"Community Advocacy, Organization, and Development," a course at the Kroc School of Peace Studies, where theory meets practice in the University of San Diego's local neighborhood of Linda Vista. Under Kroc School Professor May Farid’s leadership, this hands-on experiential learning opportunity delves deep into the heart of community development, navigating the intricate web of organizations, advocacy, and empowerment.
What do we mean by ‘community’? Even though we use the word ‘community’ often, we realize it can actually be a vague concept. We tend to think about virtual communities, intentional communities, or communities based on common interests, but there is no replacement for small communities bound by geographic ties, rooted in a place and connected to its natural environment. The course builds on this conception of the local community.
Kroc School professor Dr. May Farid has experience working around the globe with diverse communities, both culturally and geographically, and she brings that experience into the course.
“I’ve worked with a diverse set of organizations and individuals promoting the progress of their communities in countries around the world. What I’ve learned from them is that community development means raising the capacity of a people to plan and implement decisions about their own wellbeing. It’s not about delivering services or getting them involved in the political process, even though these might be positive side effects of this raised capacity," Dr. Farid shared.
The forces of modernity, stronger in some regions than others, have dissolved many of the traditional structures and spaces of community life, without replacing them with new ones. “That makes it hard for us to imagine what ‘community’ even means, what it could look like. In the course, we start by looking back at humanity’s rich past to envision, and thinking forward to imagine, what a vibrant community life could look like," she added.
Community members know their communities well and often have ideas about the kind of community they would like to live in. The course starts by taking students into the Linda Vista community to interact informally with residents and learn about their aspirations and challenges. Linda Vista is the home to a very diverse community, with strong social ties and neighborhood engagement. At the core of this course's curriculum lies a commitment to understanding and amplifying the voices of Linda Vista's residents.
The second part of the course focuses on community organizations. Students create maps of the neighborhood, including the spaces, structures, and institutions that organize the community and provide critical services. They analyze the role of NGOs and community-based organizations, critically reflecting on their ability to represent the community, and recognizing their potential to be ‘centers of knowledge’ that channel the energies of community members to work for change.
Finally, the students explore how communities make their voices heard in policy. Based on their interactions with the community, students form teams and choose a policy topic to work on — for example, health, housing, immigration or education. The students will map out the policy process around this issue and learn how it intersects with the Linda Vista community. The course introduces students to theories of the policy process, different forms of advocacy, and a range of tactics used in community advocacy. Students visit government departments focused on these issue areas, and interact with local policymakers.
Students visiting local fruiteria during their tour of the community
Being in the heart of Linda Vista, the Kroc School is determined to effect change on a global and local scale, learning methods that practically translate from the classroom to the field to make that change possible. This Community Advocacy, Organization, and Development course is another example of the ongoing effort to provide our students with the knowledge to lead change.
Interested in learning more about the Kroc School's programs and curriculum? Learn more here.
