Alexandra Pineros-Shields

This chapter describes leadership-development strategies to promote autonomy and power among marginalized women. Grounded in a case study of a community-organizing group, this chapter outlines concrete frameworks and techniques that practitioners can use to encourage individuals to “step into their own power” and become agents of change in their own lives. The chapter presents both theoretical frameworks as well as hands-on techniques that practitioners can apply in many different settings. The frameworks and strategies presented include Participatory Action Research and the Question Formulation Technique. The case study used to present the various approaches focuses on a community-organizing nonprofit that works with undocumented Latina immigrants. It provides an overview of the challenges faced by this population, as well as best practices to address those challenges.