Take Action (Step 5 of 6)

[SARN Memo for October 28, 2009]

[In this six-step series, we’re looking at the spiral model of community organizing. It’s a great tool to help groups make change by working together. It works well for small groups. This week: Step Five.]

In Step Five, you finally take action. When most people think about making change, this is the step they think about. But as we’ve seen, it’s one of the last steps in a long process.

First you’ve picked a good issue (Step Two). Then you’ve done your homework (Step Three) and prepared for action (Step Four). Now go do it. (Next week: Step Six – Decide how it went.)

1. Step Five of the Spiral Model of Community Organizing: Take Action
2. More about the Spiral Model of Community Organizing
3. Group Activity: Watch a Movie
4. Resource

• Respond to this memo!

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1. Step Five of the Spiral Model of Community Organizing: Take Action

At this step, the action takes place—literally. Now, after all the hard work and planning (Steps One through Four), the group finally gets to do something—for instance, to actually participate in the rally or actually present public testimony before the city council.

Again, be sure each member has a role to play, has practiced it many times, and has made him/herself a list of things to remember.

(In Step Six, you’ll look back at the action and evaluate how it went.)

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2. More about the Spiral Model of Community Organizing

The spiral model of community organizing is a six-step process that leads to lasting change. It’s a method for groups to identify areas of common concern and then address these issues by working together. Like all community organizing, using this model will strengthen your self-advocacy group. It will build leadership skills in all members. (The method was developed by the Doris Marshall Institute of Toronto.)

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3. Group Activity: Watch a Movie

We often think of one big hero who changed things: Rosa Parks. Ghandi. Ed Roberts. But a successful action takes many people playing many roles. Here’s an activity your group can do to develop your eyes for seeing the many roles that are needed for a successful action.

Watch a movie together about a social change movement. Ask people to make a list together of all the different roles people played in the success of the action. Especially focus on small roles that might be overlooked.

Here are some ideas for good movies (rent from local library, if you can):

• At the River I Stand (about the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike)
• Pray the Devil Back to Hell (about the women’s peace movement in Liberia)
• The Fight In The Fields (about the migrant workers’ movement)
• Offense Taken (about the fight against the R-word in Minnesota)

(Note: Most of these movies show big actions at a scale larger than anything your local group will take on. But nevertheless, they can be inspiring and can help you think about all the ways to contribute, besides just being the one public leader in the limelight.)

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4. Resource

Step By Step: Understanding the Spiral Model of Community Organizing
In this self-led workshop, you can learn together about the Spiral Model of Community Organizing using a variety of interactive exercises.

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