How to Enter a Community as an Organizer
by Paul Castelloe and Thomas Watson
Center for Participatory ChangeStarting to do organizing work in a new community is always tricky. Every community has established networks of social, political and economic connections, and an outsider doesn't have a place in those networks. Also, the history of rural development, especially in Appalachia, is full of examples where outsiders "came in to help" and got it wrong, by not valuing the local culture, by only working to their own advantage, or by starting projects and leaving. So many people are justifiably skeptical of outside assistance. A successful organizer must be aware of, and prepared for, all of these challenges.
This edition of the Toolbox presents seven keys for entering a community for the first time to do community-based work. We developed these keys from our experiences working in Cherokee County. The quotations below are taken from evaluation sessions where Paul Castelloe interviewed Thomas Watson about CPC’s work so far.
First, Thomas notes that, “an organizer has to know, even before entering a community, three things: who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re trying to do. The answers to those questions set the foundation for the majority of the conversations that you have once you enter a community.”
Seven Keys for Entering a Community
(1) Start with a rock-solid belief in everyday folks. CPC’s entrance into a community is based upon a basic and core belief that everyday people can come together to create positive change in their community.
As Thomas puts it, “It’s important who makes the change in a community. Is it us, as outsiders, or the people themselves? I believe that it has to be the people. So often people have no one who believes in them. And if I can be that one person to believe in somebody, it will help them believe in themselves. Because if they don’t believe in themselves, change will not happen.
“Also, I have to believe that change can happen. I have to believe that the people can make change. I have to be real clear, and say, ‘I believe that your ideas can happen. I believe that we can do it.’ I try to give examples where other people have created similar change. These conversations are the beginning of the seeds that will grow into future community action.”
(2) Find gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are folks who are well connected in the community, who understand CPC’s work, and who are willing to support and sanction our work. Such people understand the needs and opportunities of the community, and they are trusted and respected by both grassroots leaders and formal decision-makers. In Cherokee County, several people played this role – especially Robin Mauney, Executive Director of REACH (a nonprofit organization focusing on women’s rights).
“Robin and REACH have helped us so much. They’ve not only sanctioned our work, but really – she’s helped us get our office and office furniture, she’s gotten us into the interagency meeting -- she’s helped us with everything. You have to have that in order to start.
“It gives us so much credibility when I say, ‘Yeah, we’re new to working in this county, but we’ve been working for a while with Robin Mauney over at REACH, and she’s on our board and she’s been helping us. And Lisa Twiggs over at the Family Resource Center, she helped us put this thing together too.’ That just gives people an automatic sense of ease, because Robin and Lisa have lots of connections and are trusted in the community.
“Also it shows that we didn’t just step into this community a month ago, but that we’ve been working with folks in this community for a while. And most importantly, Robin connected me with community leaders such as Wilma [Beaver], and that’s where the Appalachian Heritage Crafters started to get off the ground.”
(3) Find grassroots leaders. Grassroots leaders are indigenous, local, natural, informal leaders -- as opposed to people who hold formal leadership positions in government or nonprofits. Grassroots leaders are the hubs of a community’s social networks – they are the folks who are known by everyone, trusted by everyone, and respected as people who make things happen for the common good. With the Appalachian Heritage Crafters, Wilma Beaver was the grassroots leader who connected CPC with other grassroots leaders.
“Robin connected us to Wilma, and Wilma connected us to the rest of the community. We gained trust with Robin, then we gained trust with Wilma. I met with Wilma three times [before AHC began meeting as a group], and then she already had relationships with the rest of the people we needed for the group. So she went out and met with them one-on-one. Wilma knew who to bring together, and she did it.”
(4) Draw out people’s experiences. When talking with grassroots leaders, our first step is to draw out the wisdom that people have gained through their life experiences.“I think the job in the beginning is to bring out the experiences that people have already had as community leaders. You can reflect on what they already know, what they’ve already experienced. I use questions like, ‘What community work has been done in the past? What worked, and why? What is your vision for this community? What skills do you have?’ The key is to learn what people already know, and then use their past experiences to help this organizing effort succeed.”
(5) Listen. To build relationships with people, we have found that we need to remind ourselves to listen – fully, deeply, and actively.
“Listening is one of the keys to organizing. It’s one of the main things I’m trying to work on, too – ‘Shut up. Ask one question, shut up, and listen to what people have to say.’ Because I tend to ramble. Especially when I’m nervous. If they’re shy, I fill in for them. It’s easy to fill that silence with my own voice. It’s much harder to listen than people think.
“But listening is one of the most powerful things an organizer can do. One woman I worked with, she said, ‘You were the first person who ever listened to me. You’re the first person who has ever listened to what I had to say and taken it seriously.’ That’s a powerful thing. Asking people what they think, and really listening to them, is very powerful.”
(6) Find resource / support people. These are people who can connect grassroots groups with resources in existing systems (e.g., county government systems, economic development systems, nonprofit systems) - both in the short run and over the long haul. CPC usually aims to serve as a bridge between these people and the groups we work with, by helping groups gain access to services on their terms.
“We have found several people who work within the system, and who trust us, and who who want to support local grassroots groups. And there are others who can provide future support. They may not be doing anything right now, but we need to keep them in the loop, and keep them involved.”
(7) Stay patient and confident. Bringing people together into a grassroots group is a very slow process. Understanding the pace of organizing work, and staying patient even when things go slowly, gives us the confidence to keep working day-in and day-out.
“Organizing is really hard, and really slow. When you’re laying the foundation for the work, it’s hard to see the progress. But once you get the foundation, the house goes up quick.
“It’s easy to get impatient and frustrated, and lose your confidence. This often leads organizers to start working with other professionals - people just like themselves - instead of working with grassroots folk. It’s easier to work with other professionals.
“Also, you can’t get frustrated and try to force things to happen too quickly in the community, because all of a sudden everybody will become ‘too busy’ to participate. You just have to let things unfold, and be patient. Every conversation, every phone call, and every meeting -- they’re all a part of organizing. All those little things have to be seen as successes. That’s what keeps me confident and motivated. You have to remember how slow the organizing process is, and let that keep your confidence up when you’re building the foundation.”
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