Guiding a Community to Self-Organize
Theme: Empowerment begins when people are given the tools, confidence, and connections to lead themselves.
Many years after I had settled in the United States, a group of university students and faculty launched a project to help recently arrived immigrants from different cultural and language backgrounds learn to self-organize and support one another. They invited me to work with the Russian-speaking group, which included members from different churches.
Drawing on my knowledge of local services and community organizations, I coached and consulted the emerging leaders, facilitated meetings, and helped them navigate the process of building their own support systems.
Together, we organized a cultural community festival that brought people together in celebration and mutual understanding. The momentum from this initiative led to the creation of a new, self-sustaining nonprofit — officially registered as a 501(c)(3) organization — dedicated to serving and empowering the community.
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What would be possible in your organization if every team felt both capable and inspired to take ownership of solutions?