| 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 Back to Youth Index | 
