The 350 movement has an astounding number of incredibly powerful stories in its brief history since 2008. Among those are the stories of the more than 25 climate leadership workshops that have taken place all around the world and all the inspiring stories of those involved. So far, since 2009 over 1,000 leaders from more than 80 countries have participated in these workshops. Many of those folks have gone on to pioneer the 350 campaign and lead the climate movement in their countries or cities.

It was two young Ethiopian women who attended the first ever 350.org climate leadership workshop in South Africa who managed to organize that largest 350 demonstration to date -- 15,000 people in Addis Ababa for the 24th October, 2009 International Day of Climate Action. Two youth climate leaders from Nepal who joined for another workshop in 2009 have since organized dozens of their own workshops in all regions of their mountainous country. And more recently, our friends in Ukraine who joined a workshop alongside rising leaders from across the Russian speaking world last year are now charging ahead with 350 Ukraine as an ongoing campaign and leading up the organizing for a national workshop in tandem with Moving Planet this coming September.

I could go on with examples, but suffice it to say that these workshops have proven immensely powerful for all involved, and for the movement as a whole. Speaking personaly for a moment, I can share that the workshops I have been lucky enough to join have been some of the most energizing and uplifting of my experiences in this growing climate movement. People often ask about how hard it must be to work on such a daunting and challenging issue as climate change. No doubt, working on a crisis so large can be just that -- very daunting. Yet, each and every workshop I attend gives me more than enough hope that we absolutely can create the change that science and justice demand. We have that power, and these workshops are helping come closer and closer to realizing that power together.

And for that reason, we are immensely excited to announce the release of a new website:

http://workshops.350.org

This site, for the first time, opens the information and materials that go into running climate leadership workshops to any and all who are interested in organizing one. We most often organize these workshops as multi-day events -- so this is no small task -- but we highly, highly encourage all who are interested in building a strong and skilled climate movement team where they are to dive into these materials and consider organizing a workshop (or a workshop series, if doing it all in one go isn't feasible for you) where you are.

For starters, take look at what's there -- the general workshop guide, session by session, and the tips for how to go about organizing an actual workshop event. We will be happy to try and support anyone who is interested in taking on workshops with guidance from our team of experienced facilitators.

We hope you will find this resource as powerful as we have, and we look forward to hearing the stories of more workshops that you lead. And we'll be sure to continue telling the stories of workshops as we organize them as well. In fact, here's the just released video from the workshop that just took place in Lagos, Nigeria:

It's crazy to think how the summer is almost over - and crazier still to think how this movement is on the edge of making history.  

This Saturday begins a two week wave of peaceful sit-ins at the White House gates, with over 2,000 courageous people coming from across the US & Canada, to let President Obama know that our future is more important than oil profits. Specifically, these folks will be calling for the President to block the fossil fuel industry from snaking a 2,000-plus mile pipeline across the heart of America all the way from northern Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico, in order to find an escape route for Canada's Tar Sands oil deposits (aka "North America's biggest carbon bomb"). 

As the Guardian recently put it: this will be “the largest act of civil disobedience for the climate in US history.” And if you're less into the Guardian and say, more into Variety, Hollywood stars like Danny Glover, John Cusack, Sophia Bush, and Mark Ruffalo, are leaning in too. It seems fair to say this is about to get big. 

While 350.org isn't organizing this action, we want to help 350 supporters from around the globe share your support and solidarity with the many brave folks who are participating. Many people will be traveling far from home, and are taking this journey alone. And the great majority -- mothers, grandfathers, teachers, farmers, college students, climate scientists, you name it -- will be risking arrest for the first time. That's a daunting, scary experience for most anyone. 

We've been told by the DC coordinators that over the two weeks of action, activists will first be training and preparing in church basements in Washington DC, where they'll have a projector set up. To show them that they have the whole climate movement behind them, we're sending photos with messages of support to participants in the action. The photos will be projected on the walls of the training spaces for everyone who is sitting-in to see.

To send your message of support:

• Take a pen or marker (or crayons!) and write a personal message of support
• Hold up the message and snap a picture (a cell phone camera will do)
• Email your photo as an attachment to photos@350.org.  Put "Tar Sands Action Solidarity from (*Wherever you live*)" in the Subject. And if you'd like, elaborate on your message in the Body of the email.

Whether you're from Alberta, Montana, or the Maldives, -- you're invited to send your messages of support, and we'll make sure they're projected on the workshop walls. Like athletes walking through rows of cheering fans to prepare for victory, your lovely faces and messages will be what these folks will see the evening before they step forward to protect our future. We'll also work to pop these images all over Facebook, Twitter, and likely a a bunch will be spotlighted on TarSandsAction.org.

Thanks for giving this some thought -- expect more updates as things start to really unfold!

UPDATE: Over 200 beautiful and moving photos have arrived from across the US and the world, check some of them out here -- with more arriving daily!