Community Organizing (CO) Overview

1. Community Organizing (CO) Overview • Like social movements, a collective effort to create change • Unlike social movements, focus is on bringing people together on the basis of shared residence – neighborhood, city, region • CO has a complex relationship with social movements • Organizing can build the basis of relationships, organizations, ideas for movements • Movements can leave behind legacies that benefit or create organizing

2. Contemporary Community Organizing in the United States – National Networks • Block-club model • NPA • ACORN • Institutional model (“broad-based,” “faith-based”, or “congregation-based” [CBCO]) • Overview – from Kleidman, Robert. 2004. "Community Organizing and Regionalism." City and Community 3:403-421 • National Networks • IAF • Gamaliel Foundation • DART • PICO

3. “Relational Organizing” • Another name for CBCO • This form of organizing starts by training people to form relationships of mutual understanding and trust • These provide the basis for • Community • Action • Issues • Agitational relationships • The basic technique is the “one-on-one” meeting [interview]

4. One-On-Ones • Overview • Are the basis of “relational organizing” • Are similar to sociological in-depth interviews • Focus on “public life” • But opens the door to the person discussing how “private life” affects this • Are one-way interviews • But can be done reciprocally (person interviewed becomes person interviewing, in a separate conversation)

5. One-on-one Training • Organizing stresses “leadership training” • “leaders” are members of the community who participate in organizing • Everyone who participates is considered a leader • The organizational culture stresses shared and accountable leadership • The real focus is on individual growth / transformation • One-on-one training • For organizers • For class purposes

6. Technique • Set aside 15- 30 minutes, where you will not be interrupted, for the interview • And 10-15 minutes after, to write it up • Start with a list of a few short questions • Try not to take notes during the interview

7. Attitude • Interested, curious • Not nosy • Empathetic • not judgmental • Listening • Not talking

8. Goalsin order of importance, most to least • Build relationship • Of mutual understanding, trust • One-on-one provides the basis for an “agitational” relationship • Discover other person’s self-interest • “self-interested” is different from selfish or selfless • To organizers, it’s is a “relational” term – as a person gains insight, that person realizes self-interest is tied to that of others • Which others, and how? • Discover self-interest by learning her or his “story” • Help person clarify her or his own self-interest • How often do we have this kind of conversation? • Gain information • Note that this is the least important

9. Questions • Open-ended • Follow-ups • What was that like? • How did that feel? • Why do you think . . . • Start with common ground or broad question

10. Questions • What brings you here? • Follow-ups: history • How is it going for you? • Where do you see yourself going? • Follow-up: legacy • What people, events, have most shaped you? • What makes you . . . (angry, etc.)