The definition of community organizing
important benefits. […] These communities do
In the process of community organizing, people
who don't have a say in the decision-making
processes, organize for social change in order to
rearrange power inequalities by establishing
non-hierarchical community
organizations - organizations in the structural
sense, not necessarily in the legal sense.
Community organizing revitalizes old
democratic institutions and creates new ones...
"For people to turn shared values into action,
they must learn how to identify, recruit, and
develop leadership; they must learn to build
community around that leadership; and they
must learn to draw power from that community.
Organizers challenge people to act on behalf of
shared values and interests. They draw people
together in new relationships that enable people
to gain new understanding of their interests, and
they help people develop new resources and new
capacity to use these resources for the collective
benefit."
Source: Ganz, Marshall (2004) "Organizing." In
George R. Goethals, Georgia J. Sorenson, and
James MacGregor Burns, eds. Encyclopedia of
Leadership. Vol. 3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
...through building powerful community
organizations...
"Community Organizing is a democratically-
governed long-term process by which people are
brought together to act in their common self-
interest to identify community problems and
solutions, and to take action by engaging
existing power structures to make those
solutions a reality."
Source: Definition of the European Community
Organizing Network
...which provide foundation for social
movements.
Behind every successful social movement is a
community or a network of communities. When
these communities are effectively organized,
they can provide social movements with
not just happen. They must be organized.
Someone has to build strong enough
relationships between people so they can support
each other through long and sometimes
dangerous struggles. […] This process of
building a mobilizable community is called
community organizing. It involves the "craft" of
building an enduring network of people, who
identify with common ideals and who can act on
the basis of those ideals. […] Community
organizing is localized, often "prepolitical"
action that provides the foundation for
multilocal and explicitly political social
movements.
Source: Stout, Jeffrey (2010). Blessed are the
Organized. New York: Princeton University
Press.
5 Functions of a Community Organizer
The process of community organizing is a
dynamic one with few rigid guidelines,
suggesting that the functions of a community
organizer require flexibility, creativity and
excellent leadership skills.
Community organization aims to organize,
mobilize and educate people to build a sense of
community. By doing so, the community gains
power or influence over issues concerning their
welfare. Strengthening groups at the grassroots
level empowers the community to direct their
own path to some extent, holding government
and private organizations accountable for
policies and programs that directly impact the
community.
1. Grassroots Organization
Community organization is a valuable strategy
at all levels, including at the national, regional
and local level. There is strength in numbers,
and the community organizer's initial efforts will
focus on getting individuals to buy into the
collective goals of the group. Unification efforts
involve reaching out to individuals and
households and getting them to engage with the
community. At this stage, the community
organizer is focused on building the numbers
rather than spreading the message of community
welfare.
2. Outreach with an Impact
The need for community organization exists
because certain groups have little or no access to
goods or services that impact their quality of
life. One of the functions of a community
organizer is to identify the areas requiring
certain social services and initiating outreach
programs to address these needs. Outreach
programs allow organizers to introduce
themselves to the locals in a positive way. It is a
strategy that builds trust while ensuring
immediate action on pressing needs of the
community.
3. Educating and Informing the Collective
A community organizer is an effective
communicator. Someone who can listen and
empathize with individuals and groups will have
the ability to organize and lead no matter the
diverse backgrounds of those involved. To bring
individuals together on controversial issues that
affect the community, it is crucial to make them
aware of the truth about the issues as well as the
long and short-term impact on their lives. This is
one of the bigger challenges of community
organizers as effecting change is often a battle
against entrenched beliefs and traditional
systems.
4. Community Worker
Community organizers work with the people of
the community and not for them. This is an
important distinction to make because the
organizer's advocacy efforts in favor of the
community may be mistakenly understood by
the group. Community organizers work
alongside the group, guiding their efforts
through direct or indirect intervention, and the
group effects changes through their efforts. The
role of community organizer is advisory rather
than direct leadership. The organizer develops
leaders among the community members,
grooming them to become the face and the voice
of the community.
5. Researcher
Working closely with a community provides the
community organizer with an excellent vantage
from which to observe local practices, beliefs
and interactions. The organizer will be able to
document changes as they take place and assess
the social and economic impact of certain
policies. It is the duty of the organizer to keep
accurate records of these observations, generate
actionable reports as needed and to forward said
reports to the appropriate government and
private organizations that may be able to provide
solutions to the community's problems.
