288
\n16
\nUsing the Arts and New Media
\nin Community Organizing and
\nCommunity Building
\nAn Overview and Case Study from
\nPost-Katrina New Orleans
\nMARIAN MCDONALD
\nCARICIA CATALANI
\nMEREDITH MINKLER
\nCommunity organizing allows people who share a particular geographic space
\nor identity to find shared issues and goals, as well as the resources they can use
\ncollectively to achieve those goals (see chapter 1). This definition is intentionally
\nbroad, as the processes, efforts, communities, and goals that constitute organizing
\ntechniques are diverse.
\nThe arts, including literature, music, video, painting, photography, and other
\nforms of artistic expression, are powerful tools for community organizing in health
\nand related areas (McDonald et al. 2006\u20132007; Ch\u00e1vez et al. 2004; Catalani and
\nMinkler 2010). They can draw attention to an issue, offer catharsis for a community
\nafter a crisis, pull communities together to create art, and communicate
\nacross cultural and language barriers. As Vivian Ch\u00e1vez and her colleagues (2004)
\nnote, \u201cThe cultural diversity, personal sensitivity, and passion that characterize
\nsome of the arts resonate with some key principles and commitments of health
\npromotion\u201d (396), including the fostering of high-level community participation
\nand building on community and individuals\u2019 strengths.
\nIn this chapter, the authors draw on diverse examples to illustrate how the
\narts have served as vehicles for change, to highlight their legacy in social movements
\nnationally and globally, and to point out the theoretical basis of their use in
\ncommunity organizing and community building. Brief examples describe how the
\narts have been used to foster community organizing for health; this is followed
\nby a discussion of two increasingly popular visual methodologies\u2014photovoice
\nand videovoice\u2014which enable individuals to get behind still cameras and video
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 289
\ncameras, respectively, to \u201cresearch issues of concern, communicate their knowledge,
\nand advocate for change\u201d (Catalani et al. 2012, 3; C. C. Wang et al. 2004;
\nC. C. Wang and Burris 1997). A videovoice case study in post\u2013Hurricane Katrina
\nNew Orleans then is used to explore how a community-academic-filmmaker
\npartnership used this approach for studying and engaging in policy-focused
\nchange and to describe its ripple effects (Catalani et al. 2012).
\nCommunity Organizing for Change and the Arts as a Vehicle
\nCommunities interested in organizing for change decide on the strategies to use
\nby looking critically at who their target is (e.g., who has the ability to make the
\ndesired change?), identifying the resources available to them, and deciding
\non the best way to effect the changes they seek (see chapters 9 and 11). In each of
\nthe case studies explored in this chapter, community groups chose the arts as
\nthe vehicle for accomplishing their goals.
\nThe Arts as Vehicle for Social Change
\nArtistic expression is universal to human culture and has historically tapped into
\nthe most deeply felt ways of understanding and interpreting the world. The act of
\ncreating increases feelings of well-being and can help facilitate feelings of belonging.
\nFurthermore, the creation of some form of art is not dependent on language
\nor literacy level, but can be undertaken by anyone with the will and desire to do
\nso. The power of art for community organizing, then, lies in the power of the arts
\nto communicate a message and elicit an emotional response, as well as in the
\ncreation of art itself.
\nThe arts and literature have always played a role in the processes of community
\norganizing and of social change, though they are typically seen as incidental
\nor secondary. Poet and activist Audre Lorde (1984) challenged this view in her
\nclassic essay on the importance of poetry in people\u2019s lives, especially the lives
\nof women: \u201cFor women . . . poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our
\nexistence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes
\nand dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea,
\nthen into more tangible action\u201d (37).
\nLorde sees poetry, and other forms of creativity and expression, as necessary
\nprecursors to action. Her view has been shared by many artists, educators, and
\nadvocates throughout history and across the globe. These figures include African
\nAmerican jazz singer Billie Holiday, whose insistence upon singing a song about
\nSouthern lynchings shocked audiences; Chilean songwriter Victor Jara, who courageously
\nsang against the murderers of the 1973 coup d\u2019\u00e9tat; and Maya Lin, the
\nChinese American architect whose design of the Vietnam War Memorial helped to
\ncreate the conditions for national healing (www.thewall-usa.com).
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\nLegacy of the Arts in Social Movements
\nin the United States and Beyond
\nWithin the United States, the arts have played an important role in social movements.
\nWoody Guthrie\u2019s melodic tributes to the working people (\u201cThis Land is
\nYour Land\u201d) and his biting criticisms of injustice (\u201cDeportees\u201d) won him audiences
\nin the strife-torn 1940s and an enduring place in U.S. culture (Cray 2004;
\nGuthrie 1958). Legendary African American actor and singer Paul Robeson resisted
\nbigotry and repression with his masterful performances in the 1950s, helping set
\nthe stage for the civil rights movement. The forceful refrain of the gospel-turnedcivil-rights
\nsong \u201cWe Shall Overcome\u201d became an anthem of the fight against
\nsegregation and for civil rights and later was embraced by the labor, peace, and
\nwomen\u2019s movements.
\nAlthough this book focuses on the United States, the nation\u2019s increasing
\ndiversity, combined with the lessons to be learned from organizing successes in
\nother countries, make it important to look beyond our borders. In countries where
\ndemocratic forces have challenged domination and foreign interference, the
\nbattle for control over cultural expression has been key. In Nicaragua, the victory
\nover dictator Anastasio Somoza helped put in place new and popular forms of
\nexpression, from a grassroots literacy campaign to a new song movement and the
\nflourishing of murals and poetry workshops (Cardenal 1982; Randall 1991). With
\nthe change of government in 1990 and a determined \u201crollback\u201d of Sandinista influence,
\none of the first tactics of Managua\u2019s conservative mayor Arnoldo Alem\u00e1n
\nwas to paint over some of the city\u2019s most impressive pro-Sandinista murals. More
\nrecently, new technology has facilitated artistic expression and citizen media in
\nthe Middle East and North Africa, as videos and photographs recorded by protesters\u2019
\nmobile phones and shared through sites like YouTube, Flickr, and Facebook
\nhave allowed a powerful inside look at repression that is usually largely closed off
\nto the outside world (Preston and Stelter 2011).
