A grassroots movement is one which uses the people
in a given district, region, or community as the basis for a political or
economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective
action from the local level to effect change at the local, regional, national,
or international level. Grassroots movements are associated with bottom-up,
rather than top-down decision making, and are sometimes considered more natural
or spontaneous than more traditional power structures. Grassroots movements,
using self-organization, encourage community members to contribute by taking
responsibility and action for their community. Grassroots movements
utilize a variety of strategies from fundraising and registering voters, to
simply encouraging political conversation. Goals of specific movements vary,
but the movements are consistent in their focus on increasing mass
participation in politics. These political movements may begin as small and at
the local level, but grassroots politics as Cornel West contends are
necessary in shaping progressive politics as they bring public attention to
regional political concerns.
The idea of grassroots is often conflated with participatory
democracy. The Port Huron Statement, a manifesto seeking a more democratic
society, says that to create a more equitable society, "the grass roots of
American Society" need to be the basis of civil rights and economic reform
movements. The terms can be distinguished in that grassroots often refers
to a specific movement or organization, whereas participatory democracy refers
to the larger system of governance.
Since the early 1900s, grassroots movements have been
widespread both in the United States and in other countries. Major examples
include parts of the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s,
Brazil's land equity movement of the 1970s and beyond, the Chinese rural
democracy movement of the 1980s, and the German peace movement of the 1980s.
Our goal is to be able to assist people and organizations in
the grassroots advocacy process. Beginning with helping coordinate activities
and events to engage the average citizen and have them join the organization. Activating
takes training. Arizona Grassroots Advocacy will lead training for the entire organization
in addition to leader training as well. Being able to multiply and replicate
leaders is imperative to a growing organization or movement. Mobilizing the
troops will happen when the leaders of the grassroots trained organization can
inspire the members to go out and make the difference in the community they
want to accomplish.
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