A Community Builder's Tool Kit: 15 Tools for Creating Healthy, Productive Interracial/Multicultural Communities

Anti-Racism Initiative of the Institute for Democratic Renewal and Project Change, 2001.

This primer for revitalizing democracy from the ground up can be downloaded for free or ordered for $1.50 per copy.

Resource Link: http://www.race-democracy.org

Change Management Toolbook

The Change Management Toolbook includes a broad range of tools, methods and strategies which you can apply during different stages of personal, team and organizational development, in training, facilitation and consulting. It is based on the wealth of tools and principles that have been provided by Kurt Lewin, Edgar Schein, Peter Senge, Arie de Geus, Robert Dilts, Virgina Satir, Bert Hellinger, Harrison Owen, David Cooperrider, Marvin Weisbord, Steve de Shazer - just to name a few - and many other great teachers.

Resource Link: http://www.change-management-toolbook.com

Co-Intelligence Email Bulletins

Co-Intelligence Institute.

Tom Atlee, Founder of the Co-Intelligence Institute (CII), regularly sends out inspiring and informative messages about collective intelligence to his mailing list of over 1000 people. CII promotes awareness of co-intelligence (a shared, integrated form of intelligence) and of many tools and ideas that can be used to increase it. CII's website is loaded with excellent, useful resources.

Resource Link: http://www.co-intelligence.org

Creating a World that Works for All

Sharif Abdullah, Commonway Institute. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publication, 1999.

Exclusivity - the desire to stay separate from other people - is at the root of most of the world's problems, according to Abdullah, who then presents a unique blueprint for social justice. Demonstrates how we can change our world by changing our consciousness. Reveals how to turn from a mentality that disconnects us to one that embraces the goals of restoring balance to the Earth and building community with all others.

Resource Link: http://www.commonway.org

Deliberative Dialogue to Expand Civic Engagement: What Kind of Talk Does Democracy Need?

Martha McCoy and Pat Scully, Study Circles Resource Center. National Civic Review, vol. 91, no. 2, pp. 117-135, 2002.

Martha McCoy and Pat Scully of the Study Circles Resource Center wrote this excellent article that distinguishes deliberation from dialogue and discusses the merits of ?“the marriage of deliberation and dialogue.?” Although the article focuses on the Study Circles process, it is a great introduction to public engagement processes and their principles. This is a very readable 19-page article that we highly recommend you take the time to read.

Resource Link: http://www.thataway.org/exchange/files/docs/DD_Expand.pdf

Mapping Dialogue: A research project profiling dialogue tools and processes for social change

Marianne "Mille" Bojer, Marianne Knuth, Colleen Magner. Pioneers of Change Associates. Johannesburg, South Africa, 2006.

A number of methods for facilitating face-to-face dialogue have been emerging globally, in particular over the past 20 years. This collection profiles 10 such methods in depth and a number of others more briefly. This research project was commissioned by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ). It is part of their supporting the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) to explore ways in which dialogue can be used to address social challenges in South Africa.

Resource Link: http://pioneersofchange.net/library/dialogue/

Mapping Dialogue: A research project profiling dialogue tools and processes for social change

German Technical Co-Operation (GTZ) and Pioneers of Change. Johannesburg, South Africa, 2006.

This research project was commissioned by GTZ as part of their supporting the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) to explore ways in which dialogue can be used to address social challenges in South Africa. During and since South Africa?’s transition to democracy, Nelson Mandela has exhibited a formidable ability to forgive and suspend judgment, along with an awareness of the importance of listening to all sides. Pioneers of Change was asked in this context to map out a variety of approaches, and to provide an overview, case examples and commentary on each.

Resource Link: http://pioneersofchange.net/library/dialogue/Dialogue%20Project%20V%202.0c.pdf

National MultiCultural Institute

NMCI is a national training and development organization which holds diversity conferences, conducts trainings, develops educational resource materials and initiates special projects of interest to the field. Organizations and communities which contact NMCI can request many types of diversity trainings, including interracial dialogue.

Resource Link: http://www.nmci.org

Organizing Community-Wide Dialogue for Action and Change

Study Circles Resource Center, 2001.

A comprehensive guide to help you develop a community-wide study circle program from start to finish. Study Circles are at the heart of a process for public dialogue and community change. This process begins with community organizing, and is followed by facilitated, small-group dialogue that leads to a range of outcomes. Study circles don't advocate a particular solution. Instead, they welcome many points of view around a shared concern.

Resource Link: http://www.studycircles.org

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Paulo Freire.

The thought and work of Paulo Freire has had a fundamental impact in the field of education and on the overall struggle for national development in the South. In this landmark account, first published over 20 years ago, Paulo Freire argues that the ignorance and lethargy of the poor are the direct result of the systems of economic, social and political domination.

Pioneers of Change

Pioneers of Change is a global learning network of young people, in their 20's and 30's, who have committed to be themselves, do what matters, start now, engage with others, and never stop asking questions. The "pioneers" include social entrepreneurs, corporate and NGO professionals, civil servants, artists, teachers, and free agents from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds. Founded in 1999, Pioneers of Change today engages over 2000 participants in over 70 countries.

