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27/01/2012
Locality – our History
Community Organisers
Two established networks of long term, independent
community organisations. Over 100 years of history.
Merged to form a new membership body with a common
cause – over 400 members in England
A movement based on localism, community assets,
enterprise and social action
We want local organisations to meet local needs today,
Naomi Diamond, Locality and we want them to survive & thrive so they can meet
local needs tomorrow. Through our network we help
current and aspiring members to to be resilient,
enterprising and cooperative.
LGIU, 23rd January 2012
Community Organising –
Locality - Our Work
the Programme
Start-ups • Cameron’s ‘Neighbourhood Army’
Networking & peer support
Lobbying
• 5000 Community Organisers trained
Asset Transfer & asset management • Legacy body - ICO
Enterprise • Turning around some of the most challenged
Neighbourhood planning
communities
Energy, housing
Collaboration • Sister programme to Community First
Community Organising
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27/01/2012
Community Organising-
the Roots Democracy cannot work without the units essential to its
operation – families, congregations, labour unions, and
organised collectives of citizens who act in public life for justice
• 1880s Settlement movement, trades unions and the common good…..The organiser’s task is to connect
those smaller units of civil-society power into collectives that
• 1900s neighbourhood based social work have the ability to hold elective officials and corporations
accountable……
• 1940s Saul Alinsky (founder of community organising) – Rules
We must create new instruments for public life based not on
for Radicals, technology or science but on communal habits of the
• 1960s Civil rights movement heart….By providing average citizens with a means of group
action through which they can participate actively in the public
• 1970s Organising for international development -Liberation democratic process, the new organisations that we need will
theology and Paulo Freire (Brazilian educator) – Pedagogy of offer a more public and personal source for political
participation than the media, focus groups, and attitude and
the Oppressed – listening, dialogue, consciousness-raising opinion polls….Politics is an activity, It’s not a thing. “
• 1980s Citizens UK – broad-based, urban, faith-based Edward T. Chambers “Roots for Radicals” 2004
• 1990s ‘Root Solutions - Listening Matters’ - RE:generate
approach – neighbourhood-based
What do Organisers do? What will happen?
•Organisers listen to people and encourage dialogue. They do not bring • 500 paid community organisers spend a year working and learning within
any message or seek any specific outcome. Listening is the key. a community - listening and building powerful networks which lead to
action using ‘Root Solutions - Listening Matters’
•They listen to hundreds of people – one 2 one and then in groups. They • Each community organiser recruits along the way at least 10 voluntary
are looking for the ‘generative themes’ that motivate people to act. They (‘mid-level’ organisers who also listen. Some go on to run their own
organise action around these themes. campaign, project or businesses to address problems which have been
articulated widely in the community. Thousands of people are listened to
•Actions may aim to change the powerful or to create a DIY response, or and hundreds commit to taking action for the benefit of their community.
both. Actions emerge from analysing power and identifying where change • At the end of the year some communities have powerful networks which
can come from. Actions may be entirely new solutions or may build on continue to develop and grow on their own. Many areas will seek ways to
existing work. The goal is an intelligent shift of power to citizens & continue the work of developing networks and taking action.
communities.
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27/01/2012
Training Community Organisers Hosting Community Organisers
• Training ‘on the job’ • COs need ‘a place to be’. Hosts will be locally rooted
organisations who are interested in transformation and are
• 500 training bursaries (£20k covers salary, expenses and not afraid of challenge. Hosts provide support and help
deeper training) organisers to hit the ground running
• Foundation training in ‘Root Solutions - Listening Matters’ by • 11 Kickstarters – places/orgs identified for the bid to provide
RE:generate range and get started quickly
• Guided actions, mentoring, peer learning, e-networks, annual • 100-200 hosts over the lifetime of the programme – diverse
action camp – accredited by OCN locations and types of host. Recruitment ongoing with a new
• Choice of deeper learning in 2nd half of year group of hosts every 3 months
• Learning is cascaded to voluntary community activists through • Started recruiting in July. Over 200 applications.
the process
Timescales Where are we now?
• Feb-April: Development
• September: kickstarter training begins • 11 kickstarter hosts and a second tranche of 12 host areas
• Oct 2012: training cascaded to further hosts, have recruited between 2 and 5 trainee community organisers
rolling programme to March 2015. each. The 1st cohort of 45 organisers had their initial training
in Sept and the 2nd in Dec and have got started on the ground
• ICO Year of Trading / handover (Apr 14-Mar • 12 further host areas had their induction in Jan and are
15) recruiting their organisers to train in March
• Closure (Mar-Jun 15) – ICO operating • Next selection of hosts end February
independently
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27/01/2012
Hosts Hosts
3RD TRANCHE
Commonside CDT, East Mitcham
KICKSTARTERS 2ND TRANCHE
Barton Hill, Bristol Cricklewood Homeless Concern, West London
Selby Trust, Tottenham
Birmingham Settlement Centre for Equality & Diversity, Dudley Foresight, East Marsh, Grimsby
Cambridge House, South London Saffron Lane N’hood Council, Leicester Gloucestershire Rural Community Council
Community Links, East London Re:generate Bath & NE Somerset Island Community Action, Portland, Dorset
Goodwin Trust, Hull RISE/West Itchen Community Trust, Jobs Education and Training, Derby
Keystone Development Trust, Eastern Southampton Peterborough Citizens Advice Bureau
Counties ETEC Development Trust, Sunderland Portchester Community Association, Hampshire
Kirkgate Arts, Cumbria Voluntary Action Melton, Leicestershire Riverside Community Resource Trust, Gravesham,
Manchester Met University Granby Toxteth DT, Liverpool
Marsh Farm Outreach, Luton North Kent
Somers Town Comm Assoc, London
Penwith CDT, Cornwall Sefton Council for Voluntary Service, Merseyside
Bradford 5 Development Trusts
St Peter’s Partnerships, Tameside Sneinton Alchemy, Nottingham
High Green DT, Sheffield
The Broughton Trust, Salford
Keep Informed
our first community organisers
• www.cocollaborative.org.uk/
• www.locality.org.uk/communityorganisers/
• Tweets from @corganisers using the hashtags
#communityorganisers.
• Programme manager’s blog at
http://jesssteele.wordpress.com/.
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