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Community Organizers or Community Organizing Group or Community Organizing means "bottom-up" change which has its genesis in the USA over the last 50 years to achieve social and economic change, particularly for the Disadvantaged and Disabled who are less able to achieve such change.

Typically, the actions taken by a Community Organizing Group are preceded by -

(a)        careful data gathering;

(b)        research; and

(c)        participatory strategic planning. 

The actions are often in the form of negotiations - with targeted agencies which hold power - around issues determined by and important to those agencies and the community.  A Community Organizing Group will seek policy and other significant changes determined by and responsive to a community.

Community Organizers -

(A)        identify and attract the people to be involved in the Community Organizing Group; and

(B)       develop the leadership from and relationships among the people that make the Community Organizing Group effective.

Community Organizing Groups in the USA are often drawn from low and moderate-income residents previously absent from decision-making tables who are brought together to jointly act in the interest of their communities and the common good.  Ideally, in the participatory process of working for needed change, people involved in a Community Organizing Group learn how to take greater responsibility for the future of their communities, gain in mutual respect and achieve growth as individuals.

Community Organizing Groups can just as easily be drawn from higher socio-economic residents if those residents -

(i)         possess requisite skills; and

(ii)        have a conviction to assist other residents who often are less fortunate then themselves.

Unlike in the USA, the YELP Holistic First Business Plan seeks to create a Community Organizing Group by drawing on 32 Pioneer Fit Old Farts who possess Five Pioneer FOF Qualities to assist, in particular Interested Adults drawn from in particular low and moderate income regions with a higher occupancy of Disadvantaged and Disabled who more prominently suffer from Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases and Other Personal, Social, Productivity and Environmental Costs.

The Community Organizing Group for the YELP  SPV comprises the Various Parties.

Community Organizing -

(I.)        rests on "a solid bed of key principles around which most knowledgeable practitioners and observers are in general agreement" -  the degree of adherence to these principles, and the relative emphasis placed on one principle or another, provides the best means of distinguishing a Community Organizing Group;

(II.)        builds power and works for change most often to achieve social justice with and for those who are Disadvantaged and Disabled who more prominently suffer from Lifestyle Related Chronic Diseases;

(III.)       encompasses other principles that were described in a thoughtful article jointly written a few years ago by a veteran foundation official and an experienced Community Organizer - the authors, Seth Borgos and Scott Douglas, stressed that "the fundamental source of cohesion of every strong Community Organizing Group is the conviction that it offers its members a unique vehicle for exercising and developing their capacities as citizens" - the authors also noted that the most common usage of the term Community Organizing "...refers to organizations that are democratic in governance, open and accessible to community members, and concerned with the general health of the community rather than a specific interest or service function..."

According to Borgos and Douglas, the key principles of contemporary Community Organizing are:

  • A Participative Culture.  Participation is an end in itself devoting considerable time and resources to enlarging the skills, knowledge and responsibilities of their group. "Never do for others what they can do for themselves" is known as the iron rule.

  • Inclusiveness.  Drawing membership from a narrow social base and their leadership from business and professional elites who work with marginalized groups which demands a -
    i)         high level of skill;
    ii)        frank acknowledgment of power disparities; and
    iii)       major investment of time and effort.

  • Breadth of Mission and Vision.  Every issue that affects the welfare of the community by integrating a diverse set of issues and linking them to a larger, holistic vision of the common good that has been largely abandoned by political parties, churches, schools and other civic institutions, whereas other civic institutions tend to get stuck on certain functions while losing sight of the community's larger problems. 

  • Critical Perspective.  Seeking to change policies and institutions that are not working.  Research suggests that effective governance depends on "civicness" - not consensus.  A critical stance may generate conflict, but it can also stimulate participation and sharpen political discourse in ways that lead to deeper forms of social collaboration.

Saul Alinsky, based in Chicago, is credited with originating the term community organizer during the 1940s/60s.  Alinksy wrote two books: Reveille for Radicals, published in 1946, and Rules for Radicals, published in 1971.  Community Organizers may work actively, as do other types of social workers, in community councils of social agencies and in community-action groups.  At times the role of Community Organizers overlaps that of the social planners.

'Community Organizing' is a long-term approach where the people affected by an issue are supported by bureaucracy in identifying problems and taking action to achieve solutions.  The organizer challenges those he or she works with to change the way things are — it is a means of achieving social change through 'Collective Action' by changing the balance of power. 
The tactics and strategies employed by the organizer are similar to the processes of leadership including -
*    timing the issue,
*    deliberate planning,
*    getting the attention of the populace,
*    framing the issue in terms of the desired solution, and
*    shaping the terms of the decision-making process.

'Community Organizing' helps to bring out many voices to add 'Collective Power' and strength to an issue.  Community Organizing is a key part of an overall strategy to make changes in a community that are widely felt, and that reflect the wishes of the people who are directly affected, for example by alcohol-related community problems.  This requires the organizer to not only listen and be responsive to the community, but also to help community residents develop the skills necessary to address their own issues in an ongoing way.

Government is elected by the people, from the people, for the people.  Hence, Community Organizing is akin to the genesis of local community government.

Community Organizers believes that -

(i)         individual govt. agencies left to their own horizons rarely achieve meaningful beneficial social change; and

(ii)        the aggregate power/effectiveness of a group of like-minded community individuals can be infinitely more successful in bringing about social change for the common good than if those individuals made individual representations, namely that the "whole is greater than the sum of the parts".

US President, Barack Obama, has been a staunch advocate for Community Organizing.  "Barack Obama on Community Organizing".  The antithesis of a Community Organizing would have been the late Qld Premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, who would not listen to anyone and invariably responded, "Don't you worry about that.  We know what is best.  We have it under control.  You just leave it to us."  When, in fact, his bureaucracy often didn't have it under control and stifled Community Organizing.

Corporate Philanthropy notes that on 19 April '09, when opening the Australian Davos Connection's Philanthropy Summit in Sydney, the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urged business leaders not to cut back on Corporate Philanthropy during the economic downturn.  Mr Rudd said

            "When you have the government, the community and the corporate sector acting creatively together you actually end up, often, producing a much better service, a much more creative service, and one much more tailored to local communities."

The Clean Air Action Plan in Southern California is an example of successful Community Organizing with a win for both community health and bottom-line business performance.

 

A plethora of websites provide pertinent structural information regarding Community Organizing:

See Community Organising Model For Social And Economic Change.