Community Organizing

This Presentation provides components, characteristics, and concepts of community organizing.

1. COMMUNITY ORGANIZING COMPONENTS, CHARACTERISTICS, CONCEPTS Cashmir g. Pangandaman Program Coordinator ARMM-Manila Liaison Office

2. WHO IS THE COMMUNITY? Based on the levels of interaction, there are 3 types: 1. Primary Community-when people “touch elbows” and meet daily 2. Secondary Community-when people have the opportunity to meet weekly at the market 3. Tertiary Community-when people meet monthly or more often, but at least annually at the fiesta

3. Community organizing is a process by which people are brought together to act in common self-interest. BRINGING TOGETHER THE TALENTS, RESOURCES, AND SKILLS OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO INCREASE THEIR COLLECTIVE POWER AND WORK FOR SOCIAL CHANGE. While organizing describes any activity involving people interacting with one another in a formal manner, much community organizing is in the pursuit of a common agenda.

4. Community organizing generally takes place under the umbrella of a non-profit organization that reaches out and engages people to action. Often-times, paid or volunteer community organizers help to advance the process of community organizing by facilitating a process that: • Identifies a problem or set of problems • Identifies a solution • Clarifies a set of objectives • Develops a strategy and approach • develops leadership from and relationships among the people involved • Mobilizes public support • Launches a campaign

5. Community organizing is usually focused on more than just resolving specific issues. Community organizing is empowering all community members, often with the end goal of distributing power equally throughout the community.

6. Community Organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest The core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time. This is the reason why community organizing is considered a skill in stakeholder engagement. POWER AND INFLUENCE are the key aim of community organizing

7. Components of Community Organizing Why we organize Roles of leaders and staff Membership recruitment Developing an issue campaign Planning and taking actions Healthy organizations Leadership development Building strong relationships Working with the media (Communications) Running good meetings

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING Community-based participatory processes Development and expansion of community ownership Community empowerment and inclusiveness Collaboration and partnership Accountability to and an opportunity for empowerment through action by those impacted by the issues Development of traditional and non-traditional leadership Expansion of community participation (beyond the “usual suspects”) Emphasis on social justice and social change that can be connected back to the founding

9. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 1. Power The ability to make something happen. The way to build power is by getting people to understand the source of their social or political problems, then devise solutions, strategize, take on leadership and move to action through campaigns that win concrete changes. Sources of Power in a Democracy-1. Position 2. Organized Money 3. Organized People

10. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 2. Relationship building Organizing relies on two different kinds. A . One-on ones to find out a person’s passions and to create a strong connection that is sustainable over time. B. Public relationships . Community power-building organizations exist to build members collective power not their personal social status. The result is a network of public relationships

11. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 3. Leadership development Must build a base of members. More people means more power. Guide members to see the roots of the problems. Get members to understand what organizing is. Get people involved. Develop that base of members to be leaders. Leaders learn by doing, for example recruiting new members, giving testimony, running meetings, developing strategies, making decisions, building the organization. Move members to action. Action fosters commitment. Builds strong organizations.

12. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 4. Political education Political education is a form of training about issues as well as about social movements and history that you engage in both formally in workshop sessions, dialogues/forums/round table discussions; and informally in daily or regular contact with members and leaders. Through political education, you communicate the analysis or worldview of the organization.

13. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 5. Strategy Strategy is an overall approach to achieving objectives. It is the way or ways that a community power building organization uses its power to win what it wants. A campaign is a planned series of strategies and actions designed to achieve clear goals and objectives. Effective organizations are strategic in everything they do. They are always refining their power analysis and strategies. Research is an essential component before launching any campaign.

14. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 6. Mobilization The essential process of moving people to action. 7. Action A public showing of an organization’s power, such as a march, lobbying, meeting in the state capital, accountability session with elected officials, a press briefing. Actions take place during campaigns. In addition a person can take action as an individual to support a campaign or organization, such as signing a membership card or writing a letter to an elected representative. The group’s goal is to move power holders with the number of people they represent. 8. Winning Organizing focuses on winning. It results in positive, concrete change in people’s lives. Community organizations should run winnable, strategic campaigns. Campaigns deliver wins.

15. 10 MAIN CONCEPTS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZING 9. Movement building In movement building, groups use their resources to engage in broader social justice activities that are not solely connected to winnable campaigns or the self interest of community members. 10. Evaluation Evaluation is the process of assessing your actions and determining what worked, what didn’t, and what you would do differently next time. Evaluation takes place after every substantive event, including a day of recruitment or a phone conversation with an ally. Frequent evaluation hones and builds the skills, standards and excellence of everyone in the organization. Sometimes organizers refer to an evaluation that follows a specific activity as “debriefing.”

