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Let us be proud of what we are doing
Role – Meaning & Definitions
 
Prescribed or expected behavior associated with a particular position or status in a group or organization.
 
normal or customary activity of a person in a particular social setting
 
A role (sometimes spelled rôle as in French) or a social role is a set of connected behaviors, rights andobligations as conceptualized by actors in a social situation. It is an expected behavior in a given individualsocial status and social position. It is vital to both functionalist and interactionist understandings of society.
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role - the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group;
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duty - work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons;
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capacity - a specified function;
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hat - an informal term for a person's role;
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portfolio - the role of the head of a government department;
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second fiddle - a secondary role or function;
 
A position, or status, within a social structure that is shaped by relatively precise behavioural expectations(norms). A role has been described as the active component of status. .
The Role of a Community Organizer
S.Rengasamy, Madurai Institute of Social Sciences, Madurai, Tamilnadu, India
(http://cdmissmdu.blogspot.com/ http://cdmiss.wordpress.com/http://rengasamy.onsugar.com/)
The soul of community organizing is people.An organizer might be paid or work as a volunteer.The group could start as part of a master plan hatched ina smoke filled room or out of a 'spontaneous'community reaction to a crisis like a toxic waste dump.Community Organizers might base their work onhouse by house meetings or cells of clandestineconspirators. The ultimate goal could achieve their collective aspirations. Organizers can differ onstrategy, tactics, even on what seem to be base values.However, all organizers believe in people, in the ability of regular folks to guide their lives,to speak for themselves, to learn the world and how to make it better. - Dave Beckwith andRandy Stoeker 
 
S.Rengasamy - Role of a Community Organizer
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Community Organizers build organizations that maximize the power and participation of thepeople.
 
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Community Organizers listen to the people
 
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Community Organizers are responsible for sharing information and raising questions,options, alternatives and problems that affect the community.
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Community Organizers identify and develop diverse group of members who agree to serve asthe organization’s public voice in a variety of issues.
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Community Organizers are attuned to the power relationships and political agendassurrounding an issue
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Community Organizers develop sound organizing strategies based on his power analysis.
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Community organizer’s role is to build public relationships,
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Community organizer is to work with people to define problems and issues, and help themthink through the strategies and tactics necessary to act with confidence and win.
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Community Organizers recruit members, assist with fundraising, and integrate fundraisinginto every aspect of their organizing work.
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Community Organizers ensure that their members receive a consistently high standard of appropriate and effective training.
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Community Organizers enable the members to hold meetings that are productive andfocused.
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Community Organizers facilitate training and strategy sessions when needed
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Community Organizers build evaluations into all aspects of their work.
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Community Organizers strive to be accountable and hold others accountable in every aspectof their job
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Community Organizers always make time for follow-up.
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Community Organizers strive to eflect on and improve their skills on an ongoing basis, anddevelop an annual self-development plan
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Community Organizers challenge people to act on behalf of their common interests.
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Community Organizers develop new relationships out of old ones
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Community Organizers work through campaigns.
Just what organizers do can sound like any standard job description - "administration, planning, policy decision-making, program and leadership development and actionimplementation, public relations activities, and service activities." But CO work takes formwithin the dynamics of community and struggle, requiring organizers to have anextraordinary range of competencies.The organizer must thoroughly understand the characteristics and the power patterns of thecommunity through extensive interviews and discussions with community members. Theorganizer is a listener. The organizer identifies and trains potential leaders. These potentialleaders are not necessarily the titular heads of organizations. Through an extensive listening process issues or problems of concern to the people are identified. People must beencouraged to talk about their views of the community and it is important that they realizethat the organizer does not come with a preconceived program. An organizer must also beable to agitate people to act. "Until the people recognize that it is they who must dosomething about their own problems, and that it is only THEY who can be trusted to do theright thing - and until they realize that only if they organize enough power in their communitythat something can be done about these things, nothing will get done."
 
S.Rengasamy - Role of a Community Organizer
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While politicians talk about their "realresponsibility", it is the community organizerswho suffer with the community when policiesfail and romises are broken.
Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies. It is no surprise that, after eight yearsof failed policies, millions of people have found that by coming together intheir local communities, they can change the course of history.
Sarah Palin, Vice Presidential candidate of USA made some comments on the experiences of Barack Obama, Presidential candidate as a community organizer in Chicago, during the electioncampaign. She said her stint as a small-town mayor was "sort of like a 'community organizer,'except that she had some actual responsibilities."Community organizers throughout USA unitedtogether and torn Sarah Palin into bits and pieces. Their reactions were truly inspiring, revealingthe great role played by the community organizers.
I am a Community Organizer @ The Role of a Community Organizer
Co
mmunity organizers have been at the root of any social change. While it can take many forms suchas protests, petitioning, advocating, celebrations, canvassing, educating, registering voters, vigils,fundraising, marching, church meetings, neighborhood watches, government funded organizations,non-profits who rely solely on donations and volunteers, letter writing campaigns, feeding thosewithout food, speaking for those who are not heard, listening to someone share her/his story, andmany other ways, it always is done by working with people in the community. Community organizersare the first to respond to injustices that unfairly target certain groups of people. They are often fromthe community they are advocating for,providing an authentic voice in an ever-increasing world of meaningless quipsand political banter. While politicians talk about their "real responsibility", it is thecommunity organizers who suffer withthe community when policies fail andpromises are broken.
It
was community organizers who firstquestioned the rule of England in whatwould become the United States. It wascommunity organizers that developed theUnderground Railroad and demandedthat all be free in this country. It wascommunity organizers who insisted thatpeople of color and women have theright to vote. It was community organizers who advocated against child labor and for adequate publiceducation. It was community organizers who saw a need to support the disadvantaged in our countryand created social services. It was community organizers who fought for civil rights throughouthistory for countless groups. It was communityorganizers who demanded that women have a choiceabout their bodies and when they have children. Itwas community organizers who spoke out about theviolence perpetrated on targeted groups. It wascommunity organizers who protested war after war,and it was community organizers that advocated for veterens who were forgotten by the country whoasked them to sacrifice all. It was community organizers who believed that everyone has the right topractice the faith of theirchoice and called upon ourgovernment to create aseparation of church andstate. It was communityorganizers who protectedand supported when all others turned a blind eye. It was community organizers that fought for everyright you have.
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