1. Community Organizing Pacific Alliance on Disability Self Advocacy
August 18, 2015
Allegra Stout
Community Organizer,
Boston Center for Independent Living

2. Example: Affordable Housing for People with Disabilities in Massachusetts

3. Agenda Introduction What is community organizing?
Thinking like an organizer:
Relationships
Problems vs. Issues
Small Group Activity
Power
Review
Resources
Evaluation

4. What is community organizing?
Community Organizing is the process of bringing people together to build collective power* to win improvements in people's lives and challenge the power structure. *power = the ability to make what you want happen
Organizing is about people:
Speaking for themselves and their communities
Working together
Building and using power
Getting to the root of a problem

5. How is organizing different from other ways of creating change?
Service: Helping people access resources within the current system.
Advocacy: Speaking on behalf of people
Organizing: Building collective power

6. Why choose community organizing?
Win improvements in people’s lives
Build power to win more over time
Strengthen community
Have fun!

7. Thinking Like an Organizer: Relationships
Why are relationships important for community organizing?
Why are relationships important for organizing?
Learn a lot:
what people care about
their skills
resources
their values
Motivate people
Work together better
One-to-ones are an important part of organizing: take the time to get to know new people and figure out where they might fit in your campaign.
By building relationships, we find out about the problems in people’s lives and start to learn what issues might be right for your group to work on.

8. Building Relationships: One-to-ones

9. Thinking Like an Organizer: Problems vs. Issues
Problem: Individual/personal, specific
Issue: Systemic, affects a group of people
Ask: What does problem mean? What does issue mean? How might they be different?
Most situations can be framed either way, part of organizing is reframing

10. Problems vs. Issues Problem: Individual/personal, specific
Issue: Systemic, affects a group of people
I can’t afford the paratransit fares, so I have to quit my volunteer job.
Riding the paratransit costs twice as much as riding the subway.
My advocate from the local disability services organization doesn’t explain things in ways I can understand, so I’m not getting the help I need.
The local disability services organization doesn’t train their staff in cognitive accessibility or plain English, and they don’t have any self-advocates on their board.
I can’t move out of my parents’ house because the apartments in my area are all too expensive.
The state government doesn’t provide enough money for subsidized housing for people with disabilities.
Different ways of looking at situations lead to different solutions
Questions?

11. Practice!
In your group, come up with two more example situations. Explain how they can be seen as both problems and issues, and what types of solutions go with each way of looking at the situation. Each group will share one example.

12. Thinking Like an Organizer: Power
Power = ability to make what you want happen
Who wants power?
Power = ability to make what you want happen
Who wants power? Why not? Why?
Being right doesn’t mean we win—if it did, there would be no need for organizing! Building and using power is how we win.
Power isn’t a good thing or a bad thing by itself; it all depends on how it’s used
For any issue, do a power analysis: decide who has the power to say “yes” or “no” to what we want, then figure out how much power they have and how they can address our issue, and what they care about; and what kind of power we have
That’s the beginning of how we develop strategy (see the PADSA resource guide for more on this)
BCIL example: legislators’ power: focused on leadership while also targeting many other legislators; power comes through voting, so we approached them with constituents and public praise

13. Power Analysis
Remember, power = the ability to make what you want happen
Who are the key decision makers? Who can say “yes” or “no” to what you want?
Who do they listen to?
What do they care about?
Where does their money come from?
How do they make decisions?
What power does your group have?
Activity: In groups of four, pick one of the problem vs. issue examples, and do a practice power analysis by answering these questions. It’s fine to use your imagination; in real life you would figure this out through research, but this is designed to help you start thinking like an organizer. (15 minutes)
Who are the key decision makers?
Who do they listen to?
What do they care about?
Where does their money come from?
How do they make decisions?

14. Practice! In your group, pick one of the issues below.
Answer the power analysis questions together. Use your imagination!
Issues:
Riding the paratransit costs twice as much as riding the subway.
The local disability services organization doesn’t train their staff in cognitive accessibility or plain English, and they don’t have any self-advocates on their board.
Questions:
Who are the key decision makers? Who can say “yes” or “no” to what you want?
Who do they listen to?
What do they care about?
Where does their money come from?
How do they make decisions?

15. Putting It All Together (Review)
Community Organizing is the process of bringing people together to build collective power to win improvements in people's lives and challenge the power structure.
Relationships
Problems vs. Issues
Power
Now you’re thinking like an organizer!

16. Resources
PADSA Guide, “Making a Plan to Win: How to Run an Advocacy Campaign”
New Organizing Institute: Organizer’s Toolbox (online trainings)
Disability Organizing 101 and Beyond

17. Evaluation

18. Thank you!