Organize for Power in Nicaragua

This fundraiser will bring a successful model of community organizing to Nicaragua, giving people who are committed to social change a powerful tool for making it happen.

Nicaragua’s Laws of Citizen Participation are designed to allow ordinary citizens to participate in local decision-making. However, participation is still low, especially among people in the lowest income bracket and with low social status. These groups still lack a voice in local politics.

This workshop will introduce Nicaraguan community leaders to proven techniques they can use to organize people around issues that impact their lives. These techniques come from the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), a national network that has founded some of the most successful community organizations in the United States. In San Antonio, for example, their affiliate (COPS) has directed over a billion dollars in resources to the neighborhoods it represents. It’s grassroots leaders who decide where that money goes.

The workshop will take the elements of the IAF’s model that are appropriate to the Nicaraguan context, namely techniques for building social networks, developing leadership, and analyzing local power structures to find opportunities for action.

Experienced organizers, fluent in Spanish, have volunteered to lead the workshops. The funds raised will pay for their airfare, the rental of the space, and transportation costs for participants, as well as workshop materials.