Getting Started

• Making the Road Passable (Permissions)
• Raising Awareness, Not Expectations
• Challenging the First Wish Lists
• Making Community Decisions

Key points

Just as the mobilizer must first get prepared, the first action of the mobilizer is to prepare the community for empowerment. First is to get legitimization for community work in the area, from the appropriate authorities. They need to be persuaded that in the long run it will benefit them to become enablers of self reliance instead of providers of facilities and services. ensuring that the authorities and the population know the mobilizer does not come with gifts is the most important information to convey. Next, in preparing the community, the mobilizer must guide the community to organize (for decision making and for action) and guide them to choose an appropriate and realistic action. This usually involves challenging them to rethink their first wishes, which are usually unrealistic.

Reading

Getting Started Module Hub Making the Road Passable (Permissions) Clearing the Pathway Discussion Handout Raising Awareness, Not Expectations Raising Awareness Discussion Handout Challenging the First Wish List Challenging the Community Discussion Handout Making Community Decisions Choosing a Project Discussion Handout

Outcomes

The student will know how to get necessary permissions to being a mobilizer in the area The student will know how to raise awareness, especially among officials and leaders, without raising expectations that gifts are forthcoming The student will know the importance of challenging the community's first wishes, and how to convert them into do-able actions by the community The student will be able to guide a community in making decisions about what action it should take