\nThe arts have historically been deeply rooted in change processes, providing
\na rich tradition for those involved in health-related change. It is against this backdrop
\nthat the use of the arts in organizing around health can be understood.
\nTheoretical Bases for Using the Arts
\nin Community Organizing for Health
\nTo be effective, community organizing for health needs to begin with a people\u2019s
\nreality. Central to that reality is culture, including people\u2019s collective past and
\nhopes for the future. As Amilcar Cabral (1979), an African leader who fought for
\nthe independence of Guinea-Bissau, noted, \u201cCulture is the dynamic synthesis,
\nat the level of individual or community consciousness, of the material and spiritual
\nhistorical reality of a society or a human group, of the relations existing
\nbetween [people] and nature as well as among social classes or sectors. Cultural
\n290 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\nmanifestations are the various forms in which this synthesis is expressed, individually,
\nor collectively, at each stage in the evolution of the society or group\u201d (210).
\nThe international women\u2019s movement also has demonstrated, through a wide
\narray of literary and other art forms, the indispensable role of culture in the development
\nof consciousness and identity (McIntyre and Lykes 2004; Randall 1991;
\nhooks 1994). Specifically, the concept of the development of the voice has been
\nadvanced as a key element of the process of transforming women\u2019s lives (Randall
\n1991; McIntyre and Lykes 2004).
\nThe creation of a voice to break the silence is a central idea in the work of
\nthe late Brazilian scholar of adult education Paulo Freire, whose writings have
\ntransformed the world\u2019s views of education and popular culture (Freire 1970,
\n1990a, 1990b; Su 2009; see also chapter 4). Of particular concern to Freire was
\n\u201ceducation for critical consciousness\u201d through which people who have been alienated
\nfrom their culture are encouraged to identify, examine, and act on the root
\ncauses of their oppression. This Freirian notion of \u201cconscientization\u201d always involves
\ngroup, rather than merely individual, transformation, or \u201cconsciousness-raising.\u201d
\nInitially developed as a literacy method for Brazilian peasants, Freire\u2019s approach
\ninvolved \u201cteaching people to read, which teaching them to read the political and
\nsocial situation in which they lived\u201d so that they could help transform it (Carroll
\nand Minkler 2000, 23). The use of pictures and other visual symbols to capture
\nthe themes generated in this process is central to the methodology (see chapter 4
\nand appendix 9).
\nFreire\u2019s (1970, 1990a, 1990b) concept of empowerment, rooted in critical
\nconsciousness and developed through practice, has been applied in education,
\npublic health, social welfare, and community organizing project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s throughout the
\nAmericas and around the globe (Laver et al. 2005\u20132006; Horton and Freire 1990;
\nSu 2009; Wallerstein 2006; see also chapter 4).
\nThe theoretical and practical legacy of feminism also provides numerous
\nconceptual bases for using the arts in community health organizing. Feminism\u2019s
\ntenets of the personal as political, the importance of relationships and process,
\nand the embracing of diversity all encourage creative and collective expression
\n(McIntyre and Lykes 2004).
\nMore recently, participatory new-media theories have offered a framework
\nfor understanding the impacts of an increasingly interconnected and digital world
\non social inequities, with particular implications on using the arts in community
\norganizing. Participatory new media theorists argue that enhanced access to
\ndigital tools (computers, mobile devices, audio\/photo\/video recording tools, etc.)
\nand the Internet result in a radical democratization in the production and
\ncommunication of arts, knowledge, and culture (Benkler 2006; Rheingold 2008;
\nJenkins 2003). The digital divide\u2014the gap between those with access to digital
\nand information technology and those without\u2014presents potential for further
\ndisparity between global haves and have-nots (Lorence and Park 2008; Fox and
\nLivingston 2007). Recent research indicates that this gap is shrinking. As of 2010,
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 291
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\n292 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nfully 82 percent of English-speaking Latinos and 71 percent of African Americans
\nas compared with 80 percent of whites used the Internet, more people of color than
\nwhites accessed the Internet through their mobile phones, and laptop ownership was
\nabout even across these groups (Smith 2010). For monolingual Spanish-speaking
\nLatinos, the rates lagged significantly (Fox 2010; Livingston 2010).
\nWhether in the virtual or physical world, the arts also promote health through
\nthe development and expansion of social support. With the exception of more collaborative
\narts such as film, music, and theater, the arts are often solitary activities
\nin the creation stage. However, the act of sharing the arts through community events,
\nonline social-networking and media-sharing sites, or person-to-person exchanges
\ncan be profoundly social and collective. By creating common reference points
\nthrough culture, communities begin to break down isolation, share their common
\nexperiences, and build collective vision. This community building process is often
\na critical precursor to community organizing (see chapters 4 and 5).
\nThe Arts in Urban Life
\nThe arts play a particularly important role in urban health organizing, because of
\nthe very nature of cities. The physical environment of cities\u2014sidewalks, buildings,
\nsubways, and parks\u2014provides unique public places that serve as sites where
\npeople can express themselves. Additionally, the population density of cities
\nbrings people into frequent contact, creating endless opportunities for common
\nexperiences and communication. For many people living in the city, popular
\nculture is their only possible exposure to art forms.
\nA number of forms of art and literature have been used in cities to give voice
\nto communities. These include community murals, guerilla theater, poetry slams,
\ndance brigades, participatory video, hip-hop music, and graffiti (Boal 1979; Brown
\n2010; Ch\u00e1vez et al. 2004; E. L. Wang 2010). The forms used are as diverse as
\ncommunities themselves.
\nA reality of most major urban areas today is their diversity of culture,
\nlanguage, and ethnicity. The arts can give voice to the heterogeneity of urban
\npopulations, breaking down barriers in the process. Ethnic, racial, and linguistic
\ndiversity exists in urban areas, alongside diversity of age, gender, economic status,
\nand sexual orientation and identity. When organizing for urban community
\nhealth, health professionals and activists need to address diversity directly, rather
\nthan ignore or downplay it (Cutting and Themba-Nixon 2006). The arts can be
\neffectively used to express and respect diversity, in a process that can weave unity
\namong the community\u2019s different threads.
