Against all odds: Teaching Synergistic Community Organizing Principles to MPH Students

Background: Community organizing (CO) is an American tradition that seeks to balance inequities in quality of life among US populations.  Lasting partnerships involving attainment of benefits from the community’s wisdom, information and participation can begin with CO.  This is a case study of an innovative CO class at a premier HBCU, applied and evaluated in the last 7 years.

Methods: Both academic and community partners were interested in developing a CO model that produced benefits in the form of: better trained students; participation in community activities; access to scientific jargon translation; and community leaders primed for inclusion in public health functions of assessment, policy development and assurance of services.  Evaluation of the former CO students was conducted (N=54).

Results: Based on the evaluation, we developed the Combining Community Organizing Strategies and Strengths .  This model contains 7 components: Dealing with community and public health student cultures; Establishing a common language; Develop glossaries and illustrative materials that equalize power among all community organizing class partners; Connect partners in collaborative activities, where the learning is mutual and bidirectional; Introduce and usher partners into as many of each other’s spheres of influence as pertinent; Foment interdependence of practice and learning realms through technological approaches; and Strengthen community and academic partnerships.

Conclusions: The Combining COSSs Community Organizing Conceptual Model was documented with sufficient detail to support replicating and sustaining its main principles, and guidance to tailor it to other communities.  The emphasis on power sharing is indispensable to meaningful public health practice.