Applications Open: 2025 Asian American Peer Coaching Circle
Applications due: Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 11:59 PST.
Union and community organizers bring passion, commitment and hard work to building the power of workers and community members to advocate for social justice. Young organizers, in particular, have always been an essential part of our social movements with their inspiring, creative energy and bold vision for our communities!
The Asian American Peer Coaching Circle for Organizers is designed to support young Asian American activists, community and labor organizers to thrive in their work for social and economic justice, to organize for the long haul, and to transform our communities and society towards justice, love, and equity!
Through the Coaching Circle, Asian American organizers join a community of peers to:
- Engage in inquiry about what is important to themselves and their lives
- Celebrate their strengths and contributions
- Acknowledge challenges of organizing for systemic change and honor what they are learning
- Organize, live, and play with more sustainability and joy
- Learn how to lead effectively
What is Coaching?
Coaching is an exploration process that increases awareness of our habits, the roots of what challenges us and what brings us fulfillment in our jobs and in our lives. Coaching is very similar to organizing:
| Organizing | Coaching |
|---|---|
| Organizers honor the experiences and leadership of community members – organizers don’t tell people what to do. They listen, support and guide. | Coaches honor the experience of the people they work with – listening and helping them to find the answers within themselves rather than telling them what to do. |
| Organizers challenge their community to be powerful and courageous, to speak up for what they believe in. | Coaches challenge people to take risks and be bold in going after what they want to create in their lives. |
| Organizers strengthen the leadership of community members by developing the skills and abilities of their membership. | Coaches support people to be more skillful in their relationships with others, and to create more sustainability and balance – a challenge many organizers face. |
Program Experience
Coaching is an empowering partnership rather than a “service” model. For people who are open to exploring their assumptions, taking an honest look at what holds them back, and choosing to be powerful even in the face of challenge, coaching will deliver extraordinary benefits to them.
Through the Coaching Circle, organizers will
- Increase skillfulness in communication.
- Practice tools to manage stress.
- Explore frameworks to learn from change.
The Asian American Peer Coaching Circle for Organizers is a project of Seeding Change to support the development and leadership of young Asian American organizers.
Apply Today: 2025 Asian American Peer Coaching Circle
Applications due: Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 11:59 PST.
Program Components
- Training: A weekend-long training in peer coaching skills
- Monthly Pod Sessions: Monthly peer coaching group calls for 6 months from November to April
- Closing: A group closing in May via Zoom
Training: The Peer Coaching Circle will kick off with a training from Friday, November 21 – Sunday, November 23, 2025. The training will introduce and teach peer coaching skills and connect the new coaching group of organizers. We are planning to hold the training in person in the San Francisco Bay Area with an option for people to join via Zoom as well.
Monthly Pod Sessions: Following the training, participants will mainly interact with their smaller groups, or pods. Each pod will convene over a two-hour conference call once a month to peer coach. In each session, time to give and receive coaching will be split amongst the participants. There will be a pod facilitator for each pod, and everyone will receive time to be coached and coach others. Monthly sessions will take place starting December 2025 until April 2026.
Who Should Apply
WHO SHOULD APPLY: Young (18 to 32 years old) Asian American (paid or unpaid) organizers committed to community work! You do not need to be in a paid role as a community organizer to apply because we know we need organizers in all sectors of society. We encourage you to apply even if organizing isn’t the main framing of how you view your work but you aim to create systemic change. There is limited space available. Priority will be given to participants who can make the time commitment. If you are interested but have questions about requirements, email us at apply@seeding-change.org.
Participation Cost
The true cost for us to operate this program is about $600 per participant. This program is offered at a sliding scale from $50-$600.
The program fee does not include travel or lodging. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel and lodging. Limited travel stipends may be available upon request for participants.
We ask organizations and individuals with large budgets to pay at the higher rates to support the sustainability of this program and help us accept folks who pledge lower amounts.
Applications due: Sunday, October 5, 2025 at 11:59 PST.
We anticipate the application taking up to 30 minutes to complete, but no more than 30 minutes.