movement.

5. Democracy Summit:

We are planning to convene thousands of citizens from across the country in Washington, DC this year to reclaim the ideals of true democracy and to determine a national strategy for turning those reclaimed ideals into altered policy for democracy, justice, and sustainability.

6. Incubation Program:

Countless activists want to start new organizations working on important issues, but many begin without resources and experience. Citizen Works is providing new "start-up" organizations with office space, resources, and guidance through our Incubation Program. Interested groups and individuals should contact Ali Arace.

7. Quick Response Program:

Citizen Works has been structured with the flexibility to create new projects on a moment's notice. Our first project was creating a Citizen's Agenda to counter post-September 11th wartime opportunism while working to expose a pattern of ill-timed policy and outright profiteering. Our current project brings together citizen advocates from the fields of energy policy, pensions, securities, corporate governance, and accounting to address the corporate crime, fraud and abuses in the latest corporate crime wave.

8. Grassroots Organizing and Advocacy:

Citizen Works has contacts with a large citizen constituency and is working to inform and include our contacts in major national campaigns - as well as linking the public with cutting-edge ideas and projects.