Building Power from the Ground Up: Lessons from Hands of Justice First Session
On May 28, twelve healthcare workers and affected rights holders participated in a Story, Strategy, Structure (SSS) workshop in Coventry. This was hosted in partnership with Tulia, a grassroots organization supporting healthcare workers facing exploitation and precarious immigration statuses. From this effort, a courageous new team emerged: Hands of Justice—with a clear sense of purpose and team norms. Their strategic planning will continue in an upcoming online sessions.
Key Learnings from the Pilot
Relationships Must Be Nurtured, Not Transactional
We took some time to explore what this collaboration would feel like , this meant being explicit on boundaries and aligning on objectives. This meant working through concerns around AIUK as a huge organisation having extractive or competitive practices. But through patience, trust-building, and co-creation, we laid a solid foundation. AIUK provided a grant, but more importantly, we shared leadership in designing the program.
“Organizing is not about problem solving. It’s about enabling people to create power through collective action.” — Marshall Ganz
2. Grassroots Leaders Know Their People Best
Tulia engaged their own community of rightsholders to participate; affirming that authentic outreach flows through trusted networks. AIUK’s role was to support, not direct.
3. Know Your People – Build Relational Foundations
I personally reached out to every participant before the workshop. They weren’t just attendees- I knew who was in the room,
“The first question an organizer asks is, ‘Who are my people?’” — Marshall Ganz
4. Story of Self – Laying the Groundwork for Collective Identity
We began with public narrative Story of Self exploring when participants first discovered their values and chose to act. As stories unfolded, common themes of resilience, community, and justice emerged. Participants began to see themselves not just as victims, but as agents, with untapped resources all around them.
“A story communicates values through the language of the heart… We use narrative to give power to our values and hope to our actions.” — Marshall Ganz
5. 1:1s and Relationship-Building Are Core Practice
A significant portion of time was spent in 1:1 conversations. Participants learned about each other’s motivations, experiences. Leading them to identify their shared values, interests and resources.
6. Team Formation: Purpose, Norms, Roles
“Leadership is accepting responsibility to enable others to achieve shared purpose in the face of uncertainty.” — Marshall Ganz
Participants co-created:
Shared Purpose: Their ‘why’—owned entirely by the team.
The session ended joyfully—with a team name and chant that symbolized their collective identity.
Next Steps: Strategy
With the team formed and relational trust established, they will next explore their shared problem and campaign strategy.
“Strategy is how we turn what we have into what we need to get what we want.” — Marshall Ganz
Enabling Conditions for Success
Experiential Learning: The entire workshop used real-world, hands-on practice. Grounded in Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset framework, the day was designed to encourage openness to learning through doing.
Modelling Vulnerability: The facilitator also brought their own vulnerability into the space , which enables others to open up too.
