Handout 2nd Long Exam

The Community Organizer in context of Organizing

The Community OrganizerAs animator The CO helps the community discover and use all its self-help potentials for creative and the constructive team work. Animators responsibility is to stimulate people to think critically, to identify problems and to find new solutions. He/she motivates the people to share their concerns, information and opinions, set goals, make decisions and plan of action.

As enablerThe CO helps initiate a process of liberation of initiatives that is the enablers task to help release the creative initiatives of the people and, to see to it that the development agenda evolves as parts of the process of change and not imposed. One enablers role is to ensure that dependency is reduced through cooperative action and social education.

The Community OrganizerCommunity Organizer as a catalyst One who hastens the process of challenge, whose sign of success is the coming of the time when organizing process has been fully internalized by the people. The community organizer also serves as a model, not only in words but also in deeds. A general rule that governs community organizers: If there is a conflict between authorities (whatever the authority may be) and the people, go with the people (Murphy, 1987)

Characteristics of a Community OrganizerSense of HumorCreativityFlexibilityTenacityGenuine love for the peopleConcern and committedGets facts and does his bestGroup-minded

Skills in the conduct of situational analysis Developing tools/instrumentsConducting surveysGathering of secondary data/informationInterviewingAnalyzing data/informationSkills required in CO

Skills in problem analysis and decision-making analysis (knowing where to take hold and when to let go of a project)Identifying categorizing and prioritizing problems (according to importance and needs)Problem-solving: alternative setting and decision-makingGoal settingFormulating objectives

Skills required in CO

Skills in leader identification and development and core group formationSpotting potential leaders with desired qualitiesCreating cohesive groupPreparing the leaders and core group for organizational undertaking

Skills required in CO

Skills in people empowerment/human resource developmentTraining needs assessmentDesigning the training activityFacilitating and coordinatingPreparing the instructional materialsManaging the training activity

Skills required in CO

Skills in organizationOrganizing skillsFacilitating the activityResourcefulnessCommitment

Skills required in CO

Skills in resource mobilization Sustaining organizational resources and projectsBudgeting and fund raisingg. Skills in communication (written/oral)Being well-informedListening3) Openness

Skills required in CO

Organizers as teachersCatalyst for change initiate actions of the community people into a common goal.Facilitator- do the ground workLinking Role - bridge the gap between the organization, its members and other stakeholders in the community.

THE ROLES OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS

Simplicity. Make lessons/topic easily understandable.Humor. Enjoy your audience, subject and yourself.Hope. Uplift the people and encourage them .Authenticity. Do not teach anything that you do not like of believe.Confidence. Naturally feel good about others and yourselfHow to Connect with Peopleby John C. Maxwell

Models/Approaches in Community Organizing

Community Organization Building Framework

Stages of Community Organizing and the Corresponding Skills RequirementAwakeningEmpowermentRestructuring StageCommunity SkillsProblem IdentificationData GatheringDecision MakingLeadershipProblem SolvingCapability BuildingOrganizational ManagementPDIMEConsensus BuildingCapability BuildingProject Proposal MakingOrganizational ManagementCommunity Organizer(CO) SkillsCapability BuildingTrainingCommunicationInterpersonal RelationshipCoordinatingDiagnosticMonitoringCapability BuildingProject-development and Management SkillsCommunicationOrganizational ManagementPDIMECapability BuildingAdvocacyLinkaging and Networking

The Community Organizing Framework

ConscientizationConstituency BuildingInstitutionalizationGroup FormationConsolidationPeople are now able to identify/ prioritize problems and needsExpress willingness to changeArticulate desired state or conditionEstablish community profileTake responsibility to take action for themselvesIdentify potential core group members/ leadersCore group formedInitial action planEstablish/ define initial group structure: working committee (adhoc) and informal leadersInitial action to respond to problems and issuesOrganized association/ organizationLeaders are formally electedDefined nature and purpose of organizationOrganizational Policies written in placeFunctional organizational structure though conduct of regular meetings and presence of functioning leadersOrganizational plans formulatedOrganization registered (legal entity)Establish linkages with government line and private agenciesAble to develop proposal (project)Define VMGO (written and in place)

The Community Organizing Framework

Develop capacities/ establish mechanism to maintain facilitiesProjectsMobilize resources (P)Expansion of servicesAffiliation of servicesFederation of associations

The notion of a LEARNING Community

Learning Community The learning communities movement emerged during the 1970s in response to a perceived need for rural and regional communities across the worldadapt to significant changes in the structure of their economies as a result of globalization, the impact of technological innovations and changing demographics (Longworth2006; Candy 2003)

Learning communities, cities, towns and regions adopt a learning-based approach to community development within a framework in which lifelong learning is the organizing principle and social goal, [and] explicitly use lifelong learning concepts to enable local people from every community sector to act together to enhance the social, economic, cultural and environmental conditions of their community (Faris 2005: 31).

