Public relationship building in grassroots community organizing: relational intervention for individual and systems change

Abstract

AbstractBuilding relationships among participants has become a strategic lynchpin of many community organizing initiatives. Although the relational work of organizing is often mentioned in studies on community change, it has not been studied as a process or model for community intervention. This article positions the development of a specific type of relationships—public relationships—as a transactional intervention aimed at both individual and systems change. Interpersonal relationship development through semistructured, one‐to‐one conversations is highlighted as a key to effecting change at both the individual and the systems level, through broadening individuals' networks of relationships, developing new understandings of the social world, and strengthening commitments to civic involvement. This model for transactional, relational intervention provides insights into the development of grassroots infrastructure for increasing sense of community and capacity to engage in civic life. Strengths and limitations of relationship building as an approach to community intervention are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.