The 411 on community organizing

1. The 411 on community organizing PROJECT EXTRA MILE Diane Riibe, executive director Cassie Greisen, associate director

2. Overview Background – Project Extra Mile What is Community Organizing? What makes an Effective Organizer? Community Organizing Models Common Pitfalls Scenarios

4. Our Mission To create a community consensus that clearly states that underage alcohol use is illegal, unhealthy, and unacceptable.

5. Five-Pronged Approach • Policy Initiatives • Enforcement Collaborations • Youth Leadership • Media Advocacy • Education/Awareness

6. Community organizing Layman vs. Expert Definition

7. Community OrganizingLayman • She tries to talk people into doing things they don’t want to do. • – Jeff Riibe • What does your Mom do again?

8. Community organizingExperts • Process of building power through a constituency • Identify problems people share and find solutions • Identify people and structures that can make solutions possible • Enlist targets in the effort through negotiation, and sometimes confrontation and pressure • Empower others to do the same

9. What makes a good organizer?The Basics A person who pleads for a cause/idea The defender of a cause One who speaks on behalf of another

10. Effective Community Organizers . . . • Get their message heard • If what you have to say is overshadowed by the way in which you say it, valid points and positions will never be heard. • Don’t give opponent opportunity to dismiss you. • Mastered the nuances of communication and relationships • Genuine in desire for change, not self-serving

11. Effective Community Organizers . . . • Accurate • scrub information clean • Integrity • Good for their word • Timely • Prompt with follow-up/follow-through • Accommodating • Do the work for them • Respectful • Of both time and position • Pleasant “Relationships today and tomorrow.”

12. The many faces of organizers

13. Some Still Believe . . .

14. What Do We Know About Her and That Time Period? • Part of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union • 1881 - Kansas outlawed manufacture and sale of alcohol in 1881 • 1900 - the first time she and the hatchet came together – saloon in Witchita • 2/1901 - smashes the Topeka Senate Saloon • Two days later – addresses both houses/ Kansas legislature

15. What Else Do We Know About Her? • What was the correct spelling of her name? • Carrie and Carry A. Nation • What were the two items with which she insisted on being photographed? • Bible and a hatchet • What was the ‘badge of our army? • Home defender button

16. Qualities of a Good OrganizerWhat’s Needed to Engage the Community? • Wakes up optimistic – cynics not allowed • Functions well in chaos of everyday • Loves people, diversity • Passionate • Keen sense of justice Leadership Courage

17. Qualities of a Good OrganizerNot Needed but helpful • Understands the ‘rules of engagement’ • Doesn’t take the work personally • Is resilient – always ready for Plan B • Brings consistency to a position • Has a sense of humor

18. Saul Alinsky “The radical may resort to the sword but when he does he is not filled with hatred against those individuals whom he attacks. He hates these individuals not as persons but as symbols representing ideas or interest s which he believes to be inimical to the welfare of the people.” - Alinsky • Defined community organizers as “radicals” • Approach • Uniting ordinary citizens around immediate grievances in their neighborhoods and in protesting vigorously outside the ‘established’ ways of expressing dissent. • Method • Recruiting and training indigenous ‘organizers’ to take lead in community.

19. Community organizing methods “There’s no perfect method for any given situation. It’s an organic process that requires flexibility and creativity.” - Project Extra Mile philosophy

20. In Alinsky’s Words . . . • “There are no rules for revolution any more than there are rules for love or rules for happiness.” • “The radical needs to work within the experience of his or her community.” • Promotes the need to work within the existing system during first attempt at change. • Unless the masses think all avenues have been exhausted, they will not embrace change because most fear the idea of change.

21. Tactics of radicals - alinsky • Power is not only what you have, but what enemy thinks you have • If one has mass support, flaunt it • If one does not, one should make a lot of noise • If one cannot make a big noise, make a big stink • Never go outside the experience of your people • Keep discussion in your comfort zone – your language • Wherever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy • Bring the experience to the “enemy” • Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules • Following Administrative Procedures Act

22. Alinsky Tactics continued • Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon • Appropriate classification of alcopops and AEDs • A good tactic is one that your people enjoy • Use fun/interactive methods of engagement -protests/marches • A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag • Small, little steps best over prolonged action • Keep the pressure on • The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself • Threat of appropriate alcopops classification, increase cost

