Organize the Community for Action

An old group or a new group?

An important decision you may have to make at this stage is whether or not to work with an already existing core group or to form a new one. The BASICS project has had considerable experience with pre-existing groups and has learned some important lessons along the way (Green, 1998). The advantages and disadvantages are summarized below for your consideration.

The advantages of using existing groups include:

• Avoidance of delays in start-up. Extra time is not needed to organize new groups and give members time to become acquainted.
• Group cohesion. In existing groups the group dynamics have already been worked out. The group is usually stable and cohesive and can turn its attention to new topics.
• Trust. Over the course of years of working together, group members develop a common bond and learn to trust each other. This trusting relationship enables them to have a more open discussion about the realities of their lives.
• Altruism. Group members have demonstrated their interest in giving support to others.

Using existing groups also has certain disadvantages:

• Inflexibility. Groups may not be open to taking on new issues or different approaches.
• Dependence on incentives. Groups that were formed to receive some tangible benefit, such as food supplements, may not be motivated to attend group meetings when concrete incentives are not provided.
• Dysfunctional structure. Some groups may be structured in ways that discourage the active participation of all group members and that restrain members from divulging personal information.
• Unequal structures. The existing structure of a group may perpetuate inequities. When minority subgroups are excluded from participation in existing groups, for example, their issues are not included on the community agenda and their needs remain unarticulated and unmet.
• The same old solutions. Existing groups may have fallen into patterns that discourage new ways of thinking and problem solving. The group arrives at the same solutions in the same way; when these solutions are not effective, the group is unable to generate new ideas. Changing the dynamics of group composition may help the group get out of the rut.

Strategies for identifying and recruiting core group members
The role of leaders and external facilitators in group development
Core group norms
Documenting core group and other meetings
Assessing and monitoring core group capacity