16. Addressing Community Problems: four strategies There are generally four ways to approach community problems, each with its own mission, strategies, and impact: social service, advocacy, community development and organizing. 1. Social Service Mission: To meet immediate direct needs. • What they do: Provide goods such as food, clothing, or services such as job training, health care or counseling or both. • Sample strategy: Developing self help skills among service recipients, or community members, provide case management in order to meet needs holistically, guiding people through applications for benefits and other complex systems with one-to one advocacy. • Impact: Primarily on individuals. Usually short term, although long terms effects are possible. • Effect on power structures: No real change in power structures. • How they refer to constituents: Clients or consumers.

17. Addressing Community Problems: four strategies 2. Advocacy Mission: To protect or obtain rights, goods, or services, usually for specific interest groups. • What they do: Craft or react to legislation. Address elected officials and policy makers. • Sample Strategies: Participating in issue based coalitions, educating the public, giving public testimony, lobbying elected officials, collaborating with researchers and lawyers. • Impact: On interest groups. Usually medium to long term effects. • Effect on power structures: Power structures change moderately due to changes in laws and policies. • How they refer to constituents: Constituents.

18. Addressing Community Problems: four strategies 3. Community Development Mission: To build physical infrastructure • What they do: Finance or construct housing, business, parks, or other community resources. • Sample strategies: Engaging in community planning, analyzing economic impact and training constituents to acquire skills for planning business development and property management. • Impact: On individuals and communities, Immediate to long-term effects. Sustaining impact is tied to financial resources. • Effect on power structures: Power structures change moderately, usually by building community participation. • How they refer to constituents: “The community.”

19. Addressing Community Problems: four strategies 4. Community Organizing Mission: To build power to create change. • What they do: Recruit, train, and mobilize a large base of members directly affected by the organization’s issues. • Sample strategies: Creating membership structures in which constituents are organizational decision makers, developing strategic campaigns, engaging in direct actions, such as demonstrations, directly holding public and corporate officials accountable for their actions, and forming alliances to build power. • Impact: On individuals, their communities, and often others with similar concerns. Medium to long term effects. • Effect on power structures: Power structures change as power shifts to community members. • How they refer to constituents: “Leaders or members.”

20. Who is a Community organizer? Community organizers generally assume that social change necessarily involves conflict and social struggle in order to generate collective power for the powerless. Community organizers work with and develop new local leaders, facilitating coalitions, and assisting in the development of campaigns

21. 3 basic tasks of an organizer 1. Continuing Education task verbs-inform and arouse 2. Consolidation and Expansion task verbs-organize and spread 3. Mobilizing the organizations/community for common interest task verbs-assemble and move

22. BRIEF ORGANIZING PROCESS 1. Preliminary research-assess the environment, risk and opportunity assessment may help to formulate strategies 2. Contact Building-start of relationship building 3. Conduct of trainings- a. Facilitators’ Training b. Speakers’ Training c. Leadership Training d. Studies on politics, economics, culture, etc. 4. Set up of Preparatory Committee ( PrepCom ) 5. Crafting of the Constitution 6. Conduct of General Assemblies 7. Launching of community-based projects 8. Participation to other alliances/coalitions

23. COMMUNITY ORGANIZING FRAMEWORK

24. SOME TERMS TO REMEMBER IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZING Community Mapping -is the visual representation of the data of geography or location. A participatory development approach that gets communities directly involved from the beginning of the activity and significantly changes the responsibilities and roles of all parties involved Organizing Stakeholders -from the grassroot level up to the central government, or all who are at stake or have an interest on the issue should be mobilize. It should be workable and generally calls for some professional facilitation Progressive Organization -in a political orientation, it also refers to community organization

25. SOME TERMS TO REMEMBER IN COMMUNITY ORGANIZING Agenda Setting -outlining a plan of action that one should take Participatory Planning -is part of decentralization process (from central level to local level) that aims to identify critical problems. It encourages all the stakeholders who are affected or the local people to participate on the government’s plan of actions. This helps reduce potential conflict, build local people’s feelings of ownership on the plan, and it promotes transparency and good governance (ex. community-based forest management)

26. A COMMUNITY MEMBER SHOULD HAVE…..

27. Feed your mind “The first rule of power tactics is that power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.” Saul Alinsky Founder of Modern Community Organizing

28. Thank you…