23. Alinsky Tactics continued • Main premise of tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition • ‘The action is in the reaction.’ • If you push a negative hard and deep enough it will break through into its counter side • Don’t be afraid to focus on negative aspects • The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative • Fighting for change to problem, must offer solution • Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it

24. Marin Institute Community Organizing Model

25. Public health ModelCommunity Organization Model Stage 1: Conducting Community Analysis Stage 2: Design and Initiation of Campaign Stage 3: Campaign Implementation Stage 4: Program Refinement and Consolidation Stage 5: Dissemination and Durability Bracht, N.; Kingsbury, L.; and Rissel, C. (1999). "A Five Stage Community Organization Model for Health Promotion: Empowerment and Partnership Strategies." In Health Promotion at the Community Level: New Advances, ed. N. Bracht. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

26. Scenarios Putting the models into action

27. Creative community organizersscenario 1 • When an institution that has a responsibility to everyday people fails to do its job, one option is to build another organization to challenge the first one and force it to do the right thing. The other option is to not only build an alternative organization, but to use it as the base for a campaign to take over the original one.” • Saul Alinsky • 20 Principles for Successful Community Organizing Difficult regulatory agency • Plan A: Work with the agency - within the current system – exhausting all options. • Plan B: Force the agency’s hand through protest, conflict, citizen unrest. • Plan C: Demand change through higher entity – AG, Governor, Courts.

28. Creative community organizersscenario 2 Why would this be happening? Media unwilling to cover issue • Then ask yourself – Am I thinking like a reporter, am I pitching newsworthy stories? • If yes, then proceed. If no, revisit media advocacy 101 • Build relationships • Meet with reporter/editor/editorial board • Find alternate means to get coverage • Own website • Social networking sites • Online newspapers

29. Creative community organizersscenario 3 Reason? Lack of enforcement OPTION A • It’s not prioritized at command level • Where do you go? • Meet with agency command • Find agency that’s willing and make media baby – political pressure • In dire situations - wait until change in command staff OPTION B • Agencies lack resources • Where do you go? • Meet with agency command • Find $ -- advocate for increased resources • Provide administrative services during operations

30. Overcoming Common Pitfalls • Play to your strengths • Stay steadfast – long-term change takes a long time • Understand there’s no ‘end date’ • Don’t let hurdles keep you down – lots of innings in the game, even extra innings!

31. Overcoming Common Pitfalls • Keep your eye on the ball • Understand that policy change, community change is not always ‘clean’ • Be patient with yourself • ‘Grow Up’ new advocates

32. Overcoming ChallengesThe Battle Within • In your attempt to be kind and professional - Never should be an excuse to strive for politically correct • Be professional and respectful in your approach, but have an approach • Our job is to push the envelope, go right to the line • If we’re doing the job right, we’re frequently uncomfortable

33. Principles for Success • Always try to find people’s common interests – people are motivated by them • Institutions/people that hold power over others are rarely as united as they first appear • If you cannot get them to join you, persuade them to stay out of fight • Start the process of strategy development by imagining the instant before victory – and then work backwards • It’s ok to advocate for a positive and oppose a negative

34. Principles for Success • The more complicated a strategy/tactic, the harder it is to carry out • In real life and campaigns for justice, the people are always partly united, partly divided • Demonstrations are still effective – not just for the ’60s • Be absolutely certain that the people you work with truly understand the risks they’re taking • Frame and ask questions in ways that make people not only want to answer, but think deep

35. Principles for Success • Laughter is therapeutic and hope does heal. Be cheerful in face of adversity and pass it on • The more sure you are of yourself, the more you have to struggle to avoid arrogance of ‘knowing what’s right for others’ • When those who have been without power gain it, there’s no gaurantee they will exercise it more democratically than those who have had it before • Go with not only what you know, but with whom you know – give volunteers specific jobs

36. Principles for Success • It’s quite easy to slide from helping organize a community to becoming its leader/spokesperson without being member of community • We can never truly predict what human beings working together can accomplish, and therefore we can never compromise with injustice • The beloved community of which Dr. King spoke may be something we experience a little bit every day, while as creative community organizers, we walk and work toward

37. Words to live by “Freedom, freedom is a hard won thing, and every generation has to win it again.” - Si Kahn 20 Principles for Successful Community Organizing

38. Thank you! Project Extra Mile 11606 Nicholas Street Omaha, NE 68154 402.963.9047 www.projectextramile.org