Summer Academy 2023
June 12-16, 2023
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista
1900 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
The FEA Summer Academy is a week-long conference geared toward emerging, new and seasoned leaders of the Florida Education Association — from locals of all sizes.
This year’s Summer Academy runs from June 12-16, 2023 and will be held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista (1900 E Buena Vista Dr, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830).
Conference activities are planned to meet the needs of all levels of experience.
This week-long event will feature hands-on activities to hone the skills needed to meet the challenges of locals of all sizes. Participants register for the trainings of their choice. If you are interested in attending Summer Academy please contact your Local Union President.
Please note: Registration is handled by your local. Members interested in attending the FEA Summer Academy should contact their local union.
Questions and Answers about Summer Academy
This year’s Summer Academy will be held July 12-16, 2023.
This year’s Summer Academy will be held at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista (1900 E Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830).
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn new skills, enhance skills and become more familiar with their union’s programs. Members will gain a better under-standing of the entire union movement and how they can be part of advocating and organizing for our public schools.
Everyone can benefit, but space is limited. Those who attend would most benefit if they are emerging, new and seasoned leaders.
Newly elected for the first time? FEA’s intensive leadership training will help you develop the skills that are essential for organizational success and meeting the difficult challenges facing our profession today. (If you have previously attended NOIT this is not for you.)
Anyone who is personally preparing to be the next generation of leaders in their local and wants to optimize their talents and effectively execute the goals and strategies of their union in a complex and ever- changing political environment. (Attendance must be approved by the local’s president.)
The conference is specifically designed so you can choose the area of education that best suits the needs of your local. Some sessions are week-long and some are one to three days.
Registration includes all training materials.
Please note: Registration does not include hotel reservations.
Top 10 Reasons to Attend the FEA Summer Academy
10. Learn the nuts and bolts of bargaining. Introduction to bargaining for the novice. We all had to start somewhere – so why not learn from the best in the field!
9. Enhance your leadership skills. Gain the knowledge essential to building stronger locals, better serving your members and developing stronger professional relationships.
8. Networking, networking, networking. FEA Summer Academy is a great opportunity to meet your peers and learn from each other, as well as find a mentor or two.
7. Share and learn organizing techniques that work. Come participate in group discussions on how to make your local thrive in today’s changing world.
6. Build strong union advocacy. Have a voice in issues affecting your profession.
5. Connect. Connect with national faculty, state staff and attendees, and with your peers all year round – attend and make those connections and be only an email, text or phone call away.
4. Tips, ideas and more! The conference provides a great way to collect new ideas and strategies for your many initiatives.
3. Politics begin at home. The 2020 election cycle will be here before you know it. This election cycle can change the face of Florida and the United States. Don’t sit on the sidelines and miss a great opportunity to elect pro-public education candidates.
2. Communicate like a pro. Develop a truly engaging and responsive communication style, leading to positive results for you and your local.
1. Yes, your local can run like a well-oiled machine! Build a stronger local, better serve your members and become a strong public education advocate in your community.
Monday - Wednesday trainings
Quick Start Training: New Presidents
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm/ Tues. 9am – 5pm/ Wed. 9am – 12pm)
Attend this half-week training to build our FEA Leader Cadre of 2023! We will discuss the challenges of leading during crisis, engaging our membership, effective campaigns, communication skills, and ways to increase your level of influence with members, district, and community. We will also review governing documents, internal elections processes, the Central Membership System, and best practices for leading successful local unions in this new world.
Bring your governing documents, membership rosters, committee & rep structures and be prepared for camaraderie and learning.
eDues – Member Organizing – Data
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm/ Tues. 9am – 5pm/ Wed. 9am – 12pm)
This session will take a deep dive into our new reality. We will look at where we are now, and where we need to be to empower our movement. What are the new realities under the law, and what are the next steps for each local? We will start by discussing how to close out the Summer strong with an organizing campaign to convert members to eDues. Participants will then plan and prepare for the final push for membership and eDues conversion at the opening of schools. Finally, we will talk about the new reality we face with keeping up with members and potential member data needed to keep our locals strong. Participants will leave the Summer Academy with actionable plans for their locals to thrive in our new environment.
Empowering Education Staff Professionals
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm/ Tues. 9am – 5pm/ Wed. 9am – 12pm)
Looking for ways to feel empowered in your position and enhance your leadership skills? Well, look no further. Our time together will focus on enhancing your leadership skills, creating professional goals for the workplace, and empowering Education Staff Professionals. All Education Staff Professional Members are welcome!
Introduction to Mentoring
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm/ Tues. 9am – 5pm/ Wed. 9am – 12pm)
Participants explore strategies to refine their communication skills, facilitate team building and to apply strategies to uncover and further develop their leadership skills and provide guidance to their colleagues for dynamic and transformative relationships.
Objectives:
- Explore Adult Learning Theory
- Explore Mentoring/Coaching Models, roles and language
- Explore the Mentoring/Coaching Cycle
- Identify strategies for establishing Trust
- Engage in Active Listening
- Identify effective communication processes
- Explore Judgements vs. Data
- Identify Learning Style Preferences
Treasurer’s Training
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm/ Tues. 9am – 5pm/ Wed. 9am – 12pm)
Treasurer’s training will include updated audit information based on new legislative requirements, best practices, and fiduciary responsibilities for treasurers.
