BOSS Organizing Summer School

In the twelve years since the Ferguson Uprising, and several uprisings across the country, grassroots organizations have been responsible for policy wins including the passage of the Civilian Oversight Board in St. Louis City, increasing the state’s minimum wage, and legalizing marijuana in Missouri. Organizations have also been central to the victories of progressive elected officials who are working to reform systems such as cash bail, policing in St. Louis, and the creation of a reparations task force. In March 2025, after years of organizing on the Close the Workhouse campaign, St. Louis saw the demolition of a jail that harmed countless families across the city. As seasoned organizers move on to leadership roles, there’s a lack of incoming organizers to take their place.

Routinely, entry-level positions for community organizers, communications, data, and policy staff go unfilled, leaving a clear void in the ability to build a progressive base and win campaigns successfully. In order to fill this void, Action St. Louis has created the BOSS. We understand the solution to the organizing vacuum is to lean more deeply into organizing by creating a space where new talent can be cultivated, trained, and mentored to develop increased organizing capacity to fill the vacancies in local organizations.  

We believe developing a local organizing infrastructure that encompasses organizing, strategic communications, movement building, and policy advocacy is essential to build a new class of powerful organizers.

Goals of BOSS

• Deepen participants’ knowledge of organizing fundamentals and opportunities to apply their training to current local campaigns.

• Provide local grassroots organizations with summer staff capacity, while giving current staff opportunities to sharpen their training, facilitation, and management skills.

• Foster and deepen relationships between participants and develop opportunities for mentorship with the existing class of organizers in St. Louis.

Each fellow earns a stipend to be engaged in a full-time, 8-week program that focuses on the fundamental tenets of community organizing.

Program elements:

• Organizing Training: Fellows will spend the first two weeks of the program in training. The curriculum for organizing training is developed by Action St. Louis.

• Full Work Day: Fellows will spend the last six weeks of the program working hands-on with a partner organization, applying the organizing training to current local campaigns. 

• Boss Up Fridays: Participants spend every Friday with experienced community and policy leaders, take cultural trips to deepen their understanding of the local context and history, or work collaboratively on one organization’s campaign.