The community organizer plays an important
role in developing, assessing and changing
social policy as it relates to specific groups. It is
an influential role, and it is one that requires
excellent communication skills, a passion for
helping others and outstanding persuasive and
leadership abilities. The functions of a
community organizer prepare the right
individuals for bigger and more important roles
on a larger scale as evidenced by President
Barack Obama who credits his years as
community organizer for his passion, fortitude
and leadership skills.
PEOPL;E EM[POWERMENT
Abstract
Empowerment of poor people is the declared
aim of many NGOs and official development
agencies. However, the failure to recognise the
culture of poor people, and to use their own
forms of organisation as a point of departure,
means that many such programmes are in fact
counter-productive. This article argues that
NGOs which wish to support people's
empowerment need to demonstrate their faith in
poor people by respecting and supporting their
own decisions.
8 STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE YOUR
QUALITY OF LIFE
1.
1. Cultivate Optimism. Being
positive can often be seen as
naivety or “Pollyanna”
behavior. In actuality, optimism
increases job performance,
creativity, ability to weather
stress & self esteem. Optimism
can be used in how you talk to
yourself in the face of adversity,
explain past events & think
about the future. In the quest
for the good life, positive
expectations can be self-
fulfilling. Cultivating your
ability to be optimistic is
beneficial to your health & your
success. How cool is that?
2. Be Present. Take a deep
breath. This is the here and
now. Stop ruminating over the
past or worrying about the
future for a moment. Tell the
voices in your head (“your
committee”) to be silent. Enjoy
your ability to create your
experience this very second. If
you’re washing the dishes, wash
the dishes. If you’re writing a
blog post, write the blog post. If
you’re playing with your kids,
play with your kids. It’s harder
than is sounds, but worth
practicing every day.
3. Clarify. When you are clear on
what is important to you, there
comes an incredible sense of
freedom. You no longer live in
a world of social
comparison. You are running
your own race. Goals, big
decisions & small habits are
surmountable & invigorating
because you have a clear picture
of what you want your life to
stand for. Clarity does not
come easily. It also evolves
throughout your life, which
requires gracious
flexibility. But it is worth
it. Spend some quality time
getting clear.
4. Give Out. Mentor, contribute,
practice random acts of
kindness, express gratitude.
Make a loan, give your time, be
fully present for your family,
change the world. There are a
million ways to give of yourself.
Do it big, do it small, just do
it. It’s one of the most positive
 equations in the world: You
give of your time or resources,
which improves someone’s
quality of life, which makes you
feel needed & valuable, which
in turn improves your quality of
life. We’re all better off. Magic.
5. Connect. We are social
beings. We crave connections
to others individually, to our
communities, to our world. Pay
special attention to your family,
your lover, your adored friends,
your colleagues & your
neighbors. Explore &
strengthen your connection to a
Higher Power. And be open
enough to enjoy the
spontaneous connections that
come from making a new friend
on vacation or sharing a witty
remark with your seatmate on
the bus. Genuine curiosity &
kindness are an amazing way to
foster connections, new & old.
6. Find Flow. Flow is being in the
groove, totally engaged in your
present activity, challenged but
succeeding with clear goals &
feedback. It’s a glorious state to
be in. For some it’s gardening,
writing, cooking dinner with
your partner, intense
conversation, or crunching
numbers. Though it requires
more energy than passive ways
to spend time (reality tv, idle
gossip, video games) seek out
the activities that challenge,
engage & satisfy. Find your
flow.
7. Celebrate. We need play &
whimsy in our lives. A healthy
dose of joi de vivre fuels your
creativity & feeds your
spirit. Celebrating is a
wonderful way to share love
with others & incorporate more
play in our lives. Who in your
life has done something big
lately? Did you
celebrate? What about
something small, but personally
important? Did you
celebrate? Celebrate with
traditions, with heartfelt
compliments, with notes in
lunchboxes, with surprises, with
big evenings out, or with cozy
evenings in.
8. Love Yourself. Your body is
the vehicle that carries you
through your life. Love
yourself by treating your body
with respect & care. Fuel it
well with fresh fruits,
vegetables, whole grains & lean
protein. Move it daily. Don’t
smoke, don’t abuse
alcohol. Meditate. Help
yourself age well by staying
flexible, protecting your skin
from sun & exercising your
mind. Sleep well. Beware the
ease in which you critique
yourself & indulge in praise
instead.
