Community Organizing “The Three Radical Truths of Community Organizing: 1. Heart work is hard work. 2. You have to keep dancing even when you can’t hear the music. 3. The path that makes you afraid is the path to take.” – FACE

Activity: How Organizing Impacts Our Lives

Definition 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. "bringing together the talents, resources and skills of people in the community in order to increase their collective power and work for social change” (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2002)." What is community organizing?

POWER What are the words and images you think when you hear the word power?

Key themes in organizing: POWER The capacity to control circumstances 2 kinds of power ◦ Institutional power ◦ People power Institution: an influential organization or structure that helps to establish and maintain norms ands rules in society ◦ Institutional power – the control that institutions have over the way society is constructed and maintained Power of the people- the power that all of us have as everyday people to collectively make change in the world

Activity: Pyramid of Power

Other Ways to Understand Power Dominant Power ◦ Unilateral (one way) ◦ power over Relational Power ◦ Multilateral ◦ power with Activity: Tell a story in your life when you were acted on by dominant power, and what, if anything, you did about it.

Sources of Power in a Democracy Position Organized money Organized people

Key themes in organizing Keep self-interests in mind “Where do you want to go, and how is what you are doing now going to get you there?” For an organizer, understanding a person’s self-interest – as they themselves see it – helps us engage and involve leaders-, understand the self-interest of an institution, and understand the self-interest of our targets

Key Themes in Organizing- Relationships Reciprocal Build strong relationships

Characteristics 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

From the grassroots- Understanding community organizing - CSMottFoundation Build Democracy Current State Tools Key Challenges Rewards of a Career in Community Organizing

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 (Communcations) Running good meetings Grassroots fundraising

Campaign Strategy Development Campaign overview Issue ID and Research Power Analysis Developing a strategy Tactics

Activity: What is organizing? “Raining Rocks”

MODELS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION Practice in Action

Wellstone Triangle

Midwest Academy MAIZ (local) Models of Practice The following models are also used in CO practice” Social Action Social Planning Community Development Transformative Feminist Multicultural/Diversity

Resources Building Power, Sharpening Minds: The Political Education Workshop Manual SOUL Cho, E. H., Arguelles Paz y Puente, F., Yoon Louie, M.C. & Khokha, S Bridge, A Popular Education Resource for Immigrant & Refugees Community Organizers. NNIRR