9/7/99

Notes: Community Organizing

1. Community Organizing, What do we mean?

To organize is to assemble parts into a whole.

Today to create a system, taking a united effort to try to achieve a common goal.

2. What are some of the ways to organize?

Geographically, Issue based, Identity

3. What kinds of models are used?

Models are different tactics to achieve outcomes.

Protest: rally, march, demonstrations, boycotts, political (voter registration, lobbing, camp elections)

Mutual aid: getting together with people to work together. CO-OP situations, small business, Organizations

Organizational Development: Conventions, house meetings, town meetings, tenant meetings.

Fundraising: phone banks, door -to -door, canvas a neighborhood.

Media: Press conference, publications, leaflets, newsletters.

4.How do you build a community?

It’s a shared response ability among people.

5.History-learning from the past, creating a profound change.

6.The Boston tea party, Civil Rights movements.

7. Time changes, and you have to be able to change with the times

8. Successful Tips to Organizing

a. define the problem broadly

b. redefine the problem:

once full information is available

once resolved

3. Know your opposition

co-opt

disarm

isolate

organizing is about empowerment

4. What is vs.what aught to be.

build an information base, know when to locke in victories.

Early Stages of Organizing in the US.

The Social welfare system was one of the first examples of community organizing. From(1890-1920) industrial revolution was taking place and there were some radical economic changes going on. The shift from a rural society to urban society with the influx of immigrants. There were a lot of problems that had to be resolved. They were resolved through education & communication. Education about thee inhumane aspects of the industrial warehouses. There was the Block by block organizations who grouped immigrants according to the ethnicity. The first settlement houses were established, to provide services to community workers who reside in the community. People wanted to bridge the gap between the classes.

Assemble parts into a whole.