Companion LecturesFor

Progressive Community Organizing in a Globalizing World By

Loretta Pyles

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6organizing constituents

• Empowerment, accountability, relationships and social change are key considerations when organizing constituents

• Organizing people involves three phases:• Recruiting and engaging new members

• Keeping current members inspired and engaged

• Deepening member participation (Mondros & Wilson, 1994)

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6relational meetings

• Develops a public relationship • Centers on the spirit and values of the other person • Requires special focus beyond an ordinary conversation • Entails stirring up the depths of the other • Obliges a certain amount of vulnerability on both sides • Bridges the barriers of race, religion, class, gender, and

politics • Is an art form that takes unique skills and time to develop(Chambers, 2003)

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6questions about accountability in social

service organizations

• Who supervises your work? • Are you involved in community-based social justice

struggles? • Is political struggle part of the work you do? • Are you in a contentious relationship with those in

power?• Are you sharing access to power and resources with

those on the frontlines of the struggle? • Do you help people come together? (Kivel, 2007)

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6coalition building

• A coalition is a group of organizations and individuals that work together on a common social issue to change a particular policy or practice, usually focused on a specific campaign

• Coalitions exist on a spectrum from• Sustainable collaborations to• Relationships of convenience

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6coalition building

• Considerations in coalition work:• Membership, values, and politics • Degree of formality

• Resources and infrastructure

• Power within the coalition

(Sen, 2003)Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta

Pyles. New York: Routledge.

Chapter 6Overcoming barriers to coalition

work• Substantive and philosophical differences…

• Can be overcome by finding common ground through a variety of mechanisms such as workshops, popular education groups, and by continuing to invite new members to coalition meetings

• Organizational and tactical differences…• Can be overcome by using the differences between organizations

as strengths like the accountability that a grassroots organization offers or the resources that a national organization offers

• Cultural differences…• Can be overcome by creating political spaces for dialogue,

analysis, and direct action that deliberately and creatively acknowledges and respects different approaches which emerge from a variety of subject positions, histories, and political commitments

Copyright © 2014, Loretta Pyles. From Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World, 2nd Edition, by Loretta Pyles. New York: Routledge.