\nThe Arts in the Practice of Community Organizing for Health
\nHealth education leader Dorothy Nyswander\u2019s (1956) admonition to \u201cstart where
\nthe people are\u201d suggests that organizers need to familiarize themselves with a
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\npeople\u2019s cultural expressions as a part of working with the community. As Freire
\nasks, \u201cHow is it possible for us to work in a community without feeling the spirit
\nof the culture that has been there for many years, without trying to understand the
\nsoul of the culture?\u201d (Horton and Freire 1990, 131).
\nIn the community, the arts can promote organizing for health in the following
\nways, often simultaneously:
\n1. To get people involved. The use of art forms and activities involves people who
\nmight otherwise be disinterested or intimidated by more explicitly healthoriented
\nor community organizing activities. Simply put, the arts make getting
\ninvolved fun. For example, rap and dance contests have increasingly been used in
\nthe San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere to involve both straight and LGBTQQ
\n(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) youth in building
\nawareness of HIV\/AIDS and STIs (sexually transmitted diseases) (Brown 2010).
\n2. To find out about a community. The arts can be a valuable strategy for
\nconducting community needs assessments and mapping community assets
\n(Kretzman and McKnight 1993; Catalani and Minkler 2010; see also chapter 9).
\nPoetry and arts workshops, offered to the community at low or no cost, can provide
\nvaluable insights into the community, its leaders, and its history. Initiated in
\nGreater New Orleans in 1996, the Discubriendo El Arte (Summer Arts Discovery)
\nprogram illustrates the use of the arts for community assessment, while also
\nbuilding community in a low-resource, predominantly monolingual Latino housing
\nproject ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) (McDonald et al. 2006\u20132007). Discubriendo El Arte was the first stage
\nof a community health\u2013organizing plan developed by the Latino Health Outreach
\nProject, a multicultural and bilingual collaboration of students and faculty at
\nTulane\u2019s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. At the invitation of local
\nLatino community activists, door-to-door and other outreach was conducted,
\nfollowed by collective community assessment and asset mapping. Extensive data
\nwere gathered and arts activities designed around the themes of community,
\nfamily, and school, to elicit the children\u2019s perceptions of their community.
\nThrough arts workshops, the group was able to establish rapport with both
\nchildren and their mothers and laid the basis for a series of charlas (talks) over the
\nfollowing months.
\nThe process of carrying out Discubriendo El Arte allowed the Tulane team to
\nmake a number of useful observations concerning language preferences, family
\nunity, gender roles, and recurrent themes, which in turn helped in the planning
\nof future community health\u2013organizing, which continued for several years and
\nhelped this community use its voice and be heard.
\n3. To increase awareness and relay health education messages. The arts are powerful
\nmessengers. Because they tap into people\u2019s feelings, they have the potential to
\nshape consciousness. Furthermore, visual and oral representations are easy to
\ngrasp, regardless of literacy level, and positive messages can be developed and
\npromoted in popular culture (Stuckey 2010). An example is a song that gained airtime
\nin Spanish-speaking communities throughout the Americas in the 1990s.
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 293
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\nPonte el Sombrero (Put on your hat) encourages condom use in a playful, nonthreatening
\nway.
\nBringing health messages though such mediums has sometimes been referred
\nto as \u201cedutainment\u201d or \u201center-education,\u201d whereby education and entertainment
\nare combined (Zeedyk and Wallace 2003). In this approach, the message is relayed
\nthrough an already established medium of popular (and commercial) culture,
\nsuch as a television show, film, or song. Examples are the portrayals of community
\nstruggles with drugs and violence on HBO\u2019s The Wire, an HIV-positive member
\nof the cast on MTV\u2019s Real World, or story lines about diabetes on the Spanishlanguage
\nsoap opera Amarte as\u00ed. While potentially very effective, this approach to
\nrelaying a message can be challenging for community organizers for a number of
\nreasons. First, communities typically don\u2019t have access to screenwriters, songwriters,
\nand producers and hence have little control over the messages portrayed or
\nsolutions proposed; they also have no access to the arts industry\u2019s distribution systems.
\nAlthough newer approaches such as media advocacy (see chapter 22) and
\nparticipatory media production (see videovoice example below) are helping communities
\nbecome far more savvy in gaining access to and using the media to help
\ngive visibility to their concerns and issues, access remains a significant barrier.
\nSecond, edutainment overwhelmingly relies on commercial culture, in which the
\nrecipient of the message is by design a detached listener or observer, as opposed
\nto an active agent. Because these vehicles are external to community, they can
\nsometimes encourage a passive, consumer approach, as opposed to empowerment,
\nas discussed below.
\n4. To attract attention to an issue. A cultural manifestation of an issue will often
\ncatch people\u2019s attention, changing their perceptions. The Clothesline Project,
\nbegun in 1990 by women in Massachusetts to promote awareness of violence
\nagainst women, provides a classic example. The project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) urges victims and
\nsurvivors of violence against women to create a T-shirt that expresses their
\nfeelings. A white T-shirt is used in memory of a murdered woman, a blue T-shirt
\nfor survivors of childhood sexual abuse, yellow for a battered woman, and so on.
\nWhen a series of these T-shirts are made, they are displayed in a public place on a
\nclothesline, a graphic and moving statement about the realities so many women
\nand children face, and a powerful way of \u201cairing society\u2019s dirty laundry\u201d (Hippe
\n2000). The project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees), which today includes some thirty thousand to fifty thousand
\nshirts in many countries, took a simple, accessible medium and transformed it
\ninto a powerful voice against the pervasive problems of child sexual abuse,
\nintimate partner violence, and violence against women (personal communication
\nfrom Carol Tozelotoze, March 13, 2011; see also https:\/\/monkessays.com\/write-my-essay\/clotheslineproject ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees).org\/).
\n5. To promote community building. Through its emphasis on high-level participation
\nand building and strengthening relationships, the community building
\nframework allows for unfettered forms of community expression, to which
\nthe arts and literature are particularly well suited. Cultural forms of expression
\nrooted in the community help not only to give voice to concerns but also to
\n294 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\nestablish the collective life, whether through celebration, ritual, or mourning.
