COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATION
AFTER THE
WORLD WAR II
LUPAI, A.
PALCON, K.
UBALDO, J.
1929-1954



Social Work in this period was deeply affected by the
depression and the World War II
The Federal government through its agencies
became the main impetus for social planning.
This period marked a shift of emphasis in operations
from local and private to regional or national and
public. The government became the main impetus
for social planning.
There were
three
overriding
concerns:
●
(i) the relation between community
organization and social work. While
one school of thought contended that
community organization was not
really a legitimate form of social work
practice, the other school made efforts
to establish community organizations
affinity to the basic values and
concerns of social work
There were
three
overriding
concerns:
●
(ii) an interest in the objectives of
community organization, ranging
from
strengthening
community
cohesion to prevention/amelioration
of a wide ranging set of social
problems, and
There were
three
overriding
concerns:
●
(iii) the appropriate role for the
practitioner,
which
Community
Organisation
for
Community
Development was envisaged to “strike
a balance between giving help and
fostering self determination of the
community”.
1955-1968


The growth of the Civil Rights Movement, the end
of legal school segregation and the rising
dissatisfaction of the black Americans gave birth to
a number of organisations which sought to end the
inequality of opportunity for the black people
There was a growing effort to create ethnic minority
institutions, including neighbourhood control of
schools, business, professional societies, labour
unions, interest groups and rights organisations.
1955-1968


Student activism also increased phenomenally.
Many student activists turned to social work and
particularly to community organisation in search of
a
career
compatible
with
their
personal
commitments.
Many were influenced by the community
organisation projects carried out by the students for
a Democratic Society, and also by the dynamic
organizing style of Saul Alinsky and the many
organisations he helped found
1955-1968


The Federal government took increasing
responsibility for dealing with a wide range of
social problems, like mental health, alcoholism,
physical disability etc. through grants-in-aid to
state and local governments.
Many programmes encouraged preventive
measures in the local communities, a process
requiring community organisation skills
1955-1968



American people supported the development of responsibilities
of the government in solving the problems of welfare and on the
other hand, there was a renewed emphasis upon participatory
democracy and “maximum feasible participation”.
Moderation and social planning formed the dominant orientation
of community organisation.
Training for community organisation grew substantially and by
1969 the number of schools of social work providing training
programmes for community organizers increased to forty eight.
1955-1968



In 1962, the Council on Social Work Education gave formal
recognition to community organization as a method of
social work comparable with casework and group work.
An effort to develop curriculum for training community
organizers was initiated in 1963.
One of the most important development during this period
was the recognition that community organization
practitioners required professional training, different from
that in other social work specializations.
1969 AND AFTER
Three main developments during the period :
(i) The emergence of an information society, characterized
by “high technology” in every sphere of life;
(ii) The growth of a world economy, leading to vast shifts in
investment patterns and inter-organisational relationships on
a global scale; and
(iii) Decentralisation, leading to the increased role that state
as opposed to national government started playing in the
U.S., and the vast increase in neighbourhood organizations
and the shift of population to rural areas and small towns
(Naisbitt, 1982).
1969 AND AFTER
 The most important development with the most
impact on the current phase of community
organizing is the belief in the value of self-help
activities
 Another important trend which has emerged
according to Naisbitt is “networking”, particularly that
enabled by computer utilization, in which people
seek ways of locating that American society has
moved towards becoming a society of even more
diversity
70’S (SEVENTIES)
 As far as development of community organization
institutions is concerned, the major shift in community
organization practice since the seventies has been the
withdrawal of the federal funding and the termination
of many community oriented federal programmes.
 As far as the development of the profession is concerned, a
major shift has taken place during this period and this is a
shift to thinking of community organization activities
as part of “macro” practice that also includes
interventions at organizational and societal levels.
Reference:
https://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/5
9014/1/Unit2.pdf
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