NCJ Number
174136
Date Published
1997
Length
167 pages
Annotation
This manual intends to help community organizations develop models that can meld action and analysis in the context of grassroots community organizing for progressive social change, with attention to community influence in police policies and procedures.
Abstract
This report presents the workshop content for the presentation of the concept of "action education," which is being promoted by the Applied Research Center of Oakland, Calif. "Action education" is defined as "an ongoing systematic process that develops the knowledge and analytical capacity of an organization's base constituency, enabling them to reframe issues and exercise a greater range of actions for producing social change." Integrating action education into the activities of progressive organizations will enable them to achieve a number of goals. These include becoming more effective in analyzing social institutions and power relations; implementing more strategic actions to advance their own agenda and achieve their goals; developing new connections with organizations and constituencies working for progressive social change; and increasing unity among progressive organizations. This manual is written for the workshop facilitators, rather than the participants. Each workshop "design" explains how to conduct the workshop. Material for 15 workshops is included. Workshops focus on issues pertinent to police accountability to the community, with specific reference to the border police and their enforcement of immigration laws. Other workshops pertain to crime and punishment, alternatives to incarceration, and a critique of the U.S. Crime Bill. Workshop attachments are included, along with appended forms and resource lists