2008 Survey of Organizer Well-Being, Attitudes and Work Issues

[Discussion list for COMM-ORG]

From: Windy Cooler-Stith  <windy_coolerstith at yahoo.com>

Hello Co-List,
   
  Services For Inspired Propinquity (SIP) is happy to be releasing our
  2008 Survey of Organizer Well-Being, Attitudes, and Work Issues.
   
   
  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=er4XydDhpr_2fAJfQhhwRbPg_3d_3d
  Please click on the link above to take the survey.
   
  As you know, SIP is primarily interested in the well-being of 
organizers as individuals. We see that interest as fundamental in 
healthy organizing and in the growth of healthy communities.
   
  Since SIP opened its doors just this Spring we have mainly heard from 
very upset organizers who feel abused, or who are clearly self-abusing. 
This is somewhat sup rising. Frankly, I, SIP's director, expected some 
sort of major disagreement from some folks around our fundamental 
premise: that organizers, as a group, often have serious, specific, and 
sometimes preventable issues as a result of their work that cause them 
to &quot;burn-out,&quot; leaving behind charred communities in their 
ever pounding wake. I expected a disagreement because I expect 
organizers to organize when we know about a problem, but instead, what I 
hear over and over is agreement with most of SIP's premise *and* a 
shocking sense of helplessness. I keep thinking I'm missing something 
vital in the stories I hear.
   
  The above survey is completely anonymous. We used an outside vendor to 
host the survey in order to ensure that even SIP does not know who took 
a survey. There are no mandatory questions. I make no claim that the 
above survey is without flaw, nor do I make any claim that it is an 
academic survey. It is not. And it is long. It likely takes about 
half-an-hour to complete. But this survey is the beginning of an honest 
understanding of what is going on in the real lives of organizers - 
beyond our myths and beyond a sense of helplessness. We want to hear 
from everyone - volunteers, paid organizers, community organizers, labor 
and political organizers - organizers who are healthy and happy and 
organizers who are not.
   
  If you have a suggestion about how to build an even better survey in 
the future, I would be happy to hear from you.
   
  For the survey to really work there will have to be mass and diverse 
participation. It was released last week. So far mainly paid labor 
organizers have taken it. Some interesting and unexpected results are 
coming out.
   
  Please take the survey yourself and pass it on to ANYONE, volunteer or 
paid, who organizes or knows organizers of any kind -- and urge them to 
take it and pass it on again.
   
  The last day to turn in a survey is June 1, 2008. The results will be 
made public in a report July 4, 2008. The point here is to give the 
community a tool for self-reflection and solidarity.
   
  Please be thoughtful.
   
  Thanks,
  Windy
  WCStith at InspiredPropinquity.com



Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862):&quot;It is not enough to tell me that 
you worked hard to get your gold. So does the devil work hard