MODELS/APPROACHES IN

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Definition and conceptions of community organizing vary markedly.

There are different forms of community organization practices but there
appear major orientation that maybe referred to as models or
approaches
 The Models of
Community Organization

Community Organizing as a method of social work has three (3)

models which distinguishes itself from other community organizing
work
• Jack Rothmans Three Development
Models of Community Organization
• Saul Alinsky’s Conflict-
Confrontation Model
• Paolo Freire’s Conscientization
Model
Community ( Kramer and Specht)
Development refers to efforts to mobilize the People, the
/ Locality victims, the unaffiliated, The unorganized and
Development the non-Participating who are affected by the
Community conditions into groups And
organizations to enable them to Take Action
on these social problems and issues which
affect them.

The goal is the solution of specific community

problems and needs for the development of
the Community and Benefit of its people
with the
participation of the target beneficiaries.

Elements ( Kenneth Maygood)

 The community is approached as a whole.
 Activities undertaken correspond to
community basic needs.
Elements (cont..)

 The educational–organizational process moves

from an awareness of the problem to the
definitions of the problem followed by the
study.
 Community development activities are thought
of in long range terms.
 Widespread participation and involvement is
sought with decision-making taking place at
the lowest level, consistent with the nature of
the problem.
 The resources of both governmental and non-
governmental organizations are utilized.
 Both professional and lay participation are
sought community development programs
 The identification, encouragement and training
of local leaders is the central feature of
community development programs.
Social ( Kramer and Specht)
efforts directed towards integrating the
Planning Different actions systems of the community
with other systems in the local community
and/ or with extra community action
systems, efforts bring about reforms in
attitudes, policies and practice of large
private and public agencies, including legal,
functional and operating system.

It is translating social goals into

programs and services by an agency or
group of agencies, public or private, in
collaborative efforts with the community
 Elements :
 research (fact-finding, projection or
inventory taking)
 value analysis and facilitation of
various positions sometimes through
political machinations
 policy formulation
 programming
 measurement and feedback

Social Popularly associated with activism , protest

rallies and other forms of group dissent or
Action dissatisfaction.
Refers to individual or group activity
designed to influence a change in social
policy or to lobby for the formulation of
needed policies or social legislation for the
benefit and welfare of the people.
Strategy :
 social brokerage
 integrative mechanisms to strengthen
organizations.
 social protest to support social
movements
Comparison of 3 Models of
Community Organization
COMPONENT LOCALITY DEV’T SOCIAL SOCIAL ACTION
S PLANNING
1. Major goal Process goals: Task goals: Task goals:
categories Strengthen the Deal with Needed legislation
(Task vs horizontal pattern concrete social on social change
Process) of the community problems in the Process goals:
through most efficient
Building strong
community way
organization which
integration, citizen
can solve variety of
education, group
social problems
dynamics,
cooperation-
problem-structure
2. Assumption Lack of Large scale Deprived people,
regarding the Relationships and social needs e.g. social injustice,
Community problem solving housing, people lack power
Situation skills employment / and organization
recreation, etc
COMPONENTS LOCALITY DEV’T SOCIAL PLANNING SOCIAL ACTION

3. Change Get a wide range Gather facts about Let the people
Strategy of people the problem and realize who their
involved in decide on the best enemy is and help
determining and course of action; them focus on
solving their own let’s get the facts visible target
problems. Let’s and take the logical “Let’s organize
talk it over steps and fight”
4. Change Consensus, Planners do fact- Advocate,
Tactics and communication, finding and analysis. agitator,
Techniques group discussion Use inter- negotiator
organizational (employee and
relations. Consensus servant)
or conflicts depend
on planner’s
analysis
5. Practitioner Enabler, Expert, fact Advocate,
Role encourager, gatherer, agitator,
catalyst, teacher implementer of negotiator
of values and plans, influence (employee and
problem solving formal organizations servant of the
(very visible) and professional people) (low
(very visible) profile)
COMPONENT LOCALITY DEV’T SOCIAL SOCIAL ACTION
PLANNING
6. Medium Manage small task – Manage formal Manage mass
of Change oriented groups organization organization and
organizational
processes
7. The power structure Planners The power structure
Orientation is part of the client represent their is the opposition
toward system and reaches employer, who which must be
power agreements with are in the power- weakened so that the
structure other community structure. people can have
groups. Only goals Therefore, plans more or a voice plan
which are mutually are compatible which affects them
agreeable to all with the power (seek balance of
factions are structure power)
acceptable
8. Definition Total Community: Total or segment: A Community
of the Client all group and (welfare Council Segment:
System ( or factions in the and city (A specific group
prime community planners) or one which suffers from
beneficiaries neighborhood other groups)
)
COMPONENTS LOCALITY DEV’T SOCIAL SOCIAL ACTION
PLANNING
9. Assumption Interest of Interest may be Factions have
Regarding Community. reconcilable or in conflicting interest
Interests Functions can be conflict. Depends of which are not
Community reconciled on the various easily reconciled
Subparts through rational self-interests
persuasion,
communication
and mutual
goodwill
10. Normal citizens Consumers who Victims of society,
Conception of with rights to will use the disadvantaged
Client receive social social services people who need a
Population help who need planned for voice
developing and them: housing
educating programs, etc.
 The community organizer has to see, observe and understand all the
settings and the models before responding or making the people to respond
to the situation.

