Amy Dubin: Hidden Heroes: Community Leaders

Hidden Heroes:

Community

LeadersAmy Dubin

amy@propeller3d.com

Early Community Organizers

Around 1880, most of the

community organizing was

done to improve quality of

life and working conditions

or maintenance of

religious ideology.

Newspaper Boys on strike

Evolution

Organization can bring about powerful change.

Sometimes change isn’t necessary, but sometimes it is.

Groups can evolve to reflect the needs of those they serve.Saul Alinsky

So, what is Community?

Community is social capital. Portland is a very wealthy city becauseWe have a great number of communities, which are fairly well organized, to boot.Some people belongTo many communities!

Public Leadership?

Nixon

Public leaders are just that

People who lead the public in relevant discussions

People who lead in the public eye

Leaders can be motivated by more than ego and fame, they can be (and often are) people wanting to do right.

They want to communicate new ideas and help educate, and thus shape, the nature of their community.

It’s important because it’s the way we know that someone is listening and that they care.

Taking a standMLK Harvey Milk

Community is meaningful IF…There are contributions by more than

just public leaders.

Community members are able and willing to communicate their needs.

Those needs are responded to with action.

Benefits of meaningful community• Increase in educational opportunities for all

• Increased sense of belonging

• Stronger sense of geographic place

• Intention around one’s life and actions

• New forms of communication

• Safety net

Challenges to ‘Community’

• Time

• Money

• Suburbanization

• Digital Living

• Generational Changes

Is a Hidden Hero YOU?

YES

We were hidden heroes at one time.

Angela DavisGloria Steinem

It’s all about relationships• There may not be anyone else capable

• I might not feel strongly about a subject but do about the resulting relationships

• How to find those who are like minded if not already easily visible? Then look wherever it makes sense to look and don’t stop until you’ve got someone that ‘gets it’, or until you find a group that ‘gets’ you.

Grassroots Connections

Potlucks

Book Clubs

Work Parties

Camping

Biking

Japanese Cat

Difficulty, Time and Cost

Low Medium High0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Variables

Sphere of Influence

Organizers are a bit special

• Event Organizers

• Industry

Organizations

• Municipal

Organizations

• Sports

Organizations

• Hobby Organizers

• Cultural Influencers

Hidden Heroes

Heroism just means serving others, and it seems valuable to recognize those in your life who do things for you or who are always doing for other people and consider that they are giving way more than just their time.

We’ve come a long way

In our society, organizers can focus attention on things that even less than 100 years ago would have been impossible, paving the way for a whole new type of hidden hero, those that operate solely in the digital world. Writing blog posts, creating media and other forms of information that contribute to our sense of global community.

Hidden Heroes:

Community

LeadersAmy Dubin

amy@propeller3d.com

Partnership Chair for AIGA (aigaportland.org)meetup.com/NorthWestCreativeSocialClub