How can social and environmental justice campaigns mobilise people and strengthen grassroots community organising?

Community organising builds power at the grassroots community level, and invigorates direct and participatory forms of democracy to hold elected representatives and corporations accountable to the communities they serve. Community mobilising is one tool of a community organiser’s toolkit and includes rallies, demonstrations, petitions and public meetings. Community organisers strengthen social movements by building a base of concerned people, mobilising community members to act strategically, developing leadership and creating relationships.

This mobilising for change workshop will extend participants’ capacity to:

• Understand community organising, and what makes it different from other approaches to social change
• Map their communities and relationships with allies and other constituents
• Build and maintain alliances and coalitions
• Engage and sustain grassroots activists

The workshop has been developed for people who are actively working on social and environmental justice issues and who seek to mobilise communities to bring about change. It is intended for people who are clear on their campaign objectives and who recognise that people power is a necessary step along the way.

This interactive workshop will include a range of bright ideas and practical tools to strengthen grassroots community organising.

Facilitated by James Whelan and Holly Hammond, The Change Agency.