Theoretical constructsthe notion of the community as a subset of society and related concepts of community development and renewal, individual and community capacity, active citizenship and civil society;the various forms of capital (social, human, cultural and economic) available to individuals and communities; notions of place and place management;

theories of lifelong and life-wide learningthe role of information communication technologies in supporting networked learning and connectivity in order to bridge the so-called digital divide that is said to exist between urban and rural communities (Bourdieu 1983, Putnam 2000, Candy 2003, Kilpatrick 2000, 2005, Knox 2005, Longworth 2006, Duke, Osborne & Wilson 2005, Williamson 1998).

the notion of learning in a learning community is viewed from a social-constructivist perspective and is therefore seen to occur through the interaction of relationships and knowledge constructed as a product of the interaction and dialogue that occurs between specific actors, conceptualized as a complex diffusion rather than a systematic transfer of information (Scoones & Thompson 1994: 43)

CO Models

Jack RothmanSaul AlinskyPaolo FreireRothman earned his Ph.D. emphasizing social psychology from Columbia University in 1960 and spent more than 20 years on the faculty at the University of Michigan. He was a professor at UCLA from 1984 until his retirement in 1994.Alinsky was an American community organizer and writer. He is generally considered to be the founder of modern community organizing in America, the political practice of organizing communities to act in common self-interest.Alinsky is sometimes said to have coined the term "Think globally, act locally Freire was a Brazilian educator and is an influential theorist of education . He contributed a philosophy of education. His Pedagogy of the Oppressed emphasized the need to provide native populations with an education which was simultaneously new and modern (rather than traditional) and anti-colonial.

Jack RothmanSaul AlinskyPaolo FreireMethods of Community OrganizingConflict Confrontational ModelConscientisation Transformational Model Community Development- Use of conflict and controversy to agitate people to act- Problem-focused and issue-oriented approach- Social Action- Mass mobilization and confrontational methods in negotiationDialogue

Reflection and Action- Social Planning- Development of organizations to sustain people power- Radical transformation of life

Jack Rothmans Models (CO Methodologies)

Community DevtSocial ActionSocial PlanningConcept- Process of community building- Working with a broad, representative cross section of the community Building consensus based on common interests

Used when seeking to alter institutional policies or to make changes in the distribution of power, e.g. civil rights groups, social movementsParticipation in the development planning process

Jack Rothmans Models (CO Methodologies)

Community DevtSocial ActionSocial PlanningGoal of ApproachSelf help, community capacityChange power imbalancesRational problem solvingAssumptions, Underlying ApproachDecision making based on community perceptions, interpretation of factsDecision making based on crystallizing issues, people take action to target social injusticeDecision making based on facts, objective epidemiologyPractitioner RoleFacilitator of community processesAdvocate/ activitstExpert/ plannerCommunity RoleParticpantActivitist/ particpantConsumer

Locality or Community Development

Process of community building

Working with a broad, representative cross section of the community to achieve change objectives

Enabling community to establish consensus via identification of common interests

Jack Rothmans Models (CO Methodologies)

Social Action

Used when seeking to alter institutional policies or to make changes in the distribution of power, e.g. civil rights groups, social movements

Methods often are abrasive and participation is the most critical element

Leadership is challenged as the symbolic enemies of the people

Jack Rothmans Models (CO Methodologies)

The use of conflict and controversy to agitate for action and change

The recognition and use of self interest to fan discontent towards involving people in personal and community issues

Mass mobilization involving the most number of people possible

Negotiation with conflict-confrontation

Issue-to-issue approach, relating micro to macro issues

Developing organization structures to peoples power

Pressure tactics and pressure packed trainings

Saul Alinskys Conflict-Confrontational Model

Process of developing bigger social realities and of their own capacity to transform such realities

No education is neutral or apoliticalIssues must have importance to the people noProblem posing approachDialogue Reflection and actionRadical transformation of life in the local communities and the whole society

Paolo Freires Conscientization Model