Grassroots Mobilisation and Organising
The Power of the People By Malcolm Damon
Executive of the Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA
Economic Justice Network (EJN)
Influencing Public Policy at the
CoP 17 in Durban
Organizing and Mobilization
• What’s our understanding of Organizing and How do we see Mobilization?
Organizing
• Institute for Dev Studies and Action Aid
“Organizing entails deliberate actions to bring people together to develop leadership strategies and collective capacity necessary to confront a common issue or push an alternative justice agenda.
Mobilization
• “ Refers to engaging people as political activist through actions that build and use the strength of organised numbers to make their demands known and influence those in power.
De Gruchy – Agency, Assets and Appreciation
• Agency and Benificiaries
• Doctor, patient or clients.
• Are we doing things for people or are people doing it for themselves
• Poor people are engage in struggles, strategies and mobilisation on a daily basis.
• Agency of the poor.
Agency
Sen
Freire
David Korten
“If transformation is to come as a consequence of voluntary action, an act of human commitent to collective survival… . We must look at people’s movements as the key to transformational change in the current era.
Assets
• How do we see the community
• People in need that need assistance – create dependency and a welfare approach
• You cannot build a community on what people don’t have.
• Community organisations need to build on the capacities, skills and assets of the community.
• Three categories of assets
Assets of the Community
• People and individuals or groups
• Associations or community based org
• Institutions – schools, libraries, community hall, police and others.
• APPRECIATION
Cycle
1. Needs and Interest of the Community
- Cancellation of Debt
- Treatment Action Campaign
- Mozambique – Land Issue
2. Awareness Raising and Mobilization
Sustained engagement with members of communities to gauge issue comprehension and provide deeper and broader perspectives.
Awareness Raising and Mobilisation
Apartheid Debt
Apartheid Caused Debt
Alternative Mining Indabas
Cycle
3. Community Training and Capacity Building
Workshops to make people aware of Govt Debt and why there is this Debt.
Build capacity of communities to understand the issues.
4. Plans and Campaigns of the Community
What the message of the community
What are the demands
What do they want to achieve.
Cycle Continue
• Evaluation and Cycle continues
Thank You
Rev. Malcolm Damon
Executive Director
Economic Justice Network of FOCCISA
Fellowship of Christian Councils in Southern Africa
www.ejn.org.za
Climate Justice Rally
• multi-faith ‘Climate Justice Rally’ at King’s Park Stadium on 27 November 2011
• was the magnum opus of the inter-faith activities
• Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Christiana Figueres and Mashabane attended the event
• 200,000 signed petitions handed over