\nSuch community expressions can be powerful tools in achieving organizing goals,
\nparticularly in communities of color, where oppression has often entailed the
\nbelittling or outright suppression of traditional cultural forms of expression
\n(Duran and Duran 1995; Tuhiwai Smith 2008). The Names Project\/AIDS Memorial
\nQuilt (http:\/\/ www.aidsquilt.org\/quiltfacts.htm), highlighted below, is among
\nthe most potent examples of community building through the arts with often
\nmarginalized groups.
\n6. To promote healing. The restorative and healing powers of the arts have long
\nbeen acknowledged (Stuckey 2010). The creative process is restorative and transformative,
\noften helping to heal the one who undertakes it (Longman 1994). At the
\nsame time, the fruits of the creative process offer insights to others with similar
\nexperiences and help to promote their healing though an interactive process.
\nThe Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., provides a powerful example.
\nThe simple, stark wall where the names of the dead are etched has become a
\nmecca for millions who need to reflect on, cry about, or exorcise the war. It has
\nserved to promote the healing, understanding, and forgiveness so elusive to the
\ncountry in the years following the war (Randall 1991; www.thewall-usa.com).
\nIn working with war-traumatized Guatemalan children, McIntyre and Lykes
\n(2004; Lykes 1997) found that drama, body movements, and play elicited opinions
\nfrom children who had been silenced and terrorized by the violence of war. The
\nopportunity to voice their fear, sadness, and anger through characters allowed
\nthem to express themselves and respond openly to the researcher\u2019s questions.
\nLykes hypothesized that without the drama, the children would have been too
\nafraid to express their experiences and true feelings, and their need for psychological
\nand social support would have been harder to ascertain.
\n7. To promote culturally competent health organizing efforts and address health
\ndisparities. One of the major challenges facing community organizing for health is
\neffectively addressing widespread health disparities based on race, ethnicity,
\ngender, language, age, disabilities, geography, and sexual orientation. Racial and
\nethnic health disparities are widespread and require multiple urgent responses
\n(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2011). Health disparities can be
\naddressed in part by promoting cultural and linguistic competence in health
\npromotion and health delivery, both arenas of importance for community health
\norganizing (Betancourt et al. 2003).
\nCultural competence is defined broadly by the federal Office of Minority
\nHealth as a set of skills that allows individuals or institutions to increase their
\nappreciation of cultural differences and to act sensitively, appropriately, and
\nrespectfully toward different cultures (http:\/\/minorityhealth.hhs.gov\/templates\/
\nbrowse.aspx?lvl2&lvlID11).
\nThe arts are a natural and extremely effective vehicle for promoting cultural
\ncompetence, because people create in the forms and language that are most
\ndeeply rooted in their culture, experience, values, and history. The arts provide
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 295
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
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\nfor an intimate and immediate expression of what is culturally appropriate and
\nmeaningful for communities\u2014and, by extension, for community organizing.
\n8. To empower. Perhaps the most important aspect of using the arts in community
\norganizing for health is the ways that the creative process can empower
\nindividuals and communities. When a person or community becomes involved in
\na creative process it can be exhilarating. When one becomes the video maker, the
\npoet, or the muralist, and is transformed through that process, change can take
\nplace both in the messenger and the audience (Boal 1979; Catalani et al. 2012).
\nPerhaps the best-known example of this process, and indeed of all the preceding
\nroles of the arts in organizing, is the Names Project\u2019s AIDS Memorial Quilt. Begun
\nin San Francisco in 1987 by gay activist Cleve Jones and others to commemorate
\nthose who had died of AIDS, the Names Project attracted tens of thousands of
\nothers and grew from a memorial into a method for activism. The quilt\u2019s October
\n1996 display in Washington, D.C., constituted both the largest AIDS event and the
\nlargest community art event in history, with panels representing contributors
\nfrom over forty nations. By November 2011, the quilt had over ninety thousand
\npanels. The project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)\u2019s stated goals\u2014to \u201cprovide a creative means for remembrance
\nand healing,\u201d to graphically depict \u201cthe enormity of the AIDS epidemic,\u201d to
\nincrease public awareness and HIV\/AIDS prevention, and to raise funds for
\ncommunity-based AIDS service organizations\u2014well capture the multiple roles and
\ncontributions of this historic effort https:\/\/monkessays.com\/write-my-essay\/aidsquilt.org\/Newsite\/index.htm).
\nThe community-organization method employed in the Quilt project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) reflects
\nthe feminist precept that the personal is political and was also a grassroots organizing
\neffort with people, often from marginalized groups excluded from the mainstream
\nof organized power, coming together to meet their needs (Miller 2009).
\nPhotovoice and Videovoice
\nAs illustrated above, a wide range of artistic approaches have been used in
\ncommunity organizing and community building for health, often in the process
\nengaging groups and populations for whom more traditional health education
\napproaches have held little appeal. We turn now to two increasingly popular
\napproaches\u2014photovoice and videovoice\u2014and end with a powerful case study of
\nthe latter that provides a bridge to the future as new media technologies play an
\never greater role in our professional fields and in the world.
\nPhotovoice was described in a seminal paper (C. C. Wang and Burris 1997) as
\nhaving three goals: \u201c(1) to enable people to record and reflect their community\u2019s
\nstrengths and concerns, (2) to promote critical dialogue and knowledge about
\nimportant issues through large- and small-group discussion of photographs, and
\n(3) to reach policymakers\u201d (369). First used with rural women in Yunnan, China
\n(C. C. Wang et al. 1996), the method involves providing people with cameras and
\nasking them to photograph their everyday reality or an issue of shared concern,
\ntypically including pictures of both assets and problems or challenges. They then
\n296 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nengage in critical reflective dialogue about the pictures and their contexts, often
\nusing as an aid the mnemonic SHOWED (Shaffer 1983): What do you See here?
\nWhat\u2019s really Happening here? How does this relate to Our lives? Why does this
\nproblem, concern, or strength Exist? What can we Do about it?
