Social Mobilization - Lecture notes 3 PDF

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National Service Training Program -
Civic Welfare Training Service
Social Mobilization...

Description

SOCIAL MOBILIZATION Specific Objectives: At the end of the module, the students should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

define social mobilization and the elements of social mobilization discuss the benefits of social mobilization to the community relate the management process and role of community workers draw the mobilization cycle come up with situation analysis report of their community.

Effective social mobilization goes beyond community organizations, harnessing the potential and efforts of government or non-government sector and citizens to work sustainable social, economic and political development. The benefits of social mobilization to community organizations and its impact locally and nationally can be best sustained within an enabling political, policy and regulatory environment and where mechanisms for linking experiences and lessons at the community level to policy are developed. The Concept of Social Mobilization Social mobilization is an approach and tool that enables people to organize for collective action, by pooling resources and building solidarity required to resolve common problems and work towards community advancement. It is a process that empowers women and men to organize their own democratically self-governing groups or community organizations enabling them to initiate and control their own personal and communal organizations which enable them to initiate and control their own personal and communal developments, as opposed to mere participation in an initiative designed by the government or external organization. Key Elements of Social Mobilization From worldwide experience there are four (4) basic elements of social mobilization: Organizational development - a process in which community members and, especially the poor form their own groups or organizations based on common development interests and needs that are best served by organizing themselves as a group. "Before one becomes a member of a CBO, the individual struggles against a harsh environment. Once he/she is organized in a broadbased group, the individual has the leverage with which to address and tackle problems which he/she could not have done alone" (Pandey, 2002). Promoting self-reliance, especially of the poor members of the organization which would in turn, enhance their ability to participate in the organization's affairs on an equal basis. Capital Formation for Development through Community Savings Capital formation (through mobilization of savings) enhances a community organization's power to realize its full potential. "Savings generated by individual members are the assets of the community organization and are the first step towards their self-reliance" (Pandey, 2002). Accumulated savings can be used for internal credit with interest to enable individual members to engage in income generation activities whilst, at the same time, accumulating the organization's capital base. They can also be used for enterprise development at the community level. Savings can serve as the basis for access to external services, for example, micro-finance. They can also form the basis for community organizations' contribution to local development initiatives, which is essential in localities where government capacity to address all social needs of a community are very limited. Training for Human Resource Development Community members can maximize their potential not only by organizing themselves but also by upgrading their existing skills to better manage new inputs - business and

community initiatives and establish effective links with local government and other actors. The Change Agent (i.e. the organization or individual facilitating the social mobilization process) can support direct training, exchange visits and other capacity building activities based on needs identified by the members of the community organization. These can cover: organizational development, leadership, savings and credits programmes, agriculture, natural resource management, and other key areas. Local human resource development can best be promoted when trained individuals take up the responsibility to train other community members. Socio-economic development Socio-economic development initiatives are a great incentive for community members to organize themselves. It is important therefore that an initiative which includes social mobilization provides support in the form of matching grants or access to credit, marketing and other services that will lead to tangible improvements in social economic conditions within the community. The process of identifying community priorities, participatory planning, implementing and monitoring of actors helps not only to improve local conditions but also to empower people and their organizations. If well facilitated, this process can result in increased institutional capacity, enhanced social status and voice (especially for disadvantaged people, including women, the poor and youth). These results in turn motivate people to remain organized as they begin to enjoy the benefits of collective action and recognize its potential to create or influence change in their communities. Facilitating the social mobilization process Whilst there are grassroots or social movements that have emerged from within communities, the isolation of poverty and resulting passivity or powerlessness of citizens, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, calls for external support at the initial stages of the social mobilization process. In countries with limited experience of social mobilization, a combination of international and national community mobilizers brings to bear international experience and local knowledge which are both essential factors for success. The following should be undertaken in social mobilization Advocacy - element which is focused on various actors which could create the positive environment for program or service delivery. Information, Education and Communication (IEC) - a set of accurate and consistent information on the programs and services as a timely response by those in direct contact with the communities. Community Organizing - Individual and community groups are able to get a sense of what they can do among themselves to improve their situation. Capacity Building - Social mobilization can only be sustained if the network of the advocates and mobilizers are continually expanded through Capacity - building (people) Institutional Development (organization) Community Empowerment and Program Sustainability   

Empowerment is the process of people taking action to overcome the obstacles to progress where this action involves getting more control over their situation. Community Empowerment enables individuals and the community to do their own thinking and reflection to improve their situation. Sustainability comes only when individuals, groups, and communities have ownership of the problem and are able to act on their own.

Institutional Development  

seeks to improve the ability of the institution to carry out its mandate, mission and vision and achieve its goals and objectives. key levels: Systems, processes, networks financial capacity, physical infrastructure and management of resources.

Networking and Alliances Building: 

Social Mobilization's success depends on the identification of relevant individuals and groups which can contribute to the achievement of the program's goals.  Partners are those with whom we work directly.  Allies are those who have similar interests and programs with us, but with whom we may not work directly.

Benefits of Social Mobilization Poverty Alleviation - Social mobilization is an important tool in the poverty alleviation process, as it enables communities and the poor themselves to engage actively in solving! their own problems and effectively tackling poverty in its multi-dimensional form. The principles of social mobilization ensure equity, hence issues of gender based, racial and ethnic based discrimination are most likely addressed. Promoting Democratic Governance - experience shows that poverty and bad governance mutually reinforce, as they foster exclusion of citizens from decision making processes, lack of access to basic services, lack of opportunity, dependency, and limited availability of public goods. Social mobilization must be institutionalized within government for it to be effective. This would encourage participation in decision-making, build capacity for participatory planning, build a common vision on development and ensure transparency. Institutionalization of such efforts can only be effective if a decentralized system of governance, including fiscal decentralization is in place and functional. Social mobilization can facilitate tripartite leadership at the local level, making society more effective as a third and legitimate partner in development. Creating demand for good governance through social mobilization must be completed with increased capacity of the local government to manage and effectively respond to demand and improve its governance practices. Capacity building efforts must therefore target civil society organizations (including CBOs, elected representatives, etc) government. Environmental Management - is the act of organizing people to better manage their nat resources and fight against practices and organizations that degrade the environment through promoting appropriate legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks and dialogue. Conflict Prevention - as people organize to address common problems, and to collective improve their socio-economic conditions in an equitable, democratic and transparent manner possibility of conflict can be significantly reduced. Sensitization and Clearance - Sessions with local leaders and government officials Awareness Raising - Public meetings with members of target communities Mobilizer Training - Organizing the community workers Unity Organizing - Putting together different community units or members. Management Training - The training of community leaders and mobilizers (e.g. how to prepare and write effective project designs). Participatory Assessment - Identifying priority problems (therefore priority goals as solutions). Community Action Plan (CAP) - Consistent with District plans and community priorities...