The Together project (2019-1-PT01-KA203-060772) has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The Together project (2019-1-PT01-KA203-060772) has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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Training Package for University Students



Module 4
CONTEXT AND RELATIONS

Table of Content

Chapter 4.1. Definition of “community action”
4.1.2. Social forms of collective actions and mobilization

Social mobilization is “the process by which individuals or sections of society mobilize in order to effect social change”. That process motivates communities to organize themselves as groups, aiming at their own development. Therefore it´s an integration process where each part is stimulated to become active participants in their own social change, using several strategies to aim common objectives. However, it can be taken into different contexts such as community, popular, political, government, corporate and beneficiary. In this particular case, “community mobilization” which is also a process, assumes a higher role “(…) whereby local groups are assisted in clarifying and expressing their needs and objectives and in taking collective action in an attempt meeting them. It emphasizes the involvement of people themselves in determining and meeting their own needs. It is closely linked with the concepts of participation and resilience. Moreover, popular mobilization is also a social form of collective action, when people aspire to change, generally claiming the improvement of several conditions. Nevertheless, “popular mobilization” is also considered as “(…) a political process whose primary locus is outside formal spaces: it is often low level even underground and only sometimes tumultuous”. “Generally, it involves a challenge of power that mobilizes and tranquilizes, encourages, restrains, joins together and splits apart”, thus, it's a form of protest, demanding for political, social or economic change. Collective actions and mobilization are intertwined and they can only occur, if they are used for the right purposes, in a proper manner and with the involvement of all social actors. This is highly expected when building more inclusive Higher Educational institutions and integration environments for higher education refugees and migrants with international protection status.

Table of Content