Introduction to Community Empowerment/Mobilizing community/Getting Prepared/Your goals

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One of the slogans we use in management training is, "If you do not know where you are going, then any road will do." (See "Slogans.") This applies to you, too, in preparing for mobilizing.

What do you want to achieve?
It is easy to run around, looking busy, arranging meetings, getting latrines constructed, talking to community leaders, moving advocacy groups, stimulating action, without moving forward in accomplishing genuine community strengthening.

You need to clarify your goals, first to yourself, then on paper, then to those around you.

The goals of mobilization to develop a community may vary from person to person, community to community.

Refining your personal goals
The goals of mobilization to develop a community may vary from person to person, community to community. Nevertheless, there are common elements.

These include: poverty eradication, good governance, change in social organization, community capacity development, empowering low income and marginalized people, and gender balance

As you go along, reading this, engaging in mobilization, you will see that each of these goals becomes more interesting and challenging, the more you know.

Read through the definitions and think about refining your personal goals

Go back to your journal often to update, refine, and add details to all these goals.

Look in the: Glossary of Key Terms, for introductory discussion about these goals (poverty reduction, community development).

Compare them to your notes in your journal.