Grassroots Mobilisation and Organising

The Power of the PeopleBy 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 SenFreireDavid 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 Issue2. Awareness Raising and MobilizationSustained engagement with members of communities to gauge issue comprehension and provide deeper and broader perspectives.

Awareness Raising and Mobilisation

Apartheid DebtApartheid Caused DebtAlternative Mining Indabas

Cycle

3. Community Training and Capacity BuildingWorkshops 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 CommunityWhat the message of the communityWhat are the demandsWhat do they want to achieve.

Cycle Continue

• Evaluation and Cycle continues

Thank You

Rev. Malcolm DamonExecutive Director

Economic Justice Network of FOCCISAFellowship of Christian Councils in Southern

Africampd@ejn.org.zawww.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