\nPhotovoice has been widely used in to study and address a diversity of public
\nhealth and social justice concerns, ranging from infectious disease epidemics
\n(Mamary et al. 2007) and chronic health problems (Oliffe and Bottorff 2007) to
\nhomelessness (C. C. Wang et al. 2000), political violence (McIntyre and Lykes
\n2004), and discrimination (Graziano 2004). Similarly, the method has been implemented
\nwith age groups ranging from preadolescents (Wilson et al. 2007) to
\nseniors (Baker and Wang 2006) and with underserved communities in the United
\nStates, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe (Allotey et al. 2003; Catalani and
\nMinkler 2010; www.photovoice.com).
\nThe capacity of photovoice to reach\u2014and touch\u2014policymakers is illustrated
\nin the Flint photovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) in Michigan (C. C. Wang et al. 2004). Catalyzed by
\nleaders of a neighborhood violence prevention coalition, the Flint project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) began
\nby recruiting local facilitators and professional photographers, who participated
\nin a \u201ctrain-the-trainers\u201d session. They were introduced to the photovoice concept
\nand method; discussed cameras, ethics, and power; and took part in a guided
\nphoto shoot. Four groups, totaling over forty youth, community leaders and
\nactivists, and policymakers, took part. Project organizers recruited policymakers
\nat the project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)\u2019s outset to help build the political will that would be needed to
\nlater implement photovoice participants\u2019 policy and program recommendations
\n(C. C. Wang et al. 2004).
\nThe policymakers\u2019 experiential participation as photographers offered several
\nadvantages, as they took it upon themselves to provide venues, such as legislative
\nbreakfasts, city hall, government agencies, and news programs, at which to present
\nall participants\u2019 efforts. The local health department director\u2019s involvement in the
\nproject ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) thus resulted in his introducing the photovoice method as part of an ongoing
\ngonorrhea control initiative whose goal was to tap the insights of consumers
\nand providers. Finally, the policymakers\u2019 participation set the stage for interactions
\nin which participants, representing widely disparate age, socioeconomic status,
\nneighborhoods, and social power, were able to communicate and collaborate
\nacross such differences. The long-term relationships established among diverse
\nparticipants was seen by project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) coordinators and community members as one of
\nthe most powerful outcomes of this project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) (C. C. Wang et al. 2004).
\nA review of the photovoice literature by Catalani and Minkler (2010) found
\nthat photovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s, particularly those that more equitably engage community
\npartners, commonly result in several outcomes associated with policy change,
\nincluding enhanced community involvement in action and advocacy, enriched
\npublic health research, and individual empowerment.
\nAs noted above, the videovoice method builds on and complements photovoice,
\nas well as participatory media and participatory video, as this has been
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 297
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\ndeveloped and used by Ch\u00e1vez et al. (2004) and others (Benkler 2006; Chandra
\nand Batada 2006; Freudenthaal et al. 2006). Videovoice is defined as \u201ca research
\nand advocacy approach through which people, who are usually the consumers
\nof mainstream media, get behind video cameras to research issues of concern,
\ncommunicate their knowledge, and advocate for change\u201d (Catalani et al. 2012, 20).
\nLike photovoice, videovoice is action oriented and facilitates the use of media
\nas \u201can advocacy tool to reach policy makers, health planners, community leaders,
\nand other people who can be mobilized to make change\u201d (C. C. Wang and Pies
\n2004, 96). Unlike photovoice, however, videovoice is able to capture movement,
\naudio, and sequential narrative and, during the dissemination stage, to be shared
\nin theaters, living rooms, classrooms, and websites such as YouTube.com (Catalani
\net al. 2012). We turn now to a videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) that illustrates the utility and
\npotency of this powerful new method for community building and organizing.
\nThe New Orleans Videovoice Project: Community Building,
\nAssessment, and Capacity Building in Post-Katrina New Orleans
\nWhen Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees broke in New Orleans in August 2005,
\nthe historic flooding, coupled with a tragically slow and bungled government
\nresponse effort, left fifteen hundred dead and resulted in the loss of 200,000
\nhomes, 850 schools, 18,700 businesses, and some 220,000 jobs (Louisiana Recovery
\nAuthority 2006). These losses were disproportionately endured by low-income
\nAfrican American and other marginalized communities, and millions fled to
\nother parts of the country and beyond its borders (Drury et al. 2008)
\nThe New Orleans videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) was conceived and implemented two
\nyears after the hurricane and its bitter aftermath by a partnership of academic
\nresearchers, independent filmmakers, and community members from the Central
\nCity neighborhood. The project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) began during the development of the city\u2019s master
\nplan for rebuilding, a time when community partners sought to influence the
\nlocal agenda, discourse, and action.
\nInitiated by REACH NOLA, a New Orleans community-academic partnership,
\nthe New Orleans videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) was guided by community-based participatory
\nresearch (CBPR) principles emphasizing collaboration and equitable participation
\nby all partners during all stages of the research process (Israel et al. 2005). As a
\npart of this process, the partnership collaboratively designed the video production
\nplan, timeline, and budget and developed two project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) goals: (1) to use film to
\nengage a broad array of community members, including core partners, neighborhood
\nresidents, and local decision makers, in dialogue around community needs
\nand assets and (2) to mobilize and act on identified public health and related
\ncommunity needs and assets. Community partners agreed that video was the
\nappropriate medium for capturing New Orleans\u2019s unique culture, particularly
\nmusic, dance, and storytelling. In addition, community partners pointed out that
\nenhancing participants\u2019 video production skills could better prepare them to find
\n298 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nquality jobs in New Orleans, particularly given the city\u2019s burgeoning, governmentsubsidized
\nfilm industry.
\nThe project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)\u2019s leadership committee recruited additional community partners
\nthrough fliers; announcements at local social service, arts, and faith-based organizations;
\nand word of mouth. The ten community partners selected for participation
\nwere primarily African American men, but they represented considerable diversity
\nin age (twenty-eight to seventy-eight years old), income, and education. Each
\ncommunity partner was told that he or she would receive a stipend of two
\nhundred dollars for his or her participation, in addition to a video camera and
\nseveral copies of the final film production at the project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)\u2019s conclusion and access to
\nall project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) footage and data (Catalani et al. 2012).
