Peer Power and User Led Organisations
- Article: See: Peer Power and User Led Organisations (ULOs) by Simon Duffy
URL = http://www.centreforwelfarereform.org/uploads/attachment/337/peer-power.pdf
Excerpt
From the Concluding Chapter ....
"Citizen groups committed to mutual self-help flow naturally into:
- championing positive change
- Advocating for people’s rights
- developing business opportunities
- Building wider networks
Several patterns of development emerge for ULOs, and it is important to maintain some balance between each:
1. Self-help - this can become stronger - although as it grows it may need to change shape and develop a more cellular structure.
2. System advocacy - helping society and public bodies to imagine a better system for everyone.
3. Direct advocacy - ensuring people get what they are entitled to, challenging bad practice and helping people stick up for themselves.
4. Business development - reaching out to community, looking for opportunities to people to produce solutions together, bringing together people with the same needs.
5. Network building - creating broader alliances for change, both within and beyond any initial community. If statutory authorities and welfare-service provision agencies are going to move away from their current patronising, wasteful and institutional approaches then they will need to really respect their own communities:
- stop talking about tendering and procurement - start building real partnerships
- stop undermining local citizens - start respecting and celebrating local
achievements
- stop wasting money - start reforming their own services in partnership with
local people
- stop consulting people - start shifting real power and control to people"