11 sessions over 6 weeks: April 24 – May 29, 2025
Instruction in English, with live captioning in 39 languages. All sessions start at Noon | NYC, Bogotá | 6 p.m, Kinshasa, Brussels | 7 p.m. Gaza. Find your time here.
In 2025 over 80% of online content is expected to be video – almost all of it short-form video – short videos designed to be easily watched and shared. Short-form video is what we’re seeing on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube shorts, in media stories and increasingly everywhere.
In the U.S., the average person now spends 1 hour and 16 minutes per day watching short-form videos. For many of us, that number sounds low.
Short-form video is the number one way to engage social media audiences. It has become a key way for organizers to meet and mobilize people where they are. Through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, organizers can reach millions of people and bring them into the movement. Business and the MAGA crowd are using this medium aggressively.
This apprenticeship is for you If your organization needs to ramp up, and you want to build the skills to create compelling short-form videos that amplify your message, drive engagement, and inspire action through simple, effective video storytelling.
From developing effective hooks to building sustainable workflows for your organization, this apprenticeship will enable you to create low-cost, high-impact videos that inspire action.
This program is for you if:
- Your role includes posting on social networks, running online/offline campaigns, managing a communications program, editing videos, or you’d like it to include these things
- You want to build a strong presence for your organization on TikTok, Instagram Reels and/or other short-form video platforms
- You want to develop the skills and strategic insight to create strong video content to support your organization’s campaigns
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of this apprenticeship, participants will be able to:
- Create short-form videos of a range of types that effectively communicate social movement goals
- Use video editing software and emerging AI tools
- Understand video storytelling strategies for digital platforms
- Create accessible and engaging multimedia content
- Develop a sustainable video strategy and workflow to meet the organization’s needs and goals
Program Structure
- 11 live sessions combining large group instruction and small group coaching
- Hands-on design assignments aligned with current campaign needs
- Instructor feedback and coaching
- Access to an ongoing peer community and resources
- Certificate awarded based on participation and assignment completion
More detailed curriculum
All sessions will be held in English, with live captioning to 39 languages. Enabling at least two people to attend the program together is highly encouraged to foster additional learning and teamwork.
Participants can use the video editing software of their choice during the course. Free CapCut is sufficient.
Instructors

Tim Biondo (they/them) oversees digital communications at the feminist anti-war organization CODEPINK. Using a video-first communications strategy, Tim has brought the group’s educational resources, online action tools, and iconic direct actions to tens of millions of people via social media. On TikTok, for example, their work over two years built the organization’s following from 3,000 to over 300,000 and garnered over 64 million views. Amidst this digital growth, CODEPINK saw over 20 new local chapters created across 4 countries. Tim now supports CODEPINK’s many new and existing local organizers to cultivate their skills and strategies for successful digital organizing at the local level. They’re passionate about using accessible, creative, and engaging storytelling to strengthen movements working for peace, justice, and liberation.

Connie Chavez is the national video lead at The Working Families Party (WFP). She supports WFP teams, partners and campaigns with social video strategy, storytelling, and video for organizing. For the last 4 years she’s directed and produced small to large-scale productions that have resulted in emotive and unique videos garnering some of the most views on WFP socials. For the 2024 presidential election, Connie oversaw the social video strategy of WFP’s national director, and supported national, state and organizing teams with producing short-form video content.

Ritti Singh is the Communications Director of Housing Justice for All, a statewide coalition of tenants and homeless New Yorkers. She has also been a tenant organizer. She spearheaded the coalition’s winning communications strategy for Good Cause Eviction Protections, New York’s largest expansion of tenant rights in 50 years, securing hundreds of press hits, training dozens of tenant spokespeople, and mobilizing thousands of digital supporters to take action. In 2025, she is campaigning for a rent freeze for over 2.4 million NYC tenants. Ritti has taught narrative strategy and communications skills to tenant leaders, organizers, and college students, most recently as a lecturer at the City College of New York.

DeAnna Dailey has been helping organizations improve their online content for more than 20 years. Currently, she works for the Washington State Dept of Transportation. She’s responsible for getting the WSDOT TikTok off the ground, growing it from 15k to 62k followers in 5 months. DeAnna and her team work with field staff to transform potentially boring information about road closures and construction work into effective videos that reach a delighted fan base. They do this by using a sense of humor, human connection, honesty, deep knowledge of audience, an understanding of social media trends, and just the right sprinkling of snark.
Cost
In order to support a movement organization learning space, SMT trainings are for staff of non-profits – NGOs, unions and electoral campaigns. Trainings are not for consultants or agencies. Consultants & agency staff who register will have their registrations refunded. Alternatively, on-demand trainings are available to all on SMT’s course platform.
Region | Budget of the organization | Early bird (by March 15, 2025) | Regular (after March 15, 2025) | Additional people: |
North America + Western Europe + Australia/New Zealand | $2M and above | $1,440 | $1,800 | $450 |
$500K-$2M | $1,300 | $1,620 | $405 | |
Under $500K | $1,040 | $1,300 | $325 | |
Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, MENA, Latin America, and Oceania (except Australia/New Zealand) | $2M and above | $830 | $1,040 | $400 |
$500K-$2M | $580 | $730 | $400 | |
Under 500K | $400 | $440 | $400 | |
North America + Western Europe + Australia/New Zealand | Group Rate (up to 10 seats) – designed to help networks and funders make this program accessible to their communities. Email info@socialmovementtechnologies.org to request an invoice. | $10,000 | ||
Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, MENA, Latin America, and Oceania (except Australia/New Zealand) | $5,000 |
Note: Organizations paying for a mix of staff based in various regions can pay based on where each staffer is based.
Payment is by credit card at checkout, which includes a 4% fee. Please reach out to info@socialmovementtechnologies.org if you’d like an invoice for payment by bank transfer ($20 fee).
