Community organizing for environmental change: integrating research in support of organized actions

Abstract

The two cases studied in this chapter demonstrate an intense integration of participatory action research (PAR) with community organizing. The researcher and community partner act as a team to identify underlying issues and select the ones that are actionable. As community organizing advances, the researcher's ongoing involvement provides knowledge to select PAR activities that will build community capacity as well as challenge communities to progress in their organizing goals. We then add a project-based research model to this ongoing close collaboration, primarily through undergraduate service-learning capstone courses. The chapter begins with an introduction to the PAR and community organizing (CO) literature and traditions that informed the researcher in these two case studies, focusing on end-goals and community-building. We then present the two case studies, first, "Sustainable Monona" and second, "Reentry Services and Urban Agriculture." Each case study has five parts: listening to the people, clarifying common goals, framing strategies for action, helping build leaders, and mobilizing the community. A comparison and analysis of the two cases further elaborates on processes related to the communities' initial interests, organizing needs, approach on diversity and project-based service learning. We conclude with recommendations and tips for getting started.