|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
Organizing 101: The Basics
What is Organizing?
Organizing is getting something done together that you can't do alone.
Organizing is building power so that people who don't usually have a voice are included in the decisions that affect them.
It is developing new community leaders to make decisions and take action together.
It is solving problems not "for" but "with" people.
The Process of Organizing
From Marin Institute
The process of organizing is seldom "tidy" - it doesn't always happen in neat, predictable steps. It can be thought of as a process guided by principles that repeat in a cycle.
The Key of Leadership Development
Leadership Development means continuing to find and teach new leaders the skills to make decisions and take action together.
It means that we make an effort to share responsibility for the group by asking others to take on important tasks and weigh in on decisions.
We are all different and we value our different leadership strengths.
Don't go it alone. When you need to do something, like meet with an official, or write a letter to the newspaper, ask yourself, "Who might want to learn to do this with me?" Take responsibility for strengthening the group by building individuals' skills and strengths.
Leadership Development means we are each a model for improving (developing) the skills that we bring to the group, and we encourage others to do the same.
Everyone a Teacher ~ Everyone a Learner ...
What Does Organizing Accomplish?
Adapted From Midwest Academy
- We win concrete improvements in peoples lives.
- We make people aware of their own power -- People are leaders. If someone like an advocate or a lawyer goes out and speaks for you, you get a sense of the power they have but not of your own power. Organizing brings people who are impacted directly into the situation with decision-makers. People who develop a sense of their organized power will make a difference and get others involved.
- We change the balance of power -- This means building organizations that those in power will always have to worry about. Whenever they decide to do anything that has an impact on your group, they are going to have to say “wait a minute, how will that organization react to this.”
|