Grassroots
Grassroots can be difficult to define, as what differentiates a 'grassroots' group from more established organizations such as NGO's can be unique in different parts of the world.
According to the Global Grassroots Support Network (GGSN), what defines "grassroots" groups is that they share at least one of these attributes [1] :
- Are largely driven by "people power", ie. motivated activist volunteers, though paid staff may facilitate and coordinate this energy
- Are self-starting and self-organizing, especially at their start
- Share power and decision making responsibilities amongst group members to a smaller or larger extent
- Have some degree of autonomy to define their own strategy, tactics and group culture, especially at the local level
Grassroots groups are critical contributors to movement ecology because throughout history, grassroots-led social movements have created dramatic moments of change (more recently: Black Lives Matter protests, 2019 global climate strikes). [2]