Community organizing Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community buil ...

describes a wide variety of efforts to empower residents in a local area to participate in civic life or governmental affairs. Most efforts that claim this label operate in low-income or middle-income areas, and have adopted at least some of the tactics and organizing techniques pioneered by

Saul Alinsky Saul David Alinsky (January 30, 1909 – June 12, 1972) was an American community activist and political theorist. His work through the Chicago-based Industrial Areas Foundation helping poor communities organize to press demands upon landlord ...

and his

Industrial Areas Foundation The Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) is a national community organizing network established in 1940 by Saul Alinsky, Roman Catholic Bishop Bernard James Sheil and businessman and founder of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' Marshall Field III. The IA ...

. Other organizations in this tradition include PICO National Network, Gamaliel Foundation, and

Direct Action and Research Training Center The Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART) is a national network of 23 local Faith-based organization, faith-based community organizing groups across nine states. DART provides training and consultation for local leaders and professional ...

(DART). They focus on building political power in the hands of an organization of local residents, and using that power to influence issues the organization defines as important. Congregation-based Community Organizing (CBCO) works through local

synagogues A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, churches, and

mosques A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

as the primary institutional sponsors of this work. Common characteristics: *Faith-based: They ground their organizing in the moral values and traditions that stem from religious faith, to varying degrees and often quite powerfully. See religion and peacebuilding. *Broad-based: They are typically

ecumenical Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

or interfaith, and many include schools, unions, or a variety of other community-based institutions like neighborhood associations. *Locally constituted: They organize in areas that range from large neighborhoods to entire cities. Although linked into the national and regional networks discussed above, they emphasize local grassroots organizing. *Multi-issue: Their purpose is to instruct local congregational authorities about how to effectively address a variety of pressing issues facing their communities. *Professionally staffed: CBCO groups hire professionals to recruit and train leaders to work with their religious communities on a personal and regular basis.

References

* Chambers, Edward T. and Michael A. Cowan, ''Roots for Radicals: Organizing for Power, Action, and Justice'' (New York: Continuum, 2003). {{ISBN, 0-8264-1499-0 *Jacobsen, Dennis A. 2001. ''Doing Justice: Congregations and Community Organizing''. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. *Wood, Richard

and Mark R. Warren. 2002. "A Different Face of Faith-Based Politics: Social Capital and Community Organizing in the Public Arena," ''International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy'', 22:11/12, 6-54 (Fall 2002).

External links

Congregation Based Community Organizing
Jewish Fund for Justice video (7:33). Rabbis and lay leaders share reflections on this justice work.
4200 People at PICO Rally for Children's Health
coverage for the more than 800,000 children in California who are uninsured. Video (5:01)(April 2005). Community organizing