PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANSING CEO Women Acting In Today's Society Marcia lewinson

WORKSHOP AIMS Gain an understanding of the principles and tools within Community Organsing, Practice organsing a campaign using Community Organising Skills

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANSINGH WORKSHOP WORKSHOP AIMS Awareness of Community Organising Building one to one relationships Leadership roles in organsnsing Community Organsing a tool for campaigning

WAITS Vision, Mission and Aims Established 1993 Vision ‘Creating a future where all women are empowered to make positive change’ Mission Statement ‘Enabling women from diverse areas within the West Midlands to develop themselves and others’ Aims 1.To ensure women get their voices heard 2.To help women take a positive step forward 3.To be responsive to women’s needs 4.To provide opportunities for all women

COMMUNITY ORGANISING Community Organising aims to bring groups and networks together to strengthen organisations and neighbourhoods It is usually a broad base of community groups, faith based organisations and or schools. In 1960s America it was used to regenerate areas I was prevailed to spend a week in Chicago visiting Community Organising broadbased organisation WAITS Example

COMMUNITY ORGANISING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANSINING Saul Alinskey based in Chicago, is credited with originating the term community organizer during this time period.Chicago Alinsky wrote Reveille for Radicals, published in 1946, and Rules for Radicals, published in With these books, Alinsky was the first person in America to codify key strategies and aims of community organizing. He also founded the first national community organising training network, the Industrial Areas Foundation,

COMMUNITY ORGANISING A People’s Organization is a conflict group, [and] this must be openly and fully recognized. Its sole reason in coming into being is to wage war against all evils which cause suffering and unhappiness. A People’s Organization is the banding together of large numbers of men and women to fight for those rights which insure a decent way of life.... Saul Alinskey Rules for Radicals 1971 Q. What is the name of the most famous community organiser in the world

Community Organising PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANISING Organizers identify and develop a diverse group of members who agree to serve as the organisation’s public voice on a variety of issues. Organizers are attuned to the power relationships and political agendas surrounding an issue. Organisers develop sound organising strategies based on this power analysis. Organisers recruit and develop leaders An organiser’s role is to build public relationships

Rituals and Cliché e.g. Weather Facts and Gossip Ideas and Judgments Feelings Intimacy Levels of Relationships

COMMUNITY ORGANISING Park Street Estate is an area in Birmingham, which is made up of low income families, Single parents and elderly residents. The housing stock is made up of Council owned Houses and Flats. The area is predominantly 70% white working class, 5% second generation Caribbean 10% South Asian from Pakistani and Bangladeshi families 10 % are peoples from new communities e.g. Poland, Somalia, Sudan and Iraq. The Council have plans to turn the local play area into car parking space to accommodate the increase of vehicles in the area.

COMMUNITY ORGANISING PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANISING The local community development worker based in the community flat has carried out consultations though community meetings held at the community flat. These meetings were poorly attended. As only residents using the community flat knew about the consultation. The results of the consultations were given to the council who have agreed to turn the play area into a car park, based on the limited results of the consultation. A local resident has seen a notice in the local paper setting out the plans for the play area and is angrey as their children use the area. Turning the park into a car park will mean an increase in traffic and local children having to go a mile down the road to the local park. Activity 1. Group to organise a meeting where the residents challenge the Car Park Plans 2.Who would be the four main leaders in the process, what would be their role

COMMUNITY ORGANISING Whistle stop tour Saul Alinskey Rules for Radicals, Reveille for Radicals Training available Contact

THANK YOU WAITS uses our ability to network, mobilise and be creative in order to Make change for ourselves families and communities