ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that model of community organising has its roots in the small Belgian town of Laeken, and owes much to the thought and practice of the Belgian Cardinal, Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers (YCW). For Cardijn, there were three key aspects to the YCW. The first was that it would impress upon young workers, and those around them in the Church and society, their inherent dignity as human beings. The second was that any movement should be run ‘by, with, and for’ young workers. The third was the use of the methodology he developed following the example of Brants and LePlay, which remains central to the movement: the See, Judge, Act, or ‘enquiry’. The difficulties for workers at the bottom of the heap which Cardijn had observed in Germany and the UK were also rife in the town of Laeken, where he was sent as an assistant priest in 1912.
