"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."
Mobilizing individuals and groups within a community to identify and address shared concerns, such as lack of access to services or discrimination.
Historical Roots of Community Organizing: This topic involves understanding the origins and history of community organizing, including movements like civil rights, women's rights, and labor rights.
Community Assessment and Mapping: This involves assessing the needs and resources of a community, identifying key players or organizations, mapping out service providers and resources to aid in advocacy, and evaluating how the community is affected by particular policies.
Power and Influence: This involves understanding power and influence within a community and how people and organizations can use their influence to advocate for change.
Grassroots Organizing: Involves understanding how to mobilize communities and individuals to support a cause or initiative, and how to create effective strategies for organizing groups.
Advocacy and Lobbying: Involves the skills and tools needed to advocate for policy changes or for the creation of new initiatives that support communities and individuals.
Social Action and Social Change: Focuses on the importance of social action and how it can lead to social change by empowering communities and individuals to take action in support of their rights and needs.
Communication: Involves understanding how to communicate effectively with individuals and groups to promote community organizing goals and objectives.
Coalition Building and Collaboration: This involves building relationships with other organizations and communities to create support for shared initiatives, goals and objectives.
Ethics in Community Organizing: Involves applying ethical principles in community organizing, including recognizing the needs and preferences of individuals, respecting cultural differences, understanding the impact of power dynamics, and maintaining confidentiality.
Grant Writing and Fundraising: Focuses on the skills needed to raise funds and apply for grants to help support community organizing initiatives.
Grassroots organizing: This type of community organizing involves engaging with residents of a community to bring about change from the bottom up. It aims to encourage community members to take ownership and become involved in tackling social issues. Grassroots organizing is often seen as a more powerful approach as it focuses on collective agency and action.
Coalition building: This type of community organizing involves forming alliances with other organizations to create a larger group with a shared goal. This can help to create a more effective advocacy effort by pooling resources and creating a stronger voice.
Faith-based organizing: This type of community organizing is carried out by religious groups who share a common interest in social justice issues. Faith-based organizations often have a strong moral and ethical framework that drives their activism, and they use religious teachings and language to mobilize their congregations to take action.
Labor organizing: This type of community organizing focuses on the rights and needs of workers, including those who are marginalized or exploited. Labor organizations aim to improve working conditions and wages, protect workers' rights, and advocate for policy changes that benefit workers.
Environmental organizing: This type of community organizing brings together individuals and groups who share a concern for environmental issues such as pollution, global warming, and resource depletion. Environmental organizers work to raise awareness, advocate for policy changes, and promote sustainable practices.
Youth organizing: This type of community organizing is carried out by young people who are passionate about social justice issues. Youth organizers aim to create spaces for young people to engage with their communities, develop leadership skills, and become advocates for change.
Immigrant organizing: This type of community organizing centers around the needs and rights of immigrants and their families, who often face significant barriers and discrimination. Immigrant organizers work to create safe spaces for immigrants, promote policy changes that benefit them, and raise awareness about the contributions that immigrants make to society.
LGBTQ+ organizing: This type of community organizing focuses on the rights and needs of the LGBTQ+ community, who often face discrimination and marginalization. LGBTQ+ organizers work to create safe spaces, advocate for policy changes that protect LGBTQ+ rights, and raise awareness about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people.
Electoral organizing: This type of community organizing is focused on political action, such as voter registration drives, get-out-the-vote efforts, and supporting candidates who align with their policy goals. Electoral organizers aim to create a more equitable political system that represents the interests of underrepresented groups.
Criminal justice organizing: This type of community organizing focuses on issues related to the criminal justice system, such as police brutality, mass incarceration, and mandatory minimum sentencing. Criminal justice organizers work to promote policy changes that address these issues and create equal treatment under the law for all people.
"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."