European Community Organizing Network
* A Vision for the Future *
Second Draft
January 25, 2008
I.
Goal, Values, and Background
A. Community Organizing
1. The purpose of community organizing is to actively engage large numbers of
people to powerfully solve community problems.
2. Community organizing follows a three-step process of a. Systematically listening
to residents and citizens in order to select and prioritize problems and visions, b.
Research to identify potential solutions, and c. Solve these problems and achieve
these visions through self-help approaches and engaging key government and
other institutions.
3. Community organizing can be done in a large number of contexts and with a
variety of constituents: individual members, organization of organizations,
neighborhood or issue based, with religious congregations and/or secular groups,
tenants, seniors, youth, etc.
B. Goal
To develop an ongoing network for the promotion, support, and expansion of
community organizing in Europe.
C. Guiding Values
The network is guided by the values of justice, compassion, democratic participation,
and appreciation for ethnic, racial, and spiritual diversity. It promotes community
organizing in a variety of forms.
D. Recent History Leading to This Vision and Current Locations
1. Joint European Community Organizing Trainings and Meetings
a. Two-five day community organizing trainings and meetings occurred in
December, 2006 and November, 2007 involving 24 and 30 participants from 8
European countries.
b. At the November, 2007 Meeting a Planning and Joint Fundraising Group was
formed to further develop a vision and plan for common work. This Group
met in January, 2008.
2. Current Locations of Community Organizing Projects or
Growing Interest
a. Bosnia: Tuzla
b. Croatia: Osijek
c. Czech Republic: Cesky Tesin
d. Germany: Munich, Saarbrucken, Worms, Wetzlar, Nordenham, Bad
Zwischenahn, Stuttgart, Dueren, Refelda
e. Moldova: Cantemir, Cahul
f. Poland: Katowice, Oswiecim
g. Romania: Drobeta Turnu Severin, Sucerita, Rosia Montana, Sigisoara
h. Slovakia: Banska Bystrica, Zvolen, Kosice, Namestovo, Zilina, Presov
i. Sweden: Norrkoping
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II.
European Community Organizing Network
A. Purpose
To promote, support, and expand community organizing in Europe.
B. Potential Strategies to Achieve This Purpose
1. Joint meetings to plan, share, and evaluate community organizing practices
2. Local, regional, national, and international community organizing trainings for
staff and volunteers
3. Site visits
4. Development and translation of community organizing training curriculum, best
practices guides, and training of trainers
5. Joint fundraising
6. Joint projects
7. Outreach to new locations
8. Websites and other forms of communication
9. Cooperation with other citizen participation groups or movements
C. Structure
1. National Coordinators
a. National Coordinators shall be selected by the local organizations in their
country and shall speak English to facilitate Network communications.
b. National Coordinators will serve as the steering committee of the network.
They will seek to make decisions by consensus, but will decide by majority
vote when consensus cannot be reached in a reasonable time.
c. National Coordinators will communicate between local organizations and the
Network, prepare Network meetings, and fundraise for Network activities.
d. National Coordinators will form international working groups when needed
for special tasks of the Network.
2. Network Membership – To Be Determined
3. European-Wide Professional Support
a. To assist the Network and National Coordinators
b. To assist national and local organizations
4. Local Community Organizations
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