Read “How the Strategic Prinicples of Consensus Organizing Were Applied in the Mon Valley” in Ch.3 of Consensus Organizing. The following questions come from “Questions About the Mon Valley Case Study” in Ch.3 of Consensus Organizing.
Identify where you see strategic principles of consensus organizing demonstrated in the Mon Valley Case Study. Provide 150- to 200-word answers for each of the following principles and the summary.
|Strategic principle 1: Solutions to local problems should come from affected communities. |
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|The Mon Valley, a region of cities and towns along the Monongahela River near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suffered a huge blow to their economy|
|in the 1970’s and 1980’s when the area’s steel mills shut down. This frustrated the residents of Mon Valley, and it was difficult for them |
|to develop solutions to their problems without financial backing. Despite “conflict organizers” ill attempts at publically shaming the |
|owners of the steel mills, the communities continued to suffer. It wasn’t until a local, Robert Pease, hired Mike Eichler to develop a |
|plan. Eichler developed the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). The LISC organized the residents and local corporate backers |
|(the money) to work together both in the communities, with the residents, and also with resources outside the community (more money). The |
|alignment of the residents with these resources worked to solve the community’s problems. Eichler’s strategy was successful because it |
|organized Mon Valley’s residents, and instead of fighting with frustration; they fought
