ART OF COMMUNITY ORGANISING

A young activist organizer once asked me in a community organizing workshop when we were having an intense discussion about this subject. She said “if I am wearing a t-shirt with the picture of Au Sung Su Kyi, does that mean I am already doing organizing? …” (Au Sung Su Kyi is the renown & celebrated leader of the Democratic Movement in Burma)

I also almost laughed out loudly, but fortunately years of experience in confronting such kinds of questions helped me keep a calm expression. But for some moments I could not find a way to respond to this very sincere and young organizer.

Finally I found a way to structure my response. I said, “This is an interesting question, why don’t you all try to respond to this question?” Immediately my facilitator instincts were activated!

Some participants clearly blasted the girl’s seemingly unintelligent question explaining that wearing a t-shirt is not organizing. But some others said that the t-shirt symbolised the people’s aspiration, and so it can be a tool of organising and so forth.

Anyway, this strange but interesting discussion went on for some time with both sides defending whether wearing a t-shirt with a radical message constituted what community organizing means.

Finally I was not spared anymore from this “intense discussion” when the same girl who asked that question directed the question straight at me, thereby making all heads turn to me in eagerness once again.

This time I decided once and for all to contribute my “2-cents worth of experience” towards the debate. I patiently clarified that this was not a “yes or no” answer. If one is wearing a t-shirt with a message because she wants to express her sympathies for a cause or wanting to promote a message only, then it is definitely not community organizing.

But if wearing the t-shirt was indeed part of a strategy in the overall organising process, then this simple but strategic action of wearing the t-shirt is part of a community organizing approach.

Yes! Organizing is about strategies, tactics and opportunities. It is about planning, being prepared, developing our capacities, and most important of all its about passion and commitment!

But instead of seeing enlightened faces, all I got was more perplexed expressions all around the room! And what followed for the rest of that day could be described as a discovery of what community organizing was all about. Here are some of the important insights of the day.

Community organizing process to transform society
Community Organising is actually a clear and simple frame used to explain the collective actions of a group of people wanting to effect changes in their community. It is based on firstly an understanding of the situation and the dynamics affecting it. This should lead to an almost consequential search for the solution to overcome these issues.

There are of course many unjust and repressive situations around us. Some of us sit and watch the events pass us by. There are those who will complain about it, but do not do anything about it for fear of reprisals and what might happen to them and their families. There are those who would do actually respond, but with a limited involvement. Nevertheless they also contribute something positive to the ongoing situation.

The community organizer facilitates the people to be involved in this evolving situation and then let it take its course. Of course it would be an advantage if the organizer is experienced, creative and skilled enough to advance the organising process and outcome in her favour.

The rest is usually left to the people to collectively sustain this dynamic process until a new set of relationships and social environment comes into being. This perhaps is known as the transformation process and the evolution of the new social structure and situation.

Facilitating the people
The key to achieving an effective community organising process among the people depends on how we can we facilitate them to collectively reach a common view and understanding of their situation.

The people must be able to think and analyse their own situation. Only then can they discover new insights and become more aware, which could possibly lead them to some form of action. And from this first action, the people will have to reflect further to gain new lessons which will help them plan follow up responses, and thus this organizing cycle and learning loop continues.

Then together assess their own resources, capacity and evaluate who and how many friends who are with us and can be counted as allies, and who are those who are against us, simple termed as the so-called “enemy”. Then we need to intelligently filter through the “enemy camp” to see if there are those who might symphatise with us and those who are really against us without exception.

The Community Organiser is no Hero
So when you decide to become an organiser, it is not like shopping for a bar of soap in a supermarket! You would face numerous struggles, not only externally but also more often internally from our families, friends, and even our partners. For many of us who have been in this occupation for more than 2 decades, we can tell you that this is not the usual 9-5pm job.

It is also not something that you hold on to only when you feel a “high” making you all hot and passionate, but dropping it when things become cold again. This occupation is not a “hero-making business” that could bring you fame and fortune. On the contrary, credit should go to the people that you have organized and facilitated.

An organiser is one who has already made her choice to stand with the poor. There are no two ways about this. Therefore the CO process is also not neutral, it is value laden and holds certain principles, beliefs and understanding about society and how it should be in terms of upholding justice, peace & human rights for all who live within it. Therefore the organiser who espouses these beliefs should not apologise for their vision and what they have set out to do together with the people.

From the start, the Community Organiser is already programmed to embark on a “self-destructive” process. This is because an organiser is only considered having done his/her work effectively when the people can organise themselves thus no longer needing the organiser to facilitate them. This of course does not exclude the organiser from this process entirely, whether the organizer is from within the community or from another area.

Knowing our roles and functions
There are of course different levels and roles that can be identified and defined in each setting or situation. It can be on the local community level, inter-community level, or on a wider district-provincial level which could further reach up to the national level and sometimes perhaps even to a regional or international level (depending on the needs and strategy of the organising process.)

But all the same, an organizer must clearly identify his/her role and responsibilities in the entire organising process. There are those who prefer to remain in the background and take up support roles, direct field workers or take up high profile or “frontline” type of responsibilities such as spokespersons, negotiators, facilitators, or local committee members of that particular community.

But bear in mind that whether you are an appointed leader of the movement or the “coffee-maker”, both persons are important for the organizing process. This differentiation should not be based on power but on functions and roles. However in many cases we often attribute importance and power to those who have been bestowed with so-called more difficult or important roles.

Support roles which makes the movement machinery work are often those that we usually do not give too much attention to. Some examples are such as bookkeeping, documentation, taking photographs, videos, cooking, boat sailing, truck driving, farming, house building, painting and answering phone calls.

When the people have learned how to organize themselves to a certain level, the organizer who helped facilitate this process from the beginning should then identify other functions and roles that he/she could play.

Some of the possible new tasks could be as a trainer-facilitator or help build external relations with other communities or even sometimes even a fundraiser. But ultimately these roles should also be turned over to the local community who must resume these functions in the long run. Then the organiser would once again find himself herself out of a job!

But it would be different for an organiser who actually comes from that community. He/she would have other roles such as developing 2nd or 3rd liners so that there is a sustainable spirit and mechanism to perpetuate the community organizing tradition in their community. It would also breed a growing force of people committed to being involved in the total life of their community.

THE COMMUNITY ORGANISING STRATEGY CHART

The following is a chart depicting the strategic approach of the community organising process. It outlines the different elements of the community organisiing process including the different tactics and forms of actions available for the people to use. It also highlights the organiser’s preparations and also the different entry points to use in order the gain access to a community.

Of course in different context, these elements will vary but in general this chart more or less describes what the community organising process should be like if we have taken into account the various factors involved in the process.

THE COMMUNITY ORGANISING CYCLE