Social Work Commons^™

Discovering How Community Organizing Leads To Social Change: Developing Formal Practice Theory For Social Workers Engaged In Empowering Community Organizing, Shane Brady

Theses and Dissertations

Community organizing as an area of social work practice has historic roots in challenging inequality, building capacity, and meeting the needs of local peoples through taking collective action. While the literature of community organizing is rich in conceptual frameworks, practice approaches, and case studies, it lacks the level of formal theory that exists in clinical social work. Formal practice theories provide social workers with evidence informed guidance about “what to do”, “how to do it”, and “what to expect”; however, social workers engaging in community organizing have little formal practice theory. The results of this study build the beginning foundation …