Research Paper on Uniting for Change: Community Organizing and Grassroots Development

Introduction

Community organizing and grassroots development are fundamental pillars in any political setting. The process by which people with the same interest come together at the local levels and take action that will improve both their situation and of other people. Community development refers to a situation where residence collectively investigates and takes action as a whole group concerning social factors that affect them. This method has always been effective in achieving reforms in policies and systems at all levels. Grass-root movement is a movement that uses people in a specific region, i.e., local area, nationals well as the international level. This type of action utilizes the use of self-service, which urges the concerned members to take part in critical issues.

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In all communities set up, it is essential to organize the grassroots and political impact as this gives a clear reflection on what the community is facing. This group helps in pressurizing for reforms or spearhead for changes in the area affecting the local people. There all community-based organizations. Community means the geographic community, for instance, a village, urban neighbourhood, or even a town. Grouped together, they were like unitary bodies able. They had an aim to acquire more power for the grassroots level. Some of this movement is very advanced in there structure and organization.

Social movements emerged a very long time ago. The movements established in the 1960 reformed the political setting and the societies in an area with a more significant political influence like the United States, western Europe, and far beyond, and their impacts are evident in civil rights movements, women groups, religious and anti-slavery movements throughout(Heberle, 235). States raised up as an organization some years back. Before this revolution, rapid violence and some form of dictatorship power existed were local people had no hand in decision making even in matters affecting them. This style of leadership forced people to act.

Most often, the main reason for organizing it is to push for reforms in local issues, such as poor transport, public health, and education issues. Since the late 1970s, the Country has witnessed the inevitable rise of citizen activism (Boyte, 10). There is a strong relationship between a community organization and grassroots movement; they are both formed to solve problems affecting the local people. They always believe in democratic methods of pressurizing for their grievances. Grass root movements employ a variety of unique techniques like fund-raising and mobilizing voters with the aim of political reforms. Many political people always feel more threatened by this movement and tend to shy away from them. These are groups that check the activities of the national government and those that are directly related to the government. Grassroots movements employ techniques that create power and will from the local people. This movement derives their power from the members, meaning that the methods they use are in the best interest of the ordinary people.

Rothschild and Leach studied oligarchy and bureaucracy and how they affect social movement organizations. They stated that they look as grassroots movements not as ways to bury the dreams of men but as believers that there is always a way out (56). These ideas, introduced into the social theory, warn those who see the work of these social movements as being violent and unable to produce a smooth relationship between leaders and participants. This is not movements of symbolic participation or bureaucratized i.e., community development. They comprised had a huge number of membership, mainly community that attempts to empower. There are, however, many institutions that encourage widespread participation, voluntary organizations such as affiliated political parties, well-structured and organized women and youth groups, and groups based on colour, tribe, or religion. It is clear that not only one type of organization is found in both Community power and grassroots democracy.

However, these movements have experienced a lot of challenges. A few of the undeniable problems is how to define and realize their goals are, what ideas to use in large and complex societies, what methods to use to empower the people. But the main one has always been how to build a structure that is comprised of social, economic, and political factors. A system capable of overcome inequality and political orientation and can accelerate social power. Four keywords are very crucial in defining this movement, process- implies that change is on-going, transition-this process is based on modernization and development but a process whose aim is to provide an alternative future freed from the current nightmares like hate, greed, high cases of corruption, malnutrition, poor housing, inferior health care, unemployment, racism, gender inequality and fear, transformation-which suggests that the process of transition is not one that encourages linear improvement but one that is concerned with substantial shift in the political, economic, and social relations and most important empowerment - which refers to method of change (Dilla, Alfonso, and Kaufman, 122). These problems talk relations and not just conditions.

The rapid spread of these movements, however, has been contributed to social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Here members engage in a lengthy discussion on matters affecting them. These pages create a broader platform as it enables any activist from any region of the world to take part. Social media is rapidly becoming one of the critical used things on the internet. Blogs, social sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube enable the development of stories and quick spread of information to an audience of people widely spread at geographically distant places at a reasonably low price. These social networks have been used for a broad range of activities, like demanding public services like education, contacting leaders, discussions, and fighting corruption. They also play an important role in citizen engagement and advocacy, which have significant influence in promoting transparency and accountability in the handling of public affairs. Users of these social media sites form a broad network that provides a dynamic means of dissipating and sharing of information. Citizens are able to undertake an independent analysis of matters, come up with opinions, and influence others. This inclusive engagement can be with other citizens or leaders.

Ultimately, the potential of the social medium remains anchored in the social, economic, political, and cultural environment. However, the use of social media in community organizing and grassroots movement to promote democracy has many pitfalls. One of the many challenges is information cocoon as articulated which refers to the idea that when a person is exposed to information that only their claims, those claims propel towards the extreme (Ratto, Matt, and Megan, 562). Another one is fake news, before the rapid use of the internet, the news was spread through publications done by editors who strived very hard to avoid lawsuits and preserve their reputation. Social media is a news outlet without regulations, in which anyone can create and spread fake news.

Works Cited

Boyte, H. C. Community, is possible: Repairing America's roots. HarperCollins Publishers, 1984.

Dilla, Alfonso H, and Michael Kaufman. Community Power and Grassroots Democracy: The Transformation of Social Life. Place of publication not identified: publisher not identified, 2002.

HEBERLE, Rudolf. Social Movements and Introduction to Political Sociology. Appleton-Century-Crofts: New York, 1951.

Ratto, Matt, and Megan Boler. Diy Citizenship: Critical Making and Social Media. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2014

Rothschild, Joyce, and Darcy Leach. "Avoid, Talk, or Fight Alternative Cultural Strategies in the Battle against Oligarchy in Collectivist-Democratic Organizations." Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations. (2007): 346-361.