Transcript Building Community Through Civic Organizing Tony

Building Community through Civic Organizing
Using Organizing- Leadership Tools
Tony Massengale, Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission
January 6-7, 2008
CAHRO Training Conference &
Annual Membership Meeting
Sacramento, California
Acknowledgement
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I am indebted to many teachers,
mentors, organizers, leaders and
organizations for the knowledge
compiled or constructed here, including:
Karen Bass, Harry Boyte, John
Gardner, Robert Linthicum, John
McKnight, Peg Michels, Anthony
Thigpen, Howard Uller, Eugene
Williams, the organizers of the Industrial
Areas Foundation and other organizing
networks
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What is Community Organizing?
What is Community?
What is Organizing?
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TOPICS
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Community Organizing Tradition: Legacy &
Lessons for the 21st Century Knowledge Age
The New Organizing: Building Civic Infrastructure
Critique: Strengths & Limitations of Political Modes
Context for Change: Institutions & Systems
Civic Organizing Framework
Organizing-Leadership Tools
Community Building with a Civic Purpose
Case Study: Pasadena-Altadena Vision 20/20
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Community Organizing Tradition
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Initiation of ordinary people into public life
Iron Rule-Don’t do for others what they can do themselves
The world as it is (real)…The world as it should be (ideal)
Two kinds of power: Organized People-Organized Money
Organizers build power organizations one person at a time
Issues change, the constant is the development of people
Line up your allies and target your adversaries
The action is in the reaction
Power can never be conferred; it has to be taken
The opposition is your best ally in radicalizing your people
Law of Change…threat, pressure, tension, confrontation
Organized people can beat organized money
IAF: Saul Alinsky and Edward T. Chambers
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What Makes It Organizing?
1. Organizers-full-time leaders of leaders…
2. Power Analysis-continuous…
3. Power Base Building-collaborative civic
infrastructure…one person at a time…
4. Leadership Development-teach, mentor, coach
5. Face to Face Politics-public meetings,
democracy, deliberation, accountability…
6. Change in Power Relationships
7. Change in Public Practice
8. Sustainable Outcomes-tangible improvements
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The New Organizing: Lessons Applied
New Power Analysis:
 Community and its Counterfeits (Careless
Society) by John McKnight
 Is Organizing necessary?
 Who will govern?
 Renewing democracy in each generation
 Where/What is the context of the New
Organizing?
 Who/What/Where is the Leadership Power
Base?
 Who are the Organizers?
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Practical Tools of Organizing-Leadership
Partial List
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Power Analysis (Macro and Micro)
Institutional Power Mapping
In-reach Before Outreach
Building Public Relationships
Individual (Relational) Public Meetings
Building a Collaborative Leadership Base
Leadership Development (Practices &
Disciplines)
Community Building
Collaborative Civic Engagement for Public
Problem-Solving
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Elements of the Civic Organizing Framework
VISION
VALUES
CIVIC
STANDARDS
OPERATING PRINCIPLES
PRACTICES
DISCIPLINES
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Current Civic Organizing Projects
 United
Job Creation Council
 Regional
Violence Prevention
Coalition
 Community
School Parks Initiative
 Pasadena-Altadena
 Southeast
Vision 20/20
Summit on Youth &
Violence
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Pasadena-Altadena Vision 20/20
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Strategic action framework for solutions to gang
and racialized violence
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Organizing a broad-based umbrella collaborative
that can engage in strategic action solutions
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Civic engagement of community, faith, civic
philanthropic, business, educational
organizations in partnership with government
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Invite entire community—especially youth and
young adults--to design, plan, implement and
evaluate practical and sustainable solutions
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Milestones & Victories
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20+ Core Team; 4 Working Groups; 3 Caucuses
Catalyst for inter-governmental committee
formed ($70k allocated for committee work; $20k
for youth services)
Catalyst for expanding gang interventionprevention initiatives (over $130k allocated)
Business/employers being convened for
youth/young adult employment initiative
Probation Dept. community assessment done
CalGRIP CBO proposal written ($200k)
CDBG proposal being written
Alliance being built with largest child, youth,
family network; March 2008 joint-conference
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Media & Reading Resource File
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Contact the office of Los Angeles County
Commission Human Relations
213-974-7611
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