"Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest."
The process of bringing people together to address issues and promote positive change in their community through advocacy and collective action.
Social Justice: Understanding the concepts of social justice and social inequality, how they affect communities, and ways to achieve a more equitable society.
Power Dynamics: Recognizing power structures and hierarchies in society and learning ways to challenge and dismantle them.
Advocacy: Understanding how to represent the interests and needs of individuals and communities, and create meaningful change through public policy and decision-making.
Community Mobilization: Developing strategies to engage and activate community members around specific issues, and build collective power for change.
Leadership and Communication: Learning effective communication and leadership skills to help build relationships, facilitate dialogue, and collaborate with community stakeholders.
Organizational Development: Understanding the basics of setting up and managing effective community organizations, including creating mission statements, strategic planning, and fundraising.
Cultural Competence and Diversity: Developing an understanding of cultural differences and how to work with diverse populations, including marginalized groups.
Program Design and Implementation: Learn how to design, implement, and evaluate community-based programs and interventions that meet the needs of a specific population or community.
Collaborative Partnership Building: Developing partnerships with other organizations and stakeholders and building coalitions to address community issues more effectively.
Research and Data Analysis: Developing skills in data collection, analysis, and research methods to better understand community needs and identify effective interventions.
Grassroots organizing: This type of community organizing involves mobilizing local people or groups from the bottom-up to address specific social issues. The focus is on building collective power and promoting democratic participation.
Issue-based organizing: This type of organizing revolves around a particular social issue, such as affordable housing, environmental justice, or immigration. The goal is to bring together people who are affected by the issue and create a campaign to influence decision-makers and effect change.
Faith-based organizing: This approach involves organizing within a religious community, often with the support of religious leaders. The goal is to address social justice issues in alignment with religious values and to mobilize communities to take action.
Labor organizing: This approach involves organizing workers within a particular industry or company to improve wages, working conditions, and job security. The goal is to build collective power to negotiate with employers for better terms.
Neighborhood organizing: This type of community organizing centers on a specific geographical area, such as a neighborhood or block. The focus is on building relationships among residents and mobilizing them to address issues affecting their community.
Coalition building: This approach involves bringing together diverse groups and organizations to work toward a common goal. The goal of coalition building is to leverage the resources, skills, and expertise of different groups to achieve collective impact.
Nonviolent direct action: This type of organizing involves a coordinated and strategic use of nonviolent resistance to challenge unjust practices and policies. Nonviolent direct action can involve tactics such as civil disobedience, boycotts, and sit-ins.
Advocacy organizing: This approach involves building public support for a particular cause or issue. The goal is to influence decision-makers through coordinated actions such as rallies, media campaigns, and lobbying efforts.
Youth organizing: This type of community organizing focuses on mobilizing young people to take action around social justice issues. The goal is to empower young people to be agents of change in their communities.
Popular education: This approach involves using educational programs and materials to build understanding and awareness about social justice issues. The goal is to empower people through knowledge and create opportunities for action and change.
"Community organizers generally assume that social change necessarily involves conflict and social struggle in order to generate collective power for the powerless."
"Community organizing has as a core goal the generation of durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time."
"In the ideal, for example, this can get community-organizing groups a place at the table before important decisions are made."
"Community organizers work with and develop new local leaders, facilitating coalitions and assisting in the development of campaigns."
"A central goal of organizing is the development of a robust, organized, local democracy bringing community members together across differences to fight together for the interests of the community."
"Community organizing aims to generate durable power for an organization representing the community."
"People who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization."
"Unlike those who promote more-consensual community building, community organizers generally assume that social change necessarily involves conflict and social struggle."
"Community organizers 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."
"Community organizing has as a core goal the generation of durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time."
"In the ideal, community-organizing groups can get a place at the table before important decisions are made."
"A central goal of organizing is the development of a robust, organized, local democracy bringing community members together across differences to fight together for the interests of the community."
"Community organizing is a process where people... come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest."
"Organizing campaigns seek to fight for the interests of the community."
"Community organizing involves generating collective power for the powerless."
"Community organizing aims to influence key decision-makers on a range of issues over time."
"Community organizers facilitate coalitions and assist in the development of campaigns."
"Community organizing brings community members together across differences to fight together for the interests of the community."