NEEDS ASSESSMENT

 

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Book : "Community Organizing and Development - Rubin, H. J. & Rubin, I. S. (2001)"

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POWER AND COLLECTIVE ACTION

 Empowerment:

- Perkins (1995): Empowerment is a psychological feeling that individuals have when they believe they can accomplish chosen goals; it is also a political or organizational strength that enables people to carry out their will collectively.

- Empowerment occurs when ordinary people discover that they have the capacity to solve the problems they face, control the means to do so, and have final, authoritative say in decision-making.

- Empowered individuals are willing and able to assert their collective wills, even when faced with opposition from the established political or economic structure.

- Empowerment is the tool through which ordinary people collectively combat the mobilization of bias.

- This bias comes from a set of structures, including norms, beliefs, rituals, institutions, organizations, and procedures ("rules of the game") that operate systematically to benefit certain groups and persons at the expense of others. As part of growing up in a culture where the rich and business classes dominate, ordinary people often accept these biased rules.

- People accept whatever decisions are made, even when those decisions are harmful to them, without fighting back. Disempowerment occurs because people, often without thinking of their own interests, accept the rules of the game that put others in charge.

-Empowerment occurs:

a)     When those in community and social-change organizations confront the tacit rules that favor the rich, the owners of large businesses, and government agencies.

-       People feel empowered when they recognize that their contribution helps the group succeed. Power comes from solidarity, from membership in a group, where the efforts of individuals are channeled, focused, and effective.

-       People learn they can use collective power to shape outcomes that benefit them, to control their own world, and to escape subordination from others.

-       A feeling of empowerment grows when people who understand that there are collective solutions to their problems begin to fight back and take some control. For example, residents who patrol their own community to drive out drug hustlers feel empowered. Learning how to fight back and pressure the government and business to respond is empowering.

 

b)    By gaining a material and social stake in society, people gain self-confidence that empowers them. For example, mastering the skills needed for a better job or perhaps owning a new home.

c)     By enabling people to escape from the humiliation they feel when they are put down by others. People feel empowered when they fight back politically to overcome personal oppression, e.g., racism.

d)    People are empowered when they control the environment in which they live. For example, when cars do not speed through residential streets, endangering children, the community is not a marketplace for drugs or prostitution.

-       It also means that the residents of the neighborhood control its resources, own its businesses and homes, and that the money spent by the community does not leave the community, stripping it of resources.

SOCIAL NETWORKS AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

- Community is built on social capital, "the stocks of social trust, norms, and networks that people can draw upon in order to solve common problems".

 - If there is inadequate social capital, it is difficult to build a sense of community.

(Check book attached -  Rubin, H. J. & Rubin, I. S. (2001): Community Organizing and Development. Pearson/Routledge. )

CREATING SOCIAL CAPITAL THROUGH COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

A. Programs:

- Community-based economic development programs can be as much about the process of creating social capital as they are about increasing wealth.

-Microenterprise programs are set up to help poor women establish income-producing firms, but in doing so, they increase the amount of community social capital.

B. Faith-based model:

-Within many communities, churches and mosques are the repository of place-based social capital, uniting people who share core values. Worship members often take on obligations of supporting and helping congregation members.

-Churches from different or similar communities can be more readily linked to one another than can individuals, creating the social bridges that provide resources to communities in need.

Community intervention tools

 

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Consensus organizing approach

Consensus organizing is a community-building model focused on fostering collaboration by identifying mutual self-interests between diverse stakeholders, such as residents and external resource providers. Unlike traditional conflict-based methods, it emphasizes relationship-building, developing social capital, and achieving tangible, win-win outcomes for all parties involved. 

Key areas of consensus organizing include:

• Focus on Mutual Self-Interest: The approach hinges on bridging gaps between groups that may not naturally work together by identifying shared goals that benefit both sides.
• Relationship Building: The process heavily relies on the organizer acting as a mediator, broker, and bridge-builder to create a network of support.
• Tangible Results: It prioritizes getting specific tasks done, which helps build trust and demonstrates the competence of community residents.
• Alternative to Conflict Models: Emerging as a counterpoint to Alinsky-style conflict organizing, it seeks to reduce friction and foster cooperation rather than confrontation.
• Role of the Organizer: Organizers focus on listening, reframing issues, and empowering residents to participate in solutions, rather than just highlighting problems. 

Community building approach

 A community-building approach to organizing focuses on fostering trust, building relationships, and cultivating a shared identity to empower residents to solve problems collaboratively. It emphasizes asset-based development, strengthening social fabric, and enhancing internal capacity over transactional, top-down methods to achieve sustainable social change. 

Core Principles and Characteristics:

• Asset-Based Focus: Rather than focusing on deficits, this approach identifies and utilizes existing strengths, skills, and resources within the community.
• Trust and Relationship Building: The foundation lies in connecting people, fostering a sense of belonging, and encouraging active participation.
• Empowerment and "Helping People Help Themselves": The goal is to enhance the community's capacity to identify problems and implement their own solutions.
• Collaborative Power: It focuses on building "power-with" through collective action and shared decision-making, rather than solely "power-over" opponents.
• Inclusive Engagement: It seeks to involve a broad range of stakeholders and diverse groups within the neighborhood. 

Key Strategies:

• Active Listening: Organizers spend time understanding the needs and concerns of local people without starting with a predetermined agenda.
• Skill Building: Developing community competency in areas like group facilitation, critical thinking, and leadership.
• Strengthening Infrastructure: Creating or supporting local institutions, neighborhood associations, and volunteer networks.
• Social Capital Development: Building networks among various agencies and institutions based on shared goals for the common good. 

This approach is exemplified by Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), which focuses on utilizing existing local assets for development. 

Feminist approach

A feminist approach to community organizing emphasizes achieving gender equality through intersectional, power-shifting, and collaborative strategies that prioritize women's leadership, collective well-being, and the dismantling of systemic oppression. It emphasizes empowering marginalized voices, fostering inclusive decision-making, and addressing the root causes of discrimination rather than just symptoms. 

Key elements of this approach include:

• Intersectionality and Inclusivity: Recognizing that gender intersects with race, class, sexuality, and ethnicity to create unique experiences of oppression. It seeks to represent the interests of diverse women, not just an elite.
• Power-Shifting and Leadership: Prioritizing the leadership of women and non-binary people, especially women of color, to challenge patriarchy, white supremacy, and colonialism.
• Collaborative Process: Emphasizing cooperation, nurturing environments, joy, and well-being over top-down, competitive, or aggressive methods.
  
• Structural Transformation: Focusing on radical community development that addresses the structural causes of inequality and violence, rather than merely treating symptoms.
• Empowerment through Consciousness: Building critical consciousness among community members to analyze power dynamics and recognize their own agency.
• Economic Justice and Solidarity: Utilizing mutual aid, cooperatives, and collective action to improve economic status and promote community ownership. 

Feminist organizing is used to end violence against women, improve access to services for those in poverty, and build resilient, sustainable communities.