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Topics:
Youth
By
the People:
Citizenship Training in AmeriCorps
Manual
Index
Preface
Introduction: The Guide
Format and the Goals of AmeriCorps
Chapter One: The Framework:
Democracy, Citizenship, Politics and Service
Chapter Two: Encouraging (Civic) Responsibility
Chapter Three: Strengthening Community
(Capacity)
Chapter Four: Getting Things Done
Chapter
Five: Expanding Opportunity
Resources:
Glossary, Bibliography, Other
Contents
Chapter
Four: Getting Things Done
Chapter
4: Getting Things Done
Above all,
AmeriCorps is about getting things done. There is so much that
we must do today—to make our schools better, our streets
safer, our families healthier, and our environment cleaner.
AmeriCorps members are committed to meeting the needs of America.
-
AmeriCorps Member Handbook
Only when
we, both as individuals and as communities, have the commitment
and the capacity to address our nation's challenges, can we get
things done in a meaningful way. As an AmeriCorps member you are
no doubt anxious to "just do it"; this is one of the many strengths
of AmeriCorps. In this rush of enthusiasm, it is important to
remember your role and your connection to the community in which
you are working. The key to making a difference in the short and
long terms is to understand the relationship between power and
action.
Core
Concept: Power
Often when
people think of power, they think of the authority others have
over them. Or they think of power as force—being able to
make someone do something they don't want to do. People also think
of power as a finite resource: The more someone else has, the
less there is available for you.
A broader,
simpler understanding is to see power as having the ability to
affect the things around you, in other words, to get things done.
The word "power" comes from the Latin word "poter," which means
"to be able." Power is the set of relationships between you (and
your identity) and other people (and their identities) that allows
you to act on the things that are important to you. And that means
a lot of things.
- It means
that there are strong emotions associated with power.
- It means
that power is a two-way street. You have control over part of
it and that part of it can be changed.
- It also
means that other people also control part of your relationship
with them, and they may not agree with your ideas for change.
Confrontation is always a possibility when you're trying to
change something.
- And finally,
it means that there is no fixed amount of power, nor is there
only one kind of power.
Power relationships
among people generate strong emotions. But not all emotions are
useful for getting what you need out of a relationship, and some
are very damaging. For example, there is a difference between
anger and rage. Both are strong ways to express your will to change
a relationship, but anger means channeling your emotion, and rage
means losing control. Losing control is one way of giving up your
share of the power in a relationship.
Another
way to give up your share of the power is to wait for permission
to change something that you believe needs to be changed. You
may never get permission, and it could be a long time before you
get what you want by politely waiting. It's when you stop waiting
that you risk conflict. This potential for conflict is why it
is important to really believe in the changes you want to make.
It is also important to understand how conflict can be beneficial,
and when it needs to be resolved in order to move forward.
Using power
does not necessarily produce conflict and confrontation, however.
There is great power in identifying win-win situations in which
both sides get something important out of the relationship.
You've heard
the expression, "there is strength in numbers." You've also heard
that "knowledge is power." There is also power in moral authority,
position, recognition, money, and support from others. If you
can figure out what kinds of power you have, and what kinds others
have, you can use it to accomplish your goals. You can create
a common agenda and pool your skills and resources with others'
to get things done.
Civic
Skill: Mapping Interests and Power
Mapping
your environment means learning how to look carefully at the political
and cultural resources around an issue. Mapping is essential to
developing strategies to get things done. And unlike a road map,
these maps will change as you talk to new people, get more information,
and implement your plans. This means that you will be able to
re-draw your map all the way along.
Tips
For Mapping Your Environment
Write a
few words about the problem or goal in the middle of a big piece
of paper. Then identify who is a part of this environment. Where
do these people fit in?
Where are
you and your colleagues in relation to the problem and these other
people?
As you are
creating your map, keep the following three themes in mind.
