---
title: Leaping forward from the 99% Spring
date: 2012-04-16T18:58:16Z
modified: 2012-04-16T18:58:16Z
permalink: "https://350.org/leaping-forward-99-spring/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: "\"I can't draw you an ideal community, but I can build you one.\" This is what one of the participants at the 99% Spring training in Park Slope, employed in the construction trades, said on Saturday. Drawing an ideal community was one of the exercises I participated in along with about 150 other people this weekend.It was a terrific training, and many of the trainers participated in the Tar Sands Action and identified it as a very meaningful turning point in their lives. One person, Belinda Rodriquez, said she read the email with the subject line: \"Bill McKibben is in Jail!\" and she then and there decided to come to Washington, D.C.The trainings are a jumping off point for all of us to embrace action in our organizing, at all kinds of scales. Among the many upcoming actions, here were some mentioned at the training I participated in. They are emblematic of the kinds of activities taking place nationwide this Spring and Summer:-Connecting the dots: at our training, many people were excited to participate in Climate Impacts Day on May 5, including the actions planned here in NYC.-Shareholder actions: In May, people are converging on Bank of America shareholder meetings to demand accountability for home foreclosures.RAN and many other partners are participating-Occupy: many people at our training presented upcoming campaigns organized w/in Occupy Wall Street that are focused on student debt and Earth Day, among other things."
wpid: 29178
author: May Boeve
---

“I can’t draw you an ideal community, but I can build you one.” Thi![](/wp-content/uploads/wysiwyg_imageupload/20/99.jpg)

s is what one of the participants at the 99% Spring training in Park Slope, employed in the construction trades, said on Saturday. Drawing an ideal community was one of the exercises I participated in along with about 150 other people this weekend.

It was a terrific training, and many of the trainers participated in the Tar Sands Action and identified it as a very meaningful turning point in their lives. One person, Belinda Rodriquez, said she read the email with the subject line: “Bill McKibben is in Jail!” and she then and there decided to come to Washington, D.C.

The trainings are a jumping off point for all of us to embrace action in our organizing, at all kinds of scales. Among the many upcoming actions, here were some mentioned at the training I participated in. They are emblematic of the kinds of activities taking place nationwide this Spring and Summer:

–[Connecting the dots](https://www.350.org/dots): at our training, many people were excited to participate in Climate Impacts Day on May 5, including the actions planned here in NYC.

–[Shareholder actions](https://ran.org/bank-america-shareholder-meeting-2012): In May, people are converging on Bank of America shareholder meetings to demand accountability for home foreclosures.
RAN and many other partners are participating

–[Occupy](https://occupystudentdebt.com/): many people at our training presented upcoming campaigns organized w/in Occupy Wall Street that are focused on student debt and Earth Day, among other things.