AORTA is committed to catalyzing and sustaining successful, leaderful movements composed of skilled, democratic, principled, and courageous people and organizations that are able to build collective power and work in solidarity through liberatory praxis (action, learning, reflection).

We have noticed an important and exciting set of transitions, experiments, and shifts connected to shared leadership and democratic practice, across sectors, geographies, and scales. In our organizations, workers are seeking greater transparency, avenues for input, and representation. Leaders are desiring creative ways to cultivate and support collective power and individual agency, while holding their own responsibilities and integrity.

In 2022, we launched the Tidelines program to help shared leadership teams to build greater capacity for shared leadership (e.g. shifting from solo ED to a different model; building a culture of collaboration; designing structures for democratic governance organization-wide). There are so many different and potent models of shared leadership that exist. And, we know that it takes more than adherence to the mechanics of a shared leadership model to really make the transformative cultural shifts we desire. Through facilitated dialogue, inquiry and connection with each other, we will surface the mindsets and practices that can support us to move through change and all that it brings.

The 2024 Cohort is designed for 2 or 3 leadership team members - eg .two lead members of a leadership or coordinating council; two Co-Directors; Director of People and HR Manager; Board Chair and General Manager.

Over the course of 8 sessions cohort members will explore:

• How Change Happens: Pausing to make connections between individual journeys to the work and the roles and work of shared leadership

• Orienting toward a North Star: Rooting in the long cultural and historical arc of shared leadership and mindsets for future

• Expanding the View: Exploring what a Theory of Change can tell us about how we move in shared leadership

• What Gets in the Way: Moving through disagreement through a Black feminist praxis lens

• Noticing our Assumptions: Building values-aligned, shared decision making practices

• Feeling into Possibility: Creating systems of care, support and shared responsibility

• Rigor and Ease: Connecting to structure and governance that will sustain us

• Experiments in Liberation: Integrating group coaching practices into organizational practice

The Tidelines program offers:

• Weekly live workshop sessions for a total of 8 sessions

• 2 x group coaching calls with an AORTA coach and your team

• Reflection and integration exercises between sessions

• A robust set of tried and true resources and tools teams can take back to their organizations and begin implementing right away

• Opportunities to connect and build with participating organizations in a private, learning community hosted on Mighty Networks

• A bonus community conversation session post-program

Application Process and Timeline

Our online application process opens on 6/1/23 and closes on 8/11/23 (new extended deadline).

We will hold an info session on 6/21/23 to offer more information on the Tidelines program and answer any questions.

• 6/1/23 - Applications open

• 6/21/23 - Information Session (View the recording)

• 7/12/23 - Early bird application ends at 11:59pm EST. Early Bird Applications (received by July 12th) receive a discount when accepted into the program. 

• 8/11/23 - Applications close

• Mid-August - Application Reviews: The Tidelines program team will review all
  applications and select a shortlist. This shortlist will receive an invitation to
  interview.

• Late August - Notification of shortlist decisions and waitlisted applicants

• 9/5/23 - 9/15/23 - Shortlist interview calls: Shortlisted applicants will be
  interviewed by the Tidelines team. We will convene via Zoom conference to
  conduct the interviews in early September.

• Mid to Late October - Final Enrollment Decisions: All applicants will receive
  notification of final enrollment decisions

Program Dates
The Tidelines cohort runs from February 28 - April 24, 2024 and will meet weekly on Wednesdays, 10am-12pm PST/11am-1pm MST/12pm-2pm CST/1pm-3pm EST. Note: There is no session on April 10. We will host a bonus, opt-in community conversation on Wednesday, May 8, during the same time slot.

Please note that due to tax issues, we are unable to work with organizations outside of the U.S.