\nThe videovoice method included several stages taking place throughout a
\ntwenty-week period. A key initial stage involved conducting co-trainings in video
\nproduction, community research, and media ethics. An initial weeklong training
\nand orientation was followed by eighteen weeks in which systematic data collection,
\ntranscribing, interpretation, and editing of footage took place as part of an
\niterative process in which all partners participated and continued to learn from
\neach other as they co-created the film (Catalani et al. 2012). As partners collected
\nvideo footage about community needs and assets through neighbor interviews
\nand everyday neighborhood sites, sounds, and events, they met weekly to discuss
\nwhat had been captured using the aforementioned SHOWED technique (Shaffer
\n1983). During an iterative process of data collection and discussion, partners
\nidentified three major themes: healthy housing, economic development, and
\neducation. With the help of filmmaker partners, community partners learned
\nFinal Cut Pro editing software and led the film-editing process with the mentorship
\nof filmmaker partners.
\nThe final film, In Harmony, was a twenty-two-minute exploration of community
\nassets and needs rooted in the city\u2019s history, current neighborhood conditions,
\nand future hopes from the perspective of the people who call it home
\n(Catalani et al. 2009). Partners strategically shared the film with community members
\nand local policy- and decision makers through online and offline screenings.
\nApproximately two hundred people attended two community premiere celebrations
\nin popular local venues and participated in follow-up action-oriented
\ndiscussions. The nature of these lively and moving events was captured in the
\nwords of those who spoke, including an elderly African American woman who
\nremarked that this was the first time in her life she had been engaged in an
\nopen and frank discussion of race and racism in the presence of white people.
\nPostscreening written Assessments revealed that the vast majority (83 percent)
\nagreed very strongly that the film brought up issues that they cared about. Most
\nrespondents (80 percent) indicated that they were interested in joining with
\nothers to take action on the issues raised and most (69 percent) reported that
\nthey would be interested in participating in the next videovoice filmmaking
\nproject ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees), with many signing up on the spot for further involvement.
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 299
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nThe final films were shared online through YouTube (www.youtube.com\/
\nVideoVoiceCollective) in November 2008 and, within two months, had received
\nover forty-four hundred views from across the North America, Europe, South
\nAmerica, Asia, Northern Africa, and the Middle East. Finally, the film and extras
\nwere made into a DVD and strategically distributed to over one thousand people.
\nProject Assessment revealed a range of outcomes, from individual empowerment
\nto community capacity building. The participatory Assessment of the project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)
\nindicated a high level of equitable engagement between community, academic,
\nand filmmaker partners. All partners reported enhanced sense of control, noting
\nthat they felt more in command of the issues that mattered most to them after
\nparticipating in the videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees). Additionally, all partners reported that
\nthey were more engaged in community action and had more confidence in their
\nability to carry out community project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s, particularly video production project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s.
\nIn keeping with the desire to transfer skills to the community, four local partners
\nwent on to gain employment that used their newfound video skills, and several
\ncontinued to initiate new project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s without the aid of outside filmmakers or
\nresearchers. One of these individuals, a former teacher, became the director of a
\nnew organization: the New Orleans Videovoices Project. With the help of additional
\ngrant funds, she has led four additional videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s with several
\nNew Orleans communities.
\nProject outcomes extended far beyond the partners themselves. As noted
\nabove, many of the two hundred community members at the initial screenings
\nexpressed their interest in becoming involved, and several of these went on to
\nbecome partners in future videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s as a part of the New Orleans
\nVideovoices Project. These included a video in collaboration with youth returning
\nto the Trem\u00e9 neighborhood and a video in collaboration with a community clinic
\nin the historic African American neighborhood of Algiers.
\nThe New Orleans videovoice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees), in sum, built local capacity to produce
\nmedia and work collaboratively on social justice project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees)s while enhancing understanding
\nof local concerns through a rich and innovative community assessment.
\nConclusion
\nThe arts have been a catalyst for change and growth in wide-ranging circumstances,
\nproviding a rich legacy for health organizers and promoters to draw on
\nin their community organizing and community building efforts. As Vivian Ch\u00e1vez
\nand her colleagues (2004) suggest with respect to participatory video, such an
\napproach \u201chas the potential to open communication and promote dialogue. Its
\nimages, sounds and music can motivate and inspire,\u201d while bringing in new
\npartners who can share additional skills, which in turn may help attract the
\ninterest of audiences including funders, government agencies, health workers,
\nyouth, and community coalitions (401). Given the many challenges that will
\nconfront community health organizing in the coming decades, new ways to
\n300 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nUSING THE ARTS AND NEW MEDIA IN ORGANIZING 301
\nawaken and empower ourselves and our communities are needed. The arts can be
\namong our most effective tools.
\nACKNOWLEDGMENTS
\nThe authors gratefully acknowledge Giovanni Antunez and Megan Gottemoeller,
\nwho coauthored a related earlier paper with the first author, and Patricia
\nWakimoto and Peter Solomon for helpful suggestions and Helpance with editing.
\nPortions of this article were adapted from M. McDonald, G. Antunez, and
\nM. Gottemoeller, \u201cUsing the Arts and Literature in Health Education,\u201d International
\nQuarterly of Community Health Education 27, no. 3 (2006\u20132007): 265\u2013278. Used with
\npermission of Baywood Publishing Company, Inc.
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\nA Participatory Approach to Reaching Policymakers.\u201d Social Science and Medicine
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\nWang, C. C., and M. A. Burris. 1997. \u201cPhotovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory
\nNeeds Assessment.\u201d Health Education and Behavior 24:369\u2013387.
\nWang, C. C., J. L. Cash, and L. S. Powers. 2000. \u201cWho Knows the Streets as Well as the Homeless?
\nPromoting Personal and Community Action Through Photovoice.\u201d Health Promotion
\nPractice 1:1, 81\u201389.