Power:
Who is affected by your problem? Who has power over it? Who makes
the decisions? What kinds of power do they have? What kinds do
you have? Think not only about formal power, but informal power
as well. What relationships are there, or might there be, between
you and these other people and groups? Your civic inventory can
help answer these questions.
Interests:
Your map will show any number of potential allies you can work
with to address a problem. As you put people, potential allies
or not, on your map, make a note of their interests. What is important
to them, both in general and specifically related to your problem?
Remember, citizenship is about breaking down stereotypes, rigid
boundaries, and the unwillingness to understand others' points
of view.
Rules:
Finally, your map needs a "key." On a regular map, keys
tell you what symbols stand for, so that the map makes sense.
On your map, the "key" is the set of general rules for the environment.
Knowing the rules will make your map useful as you take action.
For example, one rule might be "in order to be taken seriously,
people need to be well organized." You can then take this into
consideration. Another general rule might be that "people don't
like to go to meetings." When you know this rule, you can work
to change it. What can you do to make people want to come to your
meetings and work with you?
Exercise
Worksheet: Mapping Your Environment
This exercise
asks you to: Draw a map of how people have influence in the organization
or group you currently work with or that you need to work with.
It also asks you to relate this structure to the problem you are
addressing.
It relates
to getting things done because: Understanding who holds what power,
where, and what type of power they have will help determine the
type of action you can take. Understanding where someone's power
lies is useful in figuring out how to bring them into public life.
Instructions
Small groups: In pairs, on a piece of newsprint, draw a diagram
of how you think people in your organization or an organization
that is important to your work have power. What kinds of power
do they have? How can they influence your issue?
When you
are finished, hang it on the wall and be ready to discuss the
different drawings with the entire group. Think carefully about
all the ways people might influence one another, and you, both
formally and informally.
Time limit:
20 minutes.
Whole group:
Discuss the maps and the follow-up questions. Time limit: 20 minutes.
Follow-Up
Questions
- What type
of power do the people you want to work with have?
- How can
you work with them?
- Does the
organization work well the way the power is structured?
- What do
you notice about the informal power relationships?
Civic
Skill: Managing Conflict
In recent
years, conflict has gotten a very bad name. It is associated with
levels of misunderstanding and intolerance that can, and often
do lead to violence. But like anger, conflict can be channeled
to improve the process and outcome of problem-solving.
Conflict
arises only when people feel passionately about differing points
of view, so is clearly connected to both the ideas of self-interest
and diversity. Conflict becomes harmful when people fail to recognize
the interests of others and fail to see how a diversity of perspectives
will make solutions stronger.
To make
conflict productive, it is important to acknowledge it and deal
with it. Pretending a particular conflict does not exist will
not make it go away, and rushing to smooth over rough waters will
only prevent the healthy tension that can lead to innovative solutions.
But when conflict gets out of hand and starts impeding, rather
than contributing to, your work, you need to take steps to resolve
it. One way to do this is through the process of negotiation.
Tips
For Negotiating Conflict
- Separate
the people from the problem. When people become mad on a person
level, it is very difficult to reach any kind of solution even
though everyone would benefit.
- Articulate
your interests. Explain why you believe your idea has merit.
- Listen
to the other person's point of view carefully. In fact, after
listening you should be able to explain their perspective as
well as your own. Recognize that not everyone shares your experiences
and background, so they will perceive situations and solutions
differently.
- Find common
ground. People generally disagree on the means to an end, not
on the end itself. Remind yourselves what you are trying to
accomplish.
- Strive
to compromise. When one person must lose in order for another
to win, conflict is just temporarily put aside, not resolved.
Exercise
Worksheet: Working It Out
This exercise
asks you to: Systematically examine a conflict in order to see
what it adds to your work and decrease its negative effects.
This helps
to get things done because: If examined, conflict can bring innovative
ideas to light, which can help you accomplish your goals more
effectively. On the other hand, too high levels of conflict can
impede or even bring the work to a halt; resolving the unhealthy
tension will enable the work to go forward.
Instructions
Individually, complete the following chart and questions. Time
limit: 10 minutes.