Resource Link: http://www.pioneersofchange.net

Reaching Across Boundaries: Talk to Create Change (2nd Edition)

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Study Circles Resource Center, 2003.

This free guidebook was developed for teens who are interested in discussing the cliques and social boundaries in their schools. It's part of the Mix It Up program, a partnership between the Study Circles Resource Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Helps young people identify, question, and cross social boundaries in their schools and communities with a Mix It Up Dialogue.

Resource Link: http://www.mixitup.org

Reuniting America

Reuniting America is a network of organizations, associations, and individuals engaged in transpartisan dialogue. It is guided by a national steering committee and board of advisors comprised of leaders from across the political spectrum. Our intention is to foster authentic dialogue among leaders and citizens from across the political spectrum; to highlight and build on the citizen engagement work already taking place in communities across America; and to support and strengthen the capacity of leaders and citizens to discuss divisive issues and to engage in collaborative action.

Resource Link: http://www.reunitingamerica.org

Smart Communities: How Citizens and Local Leaders Can Use Strategic Thinking to Build a Brighter Future

Suzanne W. Morse, Pew Partnership for Civic Change. Jossey-Bass, 2004.

Based on the results of more than a decade of research by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, which Morse directs, Smart Communities provides directions for strategic decision-making and outlines the key strategies used by thousands of leaders who have worked to create successful communities. Smart Communities offers leaders the tools they need to create a better future for all the community's citizens. Using illustrative examples from communities around the country (including examples of dialogue and deliberation), Smart Communities shows how these change agents' well-structured decision-making processes can be traced to their effective use of seven key leverage points.

Resource Link: http://www.pew-partnership.org/smartcommunities.html

Solutions for America

Developed in 2003 by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change as a resource for anyone interested in addressing a broad range of community challenges, Solutions for America is an online clearinghouse of information organized into four categories: healthy families and children, thriving neighborhoods, living wage jobs, and viable economies. With brief overviews of each topic backed by relevant statistics and publications this website is a great first-stop resource for anyone interested in social change in their community.

Resource Link: http://www.solutionsforamerica.org

Stories about Study Circle Programs

Study Circles Resource Center, 2004-2006.

This series by journalist Julie Fanselow tells the stories of people who are using study circles to create real change in their communities. These printed 7x10 inch booklets, most of which are less than 10 pages long, are a great example of how dialogue programs can share their successes with decision-makers, citizens and clients. The booklets introduce the struggles and successes of study circles in Montgomery County, MD, Kansas City, KS, Kuna, ID, Springfield, IL and Vermont.

Resource Link: http://www.studycircles.org/en/Brochures.aspx

Study Circles Resource Center

The Study Circles Resource Center is the primary project of The Paul J. Aicher Foundation, a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. We help communities develop their own ability to solve problems by bringing lots of people together in dialogue across divides of race, income, age, and political viewpoints. The center works with neighborhoods, cities and towns, regions, and states, paying particular attention to the racial and ethnic dimensions of the problems they address. SCRC's website provides downloadable copies of many of their top-notch dialogue guides and other resources, and SCRC often offers organizing clinics and orientation workshops.

Resource Link: http://www.studycircles.org

Survey of Leaders of Intergroup Dialogue Organizations

Sandy Heierbacher. The Center for Living Democracy and the Corporation for National Service, 1999.

This survey was conducted by Sandy Heierbacher for the Center for Living Democracy and the Corporation for National Service via telephone between the months of July 1998 and February 1999. Seventy-five leaders of U.S. dialogue organizations and dialogue groups were interviewed, the vast majority of whom primarily organize intergroup dialogues on race. This survey eventually led Sandy to initiate (with others) the first National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation, and to found NCDD, since it was clear that dialogue practitioners were disconnected from one another and largely unaware of the organizations and resources that were available to them.

Resource Link: http://www.thataway.org/exchange/files/docs/Intergroup_Dialogue_Survey.doc

Teachers, Study Circles and the Racial Achievement Gap

Catherine Orland. Capstone paper for the School for International Training (submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Arts in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations), 2006.

The subtitle of Orland's 76-page thesis is "How One Dialogue and Action Program Helped Teachers Integrate the Competencies of an Effective Multicultural Educator." Study Circles, a dialogue and action process, brings together teachers, parents and students from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to talk about the racial achievement gap. This study asks "How does the experience of participating in Study Circles bring teachers closer to integrating the competencies of the effective multicultural educator?"

Resource Link: http://www.thataway.org/exchange/files/docs/Orland-AchievementGap.doc

Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice

Maurianne Adams, Lee Bell, Pat Griffin. NY: Routledge, 1997.

This much-acclaimed sourcebook is aimed at educators working in the field of social justice education. It addresses theoretical and practical issues that confront teachers who introduce diversity and social justice issues in their classrooms.