Public associations. Civic Initiatives

Few people now know what civil initiatives are in modern Russia. Information about this can rarely be seen in newspapers or on television. And they do not matter to officials, parties and organizations. What are civil initiatives and what role do they play in society?

Components

• Leader.
• The kernel (optional).
• Periphery.

The leader is the person who organizes a group of citizens and takes over the management of it. It is assumed that there may be several such activists. The core is several other participants, which constantly contribute to the development and activities of this association. Sometimes the leader performs his functions. The rest of the people who take part in the group are called the periphery. These can be lawyers, environmentalists, club members and ordinary residents who seek to resolve a common problem. Their number can vary from a couple of people to a few hundred. After the problem disappears, there are two options for further development of civil initiative. In the first case, the group decays. In the second - its activity is not quenched. Its members continue to continue to resolve any issues. But even in this case it can last a short time. Not all civil initiatives cope with the difficulties that have emerged in their path. There are two types of associations under consideration: conflict and support. Let's consider each of them.

Conflict groups

To better understand what it is, consider the following example. Free space in the city authorities decided to give up for building. Residents of this area against. To resolve this situation, they are going into a conflict of civil initiative. That is, its basis is any dispute.

Supporting associations

Educating social groups, helping them, protecting their rights, etc. - this is done by supporting civil initiatives. Examples of such organizations: the club "Communication" in Moscow (created on the basis of the regional library, where you can listen to lectures and discuss on various topics), the community "Neighbors" (it consists of elderly people in the place of residence). Separately, it is possible to single out the initiative "Nord-Ost", which consists of relatives of people who were taken hostage on Dubrovka. Its participants are eager to support the victims psychologically and therapeutically. And also to punish the criminals.

Why did civil initiatives appear?

The first reason is the inability to regulate some situations. Unfortunately, not all problems are spelled out in our legislation. Sometimes the authorities do not react in any way to the ongoing conflicts. Often, when a complex situation arises for a group of people, they should contact the local government. However, they do not justify their name. The higher authorities allocate them too little budget. They are often very limited in rights, because they are subject to other government bodies. Thus, grassroots civil initiatives are just ordinary people who want to solve their problems.

The second reason is that the state, criminal groups or commercial organizations often neglect the rights of ordinary citizens. To protect themselves, people are forced to assemble in initiatives. Among such civil associations it is possible to single out the club "Danko". It was created to help save housing for children, whose parents were denied the right to raise them. Officials will go to great lengths for the appropriation of an easily accessible living space. Authorities in Nizhny Novgorod decided to cut down the garden in order to build a commercial center in its place. In this situation, the club "Zimina, 6" was created, which for a long time struggled with this decision. And the organization "Staryi Bottom" in the same city protested against the eviction of residents to the outskirts due to the demolition of the old housing stock.

The third reason is in the people themselves. There are individuals who are not indifferent to other people's problems and are actively trying to help everyone. And if these people have the natural qualities of a leader, the emergence of groups under their leadership is inevitable. Conflict civil initiatives imply that if there is a problem, there must be a person who will take care of all organizational issues. However, he must have free time and the ability to mobilize a group of people interested in this matter. In supporting civil initiatives, the personal qualities of community organizers are important. These people are striving to realize their ideals, enlighten disadvantaged social groups, and help others to improve themselves. They are worried about the spiritual state of society.

conclusions

The significance of civil initiatives is gradually gaining momentum in Russia, especially in the political sphere. Here it is enough to recall the dissatisfaction of residents with monetization. When the state wanted to deprive citizens of certain benefits (for example, free travel, medicines), people did not remain indifferent. At the place of residence, small civil initiatives were created, which became parts of a huge protest movement.