Organizing Community Handbook
The People Power Manual's Community Organising Guide is a valuable resource for organisers, activist educators, and facilitators. This comprehensive guide, the second in the series, is designed to empower community members, develop local leadership, and foster democratic decision-making processes.
The guide is not a cookbook; instead, it presents a menu of options, with the processes and handouts within serving as guides rather than substitutes for experience and skill.
The guide is divided into ten sections, starting with defining the terrain of community organizing, followed by a glossary of key words, and a focus on relational organizing, self-interest, dialogue, and the role of stories and personal biography in organizing.
One of the key sections is 'Coalitions, Alliances and Networks', which uses three adventure-based learning tools. This section provides processes for forming and maintaining coalitions and alliances, making it an invaluable resource for local action groups and social movements aiming for environmental and social justice goals.
The guide also includes a section on 'Coalitions, Alliances and Networks', which is used to organise accountability sessions. This skill and technique are crucial for holding decision-makers accountable.
Another important section is 'Developing and Supporting Leaders', which emphasizes the importance of nurturing indigenous leadership while supporting traditional community leaders.
The 'Moving people to action' section provides a suite of tactical tools around recruitment, petitioning, door-knocking, and phonebanking. This section is designed to help mobilize people around shared interests and issues to act collectively.
The guide also includes a section on 'Building Strong Teams', which focuses on developing and supporting leaders. This section is essential for developing internal capabilities and leadership within the community.
The guide is a rich collection of 39 process guides, 50 handouts, 4 original case studies, and 3 sample workshop schedules. It ends with sample workshop schedules, case studies, online resources, and reference material for further reading, including recommendations for books, manuals, and online resources.
In essence, the People Power Manual's Community Organising Guide is a powerful tool for community organizing. It emphasizes engaging historically underrepresented groups, fostering self-interest and community identity, and using conflict strategies to achieve results. The guide aims for pragmatic outcomes that tangibly improve community influence and decision-making power.
While no direct excerpt from the People Power Manual was found in the search results, these principles closely align with the key aspects discussed about community organizing in reputable sources like Britannica, reflecting the foundational elements typical of community organizing guides such as the People Power Manual. For the most authoritative and detailed breakdown, visiting the official website or the manual directly is recommended.
- The People Power Manual's Community Organising Guide is a useful resource for organizers, offering a menu of options for organizing, including sections on coalitions, alliances, networks, leader development, moving people to action, and building strong teams.
- The guide's 'Coalitions, Alliances and Networks' section equips local action groups and social movements with processes for forming and maintaining coalitions and alliances, making it a valuable resource for groups aiming for environmental and social justice goals.
- The guide's 'Moving people to action' section provides tactical tools for recruitment, petitioning, door-knocking, and phonebanking to mobilize people around shared interests and issues, enabling collective action.
- The 'Developing and Supporting Leaders' section emphasizes the importance of nurturing indigenous leadership while supporting traditional community leaders, which is essential for developing internal capabilities and leadership within the community.
- The People Power Manual's Community Organising Guide is designed to engage historically underrepresented groups, foster self-interest and community identity, and use conflict strategies to achieve results, all with the aim of improving community influence and decision-making power.
