Summer is the time for educators to relax and recharge their batteries before the next school year starts. But for more than 900 dedicated CTA members this week, it’s also an opportunity to develop skills to better serve their fellow educators and meet the challenges of the year ahead at the CTA Summer Institute held at UCLA.

Featuring five days of hands-on activities, training and workshops on subjects ranging from bargaining and finance to member engagement to instruction and professional development, Summer Institute is the premier training of its kind, providing resources to help members keep CTA strong.

“This is where we build our own strengths as a union,” CTA President E. Toby Boyd said in his welcome address to attendees. “This is where local leaders learn the latest in organizing, bargaining, membership, communications, community outreach and professional development.”

You don’t have to be one of the near-1,000 in attendance to learn from this valuable training—CTA members can sign up for a virtual pass to access a variety of the sessions and help build CTA’s power from the comfort of your own homes. Keep up with this year’s Summer Institute on social media by searching the hashtags #WeAreCTA and #CTASI.

“What you learn here is going to benefit your members back home,” Boyd said. “So, for being here and for sharing your knowledge to build more strength in your local chapter, I say thank you!”