MOBILIZE LEADERS TO ACCELERATE
RESULTS
by: Brian Brittain, John Swain, Janice
Simpson, John Swain, Janice
SimpsonIssues: January / February 2005.
Categories: Leadership.
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“True leadership is a dangerous act,” these
coauthors write, and a true leader is perhaps
never more at risk than when he or she tries to
speed up the pace of organizational change. But
by becoming more personal and by
personalizing the changes needed, especially
through the use of storytelling, a leader can
make the changes, and make them — and the
people — stick. These authors have some
excellent suggestions on how to do it.
“I think we’ve got the right strategy,” said a
CEO we recently began working with, “but I’m
not seeing results quickly enough. How do I
speed things up?”
We hear this question a lot. We hear it from
CEOs and senior leaders who are facing a new
competitive threat or significant changes in
market and industry dynamics. We hear it from
companies trying to fast-track a product
innovation to be first to market, or to integrate
an acquisition. We hear it from leaders in the
public sector challenged with providing a broad
range of services with limited tax dollars, or
with advancing a new political agenda.
Each situation is unique, requiring an approach
to accelerating results that’s carefully tailored to
the strategy. But in our diagnosis of what’s
getting in the way of rapid strategy
implementation, we do see common issues that
cut across sectors and organizations. And
invariably we find that the solution starts with
the CEO deciding to take a much more
prominent role in driving the change and to
mobilize leaders in a new way. In this article, we
will outline three tactics that have succeeded in
unleashing productive energy and accelerating
business results for organizations that have used
them in a conscious and disciplined manner.
SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
ocial transformation refers to the process of
change in institutionalized relationships, norms,
values, and hierarchies over time. It is the
manner in which society changes due to
economic growth, science, technological
innovations, and war or political upheavals.
Social transformation affects people’s
interactions and lifestyle. Regarding individuals,
social transformation refers to the process of
altering the social status of one’s parents to
resemble their current status. During this process
of transformation, one moves from an ascribed
status to an achieved status.
Ascribed Status Versus Achieved Status
An ascribed status is the social status into which
a child is born. For instance, there are people
born into wealthy families while others are born
into families with low-incomes. In the United
Status, gender and racial differences form a
basis for people’s ascribed statuses. On the
contrary, an achieved status refers to the status
that one acquires as a result of their education,
skills, merit, and abilities. Examples of achieved
status include doctors, professors, criminals, and
researchers. A person’s status determines their
behavior. The other forms of class identification
include family background, tastes, interests,
cultural refinement, and self-identification.
Culture and Globalization
Today, social transformation is evidenced by
two significant concepts, namely culture and
globalization. Culture refers to the distinct way
of life of a particular group of people. It differs
from one society to another depending on their
geographical locations, literacy levels,
advancements in technology, and political
environments. Culture includes the beliefs,
morals, laws, customs, and art related to society.
On the other hand, globalization refers to the
standardization of education policies, trade,
ideas, music, art, and lifestyle around the world.
The integration of cultures has occurred so much
that the world is now known as a global village.
Steps in Social Transformation
There are three steps involved in the social
transformation which include associational
embracement, associational distancing, and
presentation of self. Associational embracement
refers to an individual’s verbal recognition and
acceptance of the group they wish to join. An
example of such verbal recognition is when an
aspiring law student chooses the college that
they would like to join to pursue their Law
Degree studies. Associational embracement may
either be proactive embracement or retroactive
embracement. Associational distancing, on the
other hand, involves separating oneself from
people who do not match their desired social
identity. Social transformation involving the
presentation of self-demands that one’s looks
pass for their desired social status. Therefore,
people become careful about their speech and
clothing to belong to certain statuses. Embracing
the dressing patterns and the speech styles of the
status they desire to be a part of makes
individuals “look the part.”
Social Transformation in Popular Culture

Social transformation and class passing are

widespread in the society today. Behavior is
easily passed along to various audiences through
the internet, television, films, and celebrities.
For example, Britney Spears and Oprah Winfrey
are perfect examples of personalities that are
categorized as class-passers. Popular shows such
as “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” seeks to
transform people into a wealthy status.