Wednesday - Friday trainings
What Every President Needs to Know – All President’s Training
(Wed. 1pm – 5pm/ Thurs. 9am – 5pm/ Fri. 9am – 12pm)
Local presidents-only training. With the passage of SB 256, we will see massive changes in how we operate our local unions. The focus of this training will be to help us be better equipped to handle the new rules by strengthening your leadership in the daily operations of your local which includes financial responsibilities, member support, member organizing and recruitment, bargaining, elections, legislative, messaging, modifying governing documents, creating an effective communication plan for members (district and the public) understanding legal documents and so much more.
Political Organizing: All Politics is Local
(Wed. 1pm – 5pm/ Thurs. 9am – 5pm/ Fri. 9am – 12pm)
The political battleground in Florida is now locally focused. As we saw in the last election, school board races and ballot referendum for much needed local school funding have become the latest attacks on education, placing our schools, our students, and the educational staff who work there in jeopardy. In this session you will learn to build and implement a campaign plan for the school board and referendum from start to finish, so that you will have a winning outcome for 2024 and beyond. Participants will be tasked with building the framework for a local campaign and to be a part of the team who will implement the plan from now until the August and November 2024 primary and general elections.
Race, Equity, Social Justice. It All Matters!
(Wed. 1pm – 5pm/ Thurs. 9am – 5pm/ Fri. 9am – 12pm)
This course will explore ways to have effective conversations about race and racial equity in our schools and worksites. It will challenge you not only to think critically about the effects of race on student achievement, but also on how it directly impacts students, our colleagues, and even ourselves. You will have opportunities to have meaningful, open dialogues about academic achievement gaps in our schools and how unconscious bias influences our relationships and actions. This course takes a deep dive into the Six Conditions of Courageous Conversations as a strategy for achieving equity in education.
Objectives:
- Engage in conversations about race and racial equity.
- Examine the attributes of anti-racism.
- Explore unconscious bias and microaggressions.
- Utilize strategies to initiate Courageous Conversations.
eDues + Member Organizing + Data
(Wed. 1pm – 5pm/ Thurs. 9am – 5pm/ Fri. 9am – 12pm)
This session will take a deep dive into our new reality. We will look at where we are now, and where we need to be to empower our movement. What are the new realities under the law, and what are the next steps for each local? We will start by discussing how to close out the Summer strong with an organizing campaign to convert members to eDues. Participants will then plan and prepare for the final push for membership and eDues conversion at the opening of schools. Finally, we will talk about the new reality we face with keeping up with members and potential member data needed to keep our locals strong. Participants will leave the Summer Academy with actionable plans for their locals to thrive in our new environment.
Monday - Friday trainings
AFT Managing Behavior in School Communities
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm / Tues. + Wed. + Thurs. 9am – 5pm / Fri. 9am – 12pm)
Managing Behavior in School Communities is an AFT Professional Learning Program course that presents the most recent and seminal research on challenging student behavior. MBSC provides educators, and other school personnel, with effective strategies for managing unwanted behavior across a variety of learning environments. MBSC will provide teachers and support staff with the information, tools and skills they may need to prevent or eliminate challenging or antisocial behaviors and/or to manage much of this behavior when it occurs.
Intended audience: Early childhood educators, K-12 teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, after-school staff
Course Objectives:
- Establish shared understanding of how to define, record and collect data on negative student behavior.
- Utilize research to establish the importance of social skills training and positive reinforcement asprevention and intervention tools.
- Facilitate understanding the role of bias, discipline disparities and race-neutral policies and their impact on diverse school communities.
- Examine the use of positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and de-escalation tofoster healthy school climates.
Ignite the FYRE – Emerging Leaders Academy
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm / Tues. + Wed. + Thurs. 9am – 5pm / Fri. 9am – 12pm)
The goal of the Emerging Leader is to enhance one’s personal and professional skills to actively engage others in our worksites and local organization who are passionate about preserving public education and creating a more vibrant union. Who is an Emerging Leader? Anyone who is personally interested or preparing to be the next generation of leaders in their local and wants to optimize their talents and effectively execute the goals and strategies of their union by enabling themselves and others to achieve purpose in the face of uncertainty in this complex and ever-changing political environment.
Planning for Victory: Developing a Bargaining Campaign using Process AND Pressure in the New Environment
(Mon. 1pm – 5pm / Tues. + Wed. + Thurs. 9am – 5pm / Fri. 9am – 12pm)
Send your core team to explore the bargaining laws under which we operate and how to develop your team into a lean, mean, negotiating machine! In each day of our weeklong session, we will dive deeper into bargaining tools, processes, and strategies to maximize your settlements at the table. Using negotiations to create visibility through organizing and outreach will be provided so you can have your bargaining unit members and reNEWed team members ready to hit the ground running! Your team will walk away with a blueprint of your next bargain, potential proposals, and all the data tools you can use to succeed.
Items to bring:
- Computer with internet access, MS word, and MS excel
- Your contract saved to your computer
- Any proposals, surveys
- communications, or plans you already have in place
- A willingness to use bargaining to not only improve your contract but to build your union!