\nWang, C. C., S. Morrel-Samuels, and P. M. Hutchison. 2004. \u201cFlint Photovoice: Community
\nBuilding among Youths, Adults, and Policymakers.\u201d American Journal of Public Health 94,
\nno. 6:911\u2013913.
\nWang, C. C., and C. A. Pies. 2004. \u201cFamily, Maternal, and Child Health through Photovoice.\u201d
\nMaternal and Child Health Journal 8, no. 2:95\u2013102.
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nWang, E. L. 2010. \u201cThe Beat of Boyle Street: Empowering Aboriginal Youth through Music
\nMaking.\u201d New Directions for Youth Development 125:61\u201370.
\nWilson, N., S. Dasho, A. C. Martin, N. Wallerstein, C. C. Wang, and M. Minkler. 2007.
\n\u201cEngaging Young Adolescents in Social Action through Photovoice: The Youth
\nEmpowerment Strategies (YES!) Project.\u201d Journal of Early Adolescence 27, no. 2:241\u2013261.
\nZeedyk, M. S., and L. Wallace. 2003. \u201cTackling Children\u2019s Road Safety through Edutainment:
\nAn Assessment of Effectiveness.\u201d Health Education Research 18, no. 4:493\u2013505.
\n304 M. MCDONALD, C. CATALANI, AND M. MINKLER
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nPART SEVEN
\nFormer surgeon general Joycelyn Elders used to say that to the skeptic, a partnership
\nwas an unnatural act between nonconsenting adults. And indeed, many of us have
\nseen partnerships (or more formal coalitions) fall apart when they have come together
\nprimarily because of a stipulation of funding and do not represent any genuine shared
\nconcern with working collaboratively to help bring about change. Even when the
\ncommitment is there, moreover, the challenges to coalitions are many. As public health
\nleader Lawrence W. Green (2000) points out, for example, \u201cMost organizations will
\nresist giving up resources, credit, visibility and autonomy.\u201d Further, \u201cnot everyone
\ninsists on being the coordinator, but nobody wishes to be the coordinatee\u201d (64\u201365).
\nAlthough the challenges to coalitions and related partnerships are indeed
\nnumerous, as this part makes clear, done well, and particularly when grounded in a
\nstrong theory base, coalitions and other partnerships can not only function effectively
\nbut also make a real impact in terms of community and policy change on both the
\nshort- and longer-term levels (Wallerstein et al. 2002; Wolff 2010).
\nWe begin in chapter 17 with Fran Butterfoss and Michele Kegler\u2019s widely used
\ncoalition for community action theory (CCAT). Building on Feighery and Rogers
\n(1990), they define coalitions as \u201cformal, long-term collaborations that are composed
\nof diverse organizations, factions, or constituencies who agree to work together to
\nBuilding, Maintaining, and
\nEvaluating Effective
\nCoalitions and
\nCommunity Organizing
\nEfforts
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nachieve a common goal.\u201d They stress in particular the action orientation of community
\ncoalitions and the importance of a guiding theory that is not simply an academic
\nexercise but rather aimed at improving how coalitions work in practice.
\nAfter introducing the multiple theories that contributed to CCAT, Butterfoss and
\nKegler discuss the benefits and costs of coalitions and then lay out a set of constructs
\nand \u201cpractice-proven propositions\u201d for understanding coalition development, maintenance,
\nand effective functioning. The various stages of coalitions, and the tasks
\nassociated with each, are described, with attention to such key issues as coalition
\ncontext, leadership and staffing, and so forth. Finally, the authors come full circle to
\nstress the need for careful documentation of both short-term successes and
\nlonger-term impacts, once again, toward the end of improving practice.
\nMany of the propositions and challenges laid out in chapter 17 are illustrated
\nwithin a real-world context in the chapter that follows. In chapter 18, Adam Becker
\nand his colleagues present a case study of coalition building and community organizing
\nto address the problem of childhood obesity in the largely Puerto Rican Humboldt
\nPark area of Chicago. Often referred to as one of the most serious and difficult public
\nhealth issues of our time, the childhood obesity epidemic (one in five children is
\nnow clinically obese) is particularly problematic in low-income communities of color,
\nwhere a host of environmental and other factors conspire against healthy eating and
\nphysical activity (Ogden et al. 2010; Bell and Lee 2011).
\nYet such neighborhoods are also replete with strengths, including, in Humboldt
\nPark, a determined community member who translated her personal need for
\nexercise into the Mu\u00e9vete walking club, which then expanded to include other
\nactivities. Indeed, a strength of this coalition, which also posed challenges, was its
\nconscious decision to have an organic, local approach to planning and (evolving)
\nintervention development, rather than a more formal initial assessment process.
\nAlthough chapter 18 does indeed illustrate a number of the propositions laid out in
\nButterfoss and Kegler\u2019s CCAT, it challenges others, providing some of the additional
\n\u201creal world\u201d testing that can in turn help guide further theory refinement.
\nFinally, Becker and his colleagues beautifully illustrate the importance of a true
\necological approach to addressing complex health and social problems. Through its
\nProducemobile, the Mu\u00e9vete walking club, a farmers\u2019 market, rooftop gardens at local
\nschools, and such policies as allocating new park land for urban agriculture, the
\n306 COALITIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING EFFORTS
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\nHumboldt coalition\u2019s many activities helped create sustainable change on multiple
\nlevels.
\nAlthough not without difficulties\u2014some coalition partners, for example, dropped
\nout because of the primacy of the focus on the Puerto Rican community\u2014this case
\nstudy well illustrates the power of a strong, if informal, coalition. Indeed, substantial
\nreductions in childhood obesity rates over the six years of the coalition\u2019s work,
\nat a time when obesity rates in boys were continuing to climb nationally (Ogden et al.
\n2010)\u2014stand as an important testament to the effectiveness of the Humboldt
\ncoalition\u2019s community building and organizing on multiple levels.
