The inaugural certificate cohort will launch on April 13, 2027 with an in-person kickoff at the 2027 Hampton Roads Social Justice Conference. In-person attendance is encouraged but not required; a remote participation option will be available.

Then, for the next eight months, participants meet monthly for live, two-hour virtual sessions. Participants move through the program together as a cohort, building relationships, sharing experiences, and learning from and supporting each other’s work. Sessions will include practical instruction, discussion, and hands-on activities, while short assignments between sessions will connect learning to participants’ communities.

Sessions will focus on topics such as community knowledge and the foundations of advocacy, data for community action, power and public decision-making, organizing and campaign strategy, coalition-building and mobilization, communication and public advocacy, and resources and grant-writing.

Sessions will be taught by university faculty, subject-matter experts, community leaders, and experienced organizers. Instruction will bring academic research into conversation with lived experience and practical lessons from community advocacy.

Throughout the program, participants will develop an advocacy action plan for an issue of their choosing. The completed plan will identify a community priority, supporting evidence, potential partners, decision-makers, proposed actions, resource needs, and measures of progress.

Participants who meet attendance requirements and complete the applied project will receive a certificate and microcredential through Christopher Newport University’s Office of Continuing Education. A microcredential is a focused recognition of demonstrated learning in a specific set of skills. It documents the competencies participants have developed and can be included on résumés, professional profiles, and portfolios to communicate those skills to employers, community partners, and funders.

Program fees are still being determined and will follow a sliding scale based on factors including student status, annual organizational revenue for participants representing an organization, and income for individuals participating independently. The goal is to make the program accessible across a wide range of personal and organizational circumstances.