Sunday 29 December 2013

ROLES OF A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER

Community organizer having the required characteristics and skills and the knowledge about the process and steps of community organization will be able to apply the same in different settings by appropriate roles. The different roles of a community organizer are discussed here. These roles are neither exhaustive nor mutually exclusive. 

1. Communicator – the community organizer transfers or transmits information, thought, knowledge etc. to the members of the community. Sharing of information enables the community to be better prepared and empowered with information. 

2. Enabler – the community organizer facilitates the process in the community for a change. He does not carry out any work by himself but he enables the community to do the work. The organizer gives importance to the process than the product. By the role of enabler the organizer would create independency among the people by which avoid the dependency syndrome. 

3. Animator – in any process of community organization the organizer encourages, provides direction and guide lines to proceed in carrying out the different activities. As an animator the Community Organizer plays a vital role in eliciting the active participation of the people from planning till evaluation especially ensuring life in all the dealings of the issues and problems. 

4. Guide – the community organizer instead of doing anything on his own guides the members of the community in the process of community organization. The community organizer is not a person to shoulder the responsibility or solving problems of the people. Instead he has to make the people to respond for which the organizer provides the various avenues and shows different roots while dealing with the community problems. 

5. Counselor – the community organizer understands the community and enables the community to understand itself. At the time of difficulty the individuals or the groups are given the required counseling to proceed in the correct direction. When people are in need there should be someone to listen to them. 

6. Collaborator – the community organizer joins hands in performing his task with his colleagues with other like-minded people and organizations. Nowadays organizations approach a problem not with their personal capacity they also depend on the neighbouring organization. Therefore the role of collaborator is very much needed for net working of similar and like-minded organizations and efforts for a common cause.

7. Consultant – the community organizer enjoys the confidence of the people and advises them in matters of vital interest. The community organizer becomes a person with lots of knowledge and information which is being shared with the people. As a consultant the community organizer makes himself available to the people who are in need.

8. Innovator – the community organizer innovates, performs, and improves the techniques, content in the process of community organization. This gives a lead to the people of the community and enables them to try out new ways and means to find solutions to the needs and problems. Community organizer is not a person to maintain the system that exists but he should be a person to introduced new ways and means to climb up the development ladder. 

9. Model – the community organizer commands perfection as a community organizer and serves as a source of inspiration. The role of the organizer is to become an example while working with the people. By proper planning in approaching a problem and execution of the plan and documenting the whole process will be of greater help to others. The problem solving process becomes a model to others.

10. Motivator – the community organizer stimulates and sustains active interest among the people for reaching a solution to the needs and problems. The community organizer encourages the community to take up a minor task and complete it successfully which would enable the people to take up difficult task. 

11. Catalyst – in the process of community organization the community organizer retains his identity at the same time enables the people to be empowered. The people gain accessibility and control over resources and acquire skills in decision making. As a catalyst the organizer is able to increase the response level of the people. The catalyst role further enables the people to become independent and become expert in responding to their own needs.

12. Advocate – the role of the advocate is to be a representative or persuade the members of the community and prepare them to be a representative as well as represent the issues to the concerned body to bring a solution to the unmet needs. The advocacy role is an important role in the present context. The community organizer in the role of an advocate represents the interests of the community to gain access or services or improve the quality of services which may be hampered by other forces. 

13. Facilitator – the community organizer helps the community to articulate their needs, clarify and identify their problems, explore resolution strategies, select and apply intervention strategies, and develop their capacities to deal with their own problems more effectively. A facilitator helps client systems alter their environment.

14. Mediator – the community organizer intervenes in disputes between parties to help them find compromises, reconcile differences, or reach mutually satisfying agreements. A mediator is involved in resolving disputes between members of the between the community and other persons or the broader environment.

15. Educator – the community organizer as educator conveys information to the community and the broader environment. Organizer provides information necessary for coping with problem situations, assists the community in practicing new behaviours or skills, and teaches through modelling. The community organizer provides information necessary for decision making.

While working with the people of different background or from different geographical set up the different roles can be applied. All the roles need not be or cannot be applied in all the settings to all the problems. Therefore depending upon the situation and the needs and problems of the community appropriate role has to be applied.

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