\nA persistent challenge in community organizing and coalition-building work has
\ninvolved the difficulty of evaluating such efforts\u2014and doing so in a way that doesn\u2019t
\nin the process mitigate community empowerment and other core principles of
\ncommunity building and organizing initiatives. The distrust of Assessment in many
\nlow-income communities of color, moreover, only adds to these difficulties. Indeed,
\nhealth education leader Kathleen M. Roe is fond of quoting African American
\nand Native American commentators who define Assessment as \u201cvictimization\u201d and
\n\u201cintellectual theft,\u201d respectively (Roe et al. 2005). She cites in particular the powerful
\nwords of Candace Fleming (1992), who notes that among Native Americans, Assessment
\nmeans the loss of funding, programs, and autonomy; the loss of wonderfully
\ntalented and committed people; diminished respect in the eyes of the community and
\nthe culture; and missed opportunities to help shape one\u2019s own future.
\nFortunately, the past two decades have seen the development of a growing
\nbody of methods and tools for evaluating community organizing, coalitions, and
\ncommunity-based initiatives in ways that can empower, rather than disempower, the
\ninvolved communities and program staff. In particular, the advent of participatory or
\nempowerment Assessment has caught the imagination of many and is increasingly
\nbeing used, either on its own or in conjunction with more traditional Assessment methods,
\nto help engage community members and project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) staff as integral members of the
\nAssessment team. In the final chapter of this part, Chris Coombe in chapter 19 provides
\na comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of participatory Assessment,
\ndefined by Steve Fawcett and his colleagues (2003) as a systematic and collaborative
\napproach in which those taking part in a project ( help with nursing paper writing from experts with MSN & DNP degrees) or effort are involved in
\nunderstanding and evaluating it. Coombe describes the roots of participatory
\nCOALITIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING EFFORTS 307
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.
\n308 COALITIONS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZING EFFORTS
\nresearch in multiple traditions, among them action research, popular education, feminist
\nresearch, and community-based participatory research. She further distinguishes
\nbetween the \u201cpragmatic stream\u201d in participatory research, most concerned with
\nprogram improvement, and the \u201ctransformative stream,\u201d emphasizing equity and
\nsocial change (Cousins and Whitmore 1998).
\nDrawing on the work of various theorists and practitioners, the chapter then
\noffers a useful eight-step process for participatory Assessment, emphasizing its
\ngoodness-of-fit with principles of community organizing and capacity building. The
\nchallenges of this approach are discussed, and its utility underscored, particularly
\ngiven the often messy and complex contexts and realities that community building
\nand organizing entail (Roe et al. 2005).
\nREFERENCES
\nBell, J., and M. M. Lee. 2011. Why Place and Race Matter: Impacting Health through a Focus on Race
\nand Place. Oakland, Calif.: PolicyLink.
\nCousins, B. J., and E. Whitmore. 1998. \u201cFraming Participatory Assessment.\u201d In New Directions for
\nAssessment, no. 80:5\u201323.
\nFawcett, S. B., R. I. Boothroyd, J. A. Schultz, V. T. Francisco, V. Carson, and R. Bremby. 2003.
\n\u201cBuilding Capacity for Participatory Assessment within Community Initiatives.\u201d Journal of
\nPrevention and Intervention in the Community 26, no. 2: 21\u201336.
\nFeighery, E., and T. Rogers. 1990. Building and Maintaining Effective Coalitions. Palo Alto, Calif.:
\nHealth Promotion Resource Center, Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention.
\nFleming, C. M. 1992. \u201cAmerican Indians and Alaska Natives: Changing Societies Past and Present.\u201d
\nIn Cultural Competence for Evaluators: A Guide for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention
\nPractitioners Working with Ethnic\/Racial Communities, edited by M. I. Orlandi, 147\u201371.
\nRockville, Md.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
\nGreen, L. 2000. \u201cCaveats on Coalitions: In Praise of Partnerships.\u201d Health Promotion Practice 1,
\nno. 1:64\u20135.
\nOgden, C. L., M. D. Carroll, L. R. Curtin, M. M. Lamb, and K. M. Flegal. 2010. \u201cPrevalence of High
\nBody Mass Index in US Children and Adolescents, 2007\u20132008.\u201d Journal of the American Medical
\nAssociation 303 (January 20). http:\/\/jama.ama-assn.org\/content\/303\/3\/242.full .pdf.
\nRoe, K. M., K. Roe, C. Goette Carpenter, and C. Bernstein Sibley. 2005. \u201cCommunity Building
\nthrough Empowering Assessment: A Case Study of Community Planning for HIV Prevention.\u201d
\nIn Community Organizing and Community Building for Health, edited by M. Minkler,
\n386\u2013402. 2nd ed. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.
\nWallerstein, N., M. Polascek, and K. Maltrud. 2002. \u201cParticipatory Assessment Model for Coalitions:
\nThe Development of Systems Indicators.\u201d Health Promotion Practice 3, no. 3:361\u2013373.
\nWolff, T. 2010. The Power of Collaborative Solutions: Six Principles and Effective Tools for Building
\nHealthy Communities. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
\nCommunity Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare, edited by Meredith Minkler, Rutgers University Press, 2012. ProQuest
\n Ebook Central, http:\/\/ebookcentral.proquest.com\/lib\/sfsu\/detail.action?docID=988156.
\nCreated from sfsu on 2018-10-22 19:05:35. Copyright \u00a9 2012. Rutgers University Press. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
288 16 Using the Arts and New Media in Community Organizing and Community Building An Overview and Case Study from Post-Katrina New Orleans MARIAN MCDONALD\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8827,10099,10540,10536,10892,10538,10539,10537,10891],"tags":[10549,10616,10615,7687,10627,8857,10552,10295,10548,10622,8907],"class_list":["post-130021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-australia-essays","category-buy-essay","category-cheap-essay-writers","category-get-assignments-done","category-page-paper","category-phd-essay-writers","category-research-paper-writing-service-for-any-topic","category-study-bay-essay","category-write-my-assignment-ireland","tag-ai-plagiarism-free-essay-writing-tool","tag-australian-best-tutors","tag-best-trans-tutors","tag-buy-essay-uk","tag-cheap-dissertation-writer","tag-help-with-writing-an-essay","tag-help-write-my-paper-ai-free","tag-homework-for-you","tag-online-essay-writers","tag-phd-essays","tag-write-my-essay-for-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130021"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130021\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.studyproessays.com\/help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}