The fight to ensure the separation of church and state is a long one. It takes people speaking up and taking action across the country, across lines of difference, to say that true religious freedom means that every person can live as themselves and believe as they choose, so long as they don’t harm others. And as activists who are part of this work for the long haul, it’s so important to come together, be in community, share our wins and challenges, develop our skills, and cultivate new ideas together. That’s what AU’s Organizing Institute on April 25, 2026, is all about.
This year will only be the second year of bringing this day-long training to the Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) and I’m so thrilled to continue this opportunity for activists from all across the country to build the skills they need to advocate for the separation of church and state. We’ll have a mix of returning and new attendees, folks who are brand new to activism or bring a lifetime of experience, everyone from students to retirees, faith leaders to educators, and more. No matter who you are, you’ll have something to learn from our expert trainers and from your fellow activists in the room.
The Organizing Institute will include workshops on how to effectively communicate to different audiences about church-state separation and the issues that depend on it; the basics of community outreach, including building relationships across issues and across communities of faith and nonbelievers; self and community care; and how to make a plan for action.
But not only are there practical skills trainings, there is also the joy and inspiration that comes from simply talking to other folks who are in this fight. Participants are grouped with others from their same state or region, which one person described as making it “easy to dive into personal conversations rooted in shared local experiences.” One attendee described these discussions as “invaluable” – connecting with others helps spark new ideas, hone your strategies, and remind us why the work is so important.
At the end of the day last year, Organizing Institute attendees shared their newly formed plans: deepening local interfaith partnerships, incorporating joy into activism for the LGBTQ+ community, developing a volunteer-led leaderful network advocating for church-state separation, and much more. I can’t wait to see what plans folks come up with this year!
While there is a waitlist for this year’s sold out Organizing Institute, in-person tickets for the rest of the Summit for Religious Freedom are still available. But in-person SRF has sold out the past three years; RSVP now to reserve your spot.