As a group,
discuss your findings. What did you learn? Is there a way to benefit
from the disagreement? Can you now see a solution? Time limit:
20 minutes.
Chart
and Questions
What are
you trying to accomplish?
Option
A:
Option B:
- What are
the benefits?
- Why are
these important?
- What are
the drawbacks?
- Why are
these important?
- How might
the perspectives be combined?
- Can you
think of alternative approaches?
Core
Concept: Taking Action
Chances
are good that when you were a kid, you were told not to touch
stove tops because they're hot. Chances are just as good that
you understood the message a lot better after you got burned.
There's just no substitute for learning firsthand.
When you
learn from experience, you learn both about the outside world
and about who you are. Going back to the stove top example, not
only did you learn that stoves can be dangerous, but you learned
under what circumstances you in particular react to pain.
Using another
example, engaging in citizenship and service—and getting
things done—can be compared to playing a game of soccer.
There is pressure, and you may feel as if a lot depends on what
you do. In addition, it is only with practice that you can become
good at setting up strategies with your teammates, even as the
game is going on all around you—there's no substitute for
the real thing. In an intense game, you also come to appreciate
how much power there is in coordinating your actions with the
rest of the team's. You get used to it, and you get better at
predicting what your actions will accomplish.
After a
game, a team usually analyzes its own actions and those of its
opponents, either formally or informally. It is a way to translate
the experience of the past hours into future games, and it is
the reason a team that has played together before doesn't start
from scratch each game. The same is true of active citizenship:
Evaluating strategies and action—both your own and others'—is
active remembering with a purpose. It is a political act because
it takes the mystery out of the power that other people have and
boils it back down to interests and relationships.
You saw
in the chapter on self- interest how knowledge of what you believe
leads you to public life. You saw in the chapter on public life
and diversity how much you learn when you encounter other people
and what they believe, and how they have ideas that are often
either in conflict or agreement with yours. Earlier in this chapter
you saw that power is not a static force, but grows when you start
acting on what you want, managing your relationships with others,
and figuring out how to work effectively with a diversity of ideas,
values, and people to get the job done.
One concrete
way to use these ideas to get things done is to create a workplan
to guide your actions.
Civic
Skill: Creating Workplans
Once you
have identified the powers that influence or are impacted by the
problem you are working to solve, the next step is to develop
a strategy for action. Your plan should take into account:
- Your group's
overarching goals and mission statement;
- The information
you need to meet these goals;
- The potential
barriers to meeting your goals;
- What you
specifically need to do to meet your goals;
- Who has
agreed to do what, when;
- How much
time you have to work together; and
- How you
want to publicly present your work when you are done.
Look back
on your mission statement and your power/interest map. What do
you need to do? Who do you need to talk to? work with? influence?
What strategies will work best with each person or group? What
do they care about? Remember to keep focused on your goal and
be realistic at the same time.
Exercise
Worksheet: Put It In Writing
This exercise
asks you to: Create a detailed plan for your citizenship and service
work.
It relates
to getting things done because: It creates an accountability structure.
By the time you are finished everyone should know what they need
to do, why they need to do it, and when it needs to be done.
Instructions
As a group, fill in the following chart. Continue additional tasks
on the back or on another sheet. Time limit: 30 minutes.
Work Plan:
Mission Statement:
Task:
Completing
this task helps us reach our goal by:
____________agree(s)
to complete this by________, 20__.
Task:
Completing
this task helps us reach our goal by:
____________agree(s)
to complete this by________, 20__.
Manual
Index
Preface
Introduction: The Guide
Format and the Goals of AmeriCorps
Chapter One: The Framework:
Democracy, Citizenship, Politics and Service
Chapter Two: Encouraging (Civic) Responsibility
Chapter Three: Strengthening Community
(Capacity)
Chapter Four: Getting Things Done
Chapter
Five: Expanding Opportunity
Resources:
Glossary, Bibliography, Other
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to Youth Index
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