Empowerment is a process of gaining competencies for public social activity, cooperative selforganization and involvement in any public decision-making.
Contents
Power Spheres
Public Within a group of people, such as an urban space, an organization, an initiative or university
Private In a family or a group of friends
Intimate Inner power, self-consiousness as an agent of change
Gaining power
is a process of (self-)empowerment that motivates people to participate. Feeling empowered is therefore a crucial condition for active involvement of individuals. Empowerment is based on the understanding of power as something that can under specific conditions be shared without a loss to the person sharing it. Sharing power, enhancing each other’s capacities, and improving each other’s skills makes a community empowered.
Reflecting power
encourages people for democratic action but in the same way may prevent civil involvement, because talking openly about power seems to be a taboo for a lot of people. However, power is present in any social group. Reflecting power constellations and thinking about power as a (shared) source is a task for individuals, activist groups, and organizations in order to shape fair, democratic and participatory power relations and structures.
Legitimations of power
There are different sources and legitimations of power, such as force (violence), knowledge, expertise, charisma, resources (money, food, property), social class, authority (also delegated authority), persuasion, bureaucracy, religion, friendship.
Marta Anna Gawinek-Dagargulia
Facilitator, coordinator of empowerment programs, author and program manager in the fields of cultural activism and civi education. Lives in Warsaw (Poland), head of SKORO association.