LOCALITY DEVELOPMENT SOCIAL ACTION SOCIAL PLANNING

People come together to Brings the people to People come together and
discuss and decide about destroy the oppressors. gather pertinent facts
the improvement of an Basic changes in major about the problems, then
area, or locality, situations are brought decide on a rational and
emphasizing the broader about by organizing the feasible course of action. It
participation at the local segment of the population is a technical process of
level in goal determination so that they make solving social problems.
and action demands on the larger
community for increased
resources or treatment
more in accordance with
social justice and
democracy and
redistribution of power,
resources and decision-
making.
Saul Alinsky’s Conflict Confrontation
Model
 Saul Alinsky’s Conflict-Confrontation Model

• Was systematized and popularized by Saul

Alinsky based on his experiences in organizing
black ghettos in Chicago. He wrote his
experience in several booklets such as “Roles
for Radicals”, “Reveille for Radicals” and “Get
‘Em Moving”
• His approaches were popularized in the
Philippines via the training conducted within
church based NGO’s by one of his colleagues,
Rev. Herbert Whitel.
• The training took place in the mid 70’s. His
ideas quickly took root and flourished in those
social action agencies, the foremost of which
was the Philippine Ecumenical Council for
Community Organizing (PECCO), which
organized the Zone One Tondo Organization
(ZOTO) with the urban poor in Tondo
 Nature of Conflict
• Conflict occurs when one person’s self-interest
is different, in contact with and in opposition
to another. Unless the actions of one party will
have an effect on the other, conflict will not
occur. Recognition of this interdependence is
pre-requisite to managing or resolving
conflict.
 Some Assumptions about conflict
• We face conflict all the time.
• Conflict implies contact. If there is relationship, there will be
conflict.
• Conflict exists: it is neither good nor bad. How we deal with it
determines end results.
• Where groups suppress conflict, there will be an accumulation
of feeling, leading toward the possibility of an eruption in a
disastrously polarizing row.
• Conflict faced and managed creates real potential for growth
and change.
 Some Positive Functions of Conflict

• Empowerment: energizes and gives power to group life. A healthy amount

of conflict, challenges and tension brings out best skills and resources of
members.

• Establishing Identity: “He is not with me is against me, and he who does
not gather with me scatters” Differentiates between in-group and out-
group.
• Unifying the in-group: having a common adversary has this effect.
• Helps persons to Bear the Intolerable: Can be release, and can give hope.

• Facing and resolving conflict between two people or among a group

strengthens and deepens the relationship.

• Can lead to real transformation: of situation, values of relationship.

 Basic Features of Conflict Confrontation
Model
• The use of conflict or controversy to agitate action for change.
• The recognition and use of self-interest to fan discontentment
toward involving people in personal and community issues.
• Mass mobilization involving the most number of people
possible
• Negotiation with conflict-confrontation
• Issue to issue approach, relating the macro issue.
• Developing organizational structures for people’s power
• Pressure tactics and pressure packed training.
Paulo Freire’s Conscientization
Model
Conscientization comes from the Portuguese word
“Conscietizacao” which means the process of developing the
people’s critical awareness of their situation in relation to bigger
social realities and their own capacity to transform realities.
Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model

• The education is neutral or un-political

It either domesticates so many situations by
imposing on the people the value and culture of
the dominant class or liberties, e.g. helping
people become critical, free, active and
responsible members of society.
 Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model

• Issues must have importance to the people

People will act on the issues on which they have
strong feelings. All education and development
projects should start by identifying the issues
that the local people speak with commitment,
hope, fear, anxiety or anger.
Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model
• Problem posing approach
The whole education and development process
is viewed as a common search for solution to
problems with the people as partner or active
participants in all phases of problem solving.
This is in contrast to the banking approach
where the people are seen as empty vessels
needing to be filled with knowledge and the
organizers.
 Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model
• Dialogue
Education must be a mutual learning process.
Community organizers serve as facilitators or
animators whose roles is to set up a situation in
which genuine dialogue can take place, where
each shares one’s experiences, listens and learns
from the other.
 Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model
• Reflection and action
• A community organizer or animator can provide a situation in which
people critically reflect upon that they are doing. Identify any new
information and training that they need, get this information and training,
and plan their action. By setting a regular cycle of action-reflection-action
in which the people are constantly calibrating their success or analyzing
critically the cause of mistakes and failures they can become more capable
of effectively transforming their daily life.

• Freire suggests the action-reflection-action method of organizing people.

 Principles of Paolo Freire’s Model
• Radical transformation of life in the local
communities and the whole society.
A conscientizing type of education aims to involve the
whole communities in actively transforming the quality of each
person’s life, the environment, the community and the whole
society. It is a dynamic process in which education and
development are totally interwoven. It recognizes that each
person has a contribution to make in building a new society and
tries to help each person and each community became more
capable and committed to the service of the people and national
transformation.
 ECLECTIC APPROACH
• Alinsky – Freire Fusion
• Their ideas were expressed in this country not
as separate organizing experiences but rather
as a fusion of two into an internally coherent
approach to social change.
• After experimentation, many organizers began
recognizing some of the inherent limitation of
Alinsky’s approach, particularly that it did not offer a
long term program for training the people and
because it was not grounded politically on the class
struggle unfolding around them.
• In the light of these limitations, Freire’s theory of
conscientization was grafted into the Alinsky strategy
serving as the educational component which gave a
sharper ideological focus/dimensions to their work
with the oppressed.
• Other influences on community organizing
practice in the Philippines would be strains of
Marxist - Maoist thoughts and tools of
analysis such in the class and structural
analysis and such emphasis on class-based
organizing.
-Today, different groups and agencies – development
NGO’s, church, the academe of schools, business and
government agencies have their own versions of
community organizing practice.

-Whichever type or combination of community organizing

models is preferred and practiced would depend on the
agency’s and/or the community organizer’s orientation,
their analysis of societal problems, their vision of an
alternative society and the corresponding methods and
strategies to achieve the latter.
 Thank You

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