Building+Communities+the+ABCs+of+Public+Dialogue+from+the+League+of+Women+Voters

=** **= =Building Communities: The ABCs of Public Dialogue= =From the League of Women Voters= This guide includes a description of some successful principles, followed by ﬁve sections: a set of key planning questions to consider, lists of major large-group, small- group and online formats now being used for productive discussions of important issues, and resources. To keep this guide as compact as possible, we have tried to “boil down” the most common public dialogue formats to their bare essentials. We have limited our focus to formats and processes that share the following features: • Those used to engage large numbers of people; • Those open to anyone who wants to participate; and • Those that derive much of their power and effectiveness from involving a diverse, critical mass of citizens. Understanding Public Dialogue Getting Started: Important Questions and Best PracticesLarge-Group Formats for Public Dialogue Small-Group Formats for Public DialogueOnline Formats for Public DialogueConclusionResources

=Best Practices for Producing Community-wide Study Circles.= =//What Works:// Study Circles in the Real World= = = 1 Introduction.........................................................................................4 1.Creating a Broad-based, Diverse Organizing Coalition........................6 Best Practices from Experienced Programs................................................. 6 Who Makes Up the Coalition............................................................................... 7 Why Diversity in the Coalition Matters............................................................... 7 Case Study: Building Coalition Diversity from the Start Jon Abercrombie talks about Decatur, Georgia...................................... 8 Organizational Structures for Coalitions......................................................... 10 Who Takes the Lead?......................................................................................... 11 Pilot Rounds: Key to Building Diverse, Strong Coalitions............................... 12 Using the Coalition to Prevent Organizer “Burnout”..................................... 12<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Community Profiles:................................................................................<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> 13<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Colorado Springs, Colorado............................................................ 13<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Fayetteville, North Carolina............................................................ 13<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Lima, Ohio........................................................................................ 13<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Syracuse, New York......................................................................... 13 Table of Contents<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> 2 2.Recruiting, Training, and Supporting a Diverse Group of Facilitators..14<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Best Practices from Experienced Programs.................................................... 14<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Develop Supportive Activities for Facilitators.................................................. 15<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Case Study: Training Facilitators for Dialogue about Race<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Bob Blackwell talks about Springfield, Illinois...................................... 16<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Train Facilitators to Deal with Emotional Race Discussions.......................... 17<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Enhance Circle Discussions, Outreach, and Training..................................... 17<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Involving Youth as Facilitators........................................................................... 18<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Challenges Facilitators of Color May Face....................................................... 18<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Community Profiles................................................................................. 19<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Springfield, Illinois........................................................................... 19<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Twin Cities, Minnesota.................................................................... 19<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> 3.Recruiting Participants who Reflect the Community’s Diversity...........20<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Best Practices from Experienced Programs.................................................... 20<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Capitalizing on Affiliations:<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> ................................................................................. 21<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Recruitment Goal: Reaching beyond the choir................................................ 21<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Faith Communities: A key resource in study circle recruitment.................... 21<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Case Study: Recruiting Participants in a Community of 400 People<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Ron Harder talks about Alread, Arkansas.............................................. 22<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Media Leaders and their Partnerships with Study Circles............................. 23<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> High-profile, Large Kickoff Events.................................................................... 25<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Keys to Maintaining Commitment and Participation....................................... 26<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Community Profiles.................................................................................<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> 27<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Alread, Arkansas............................................................................... 27<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Aurora, Illinois.................................................................................. 27<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Maine................................................................................................ 27<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> New Castle County, Delaware......................................................... 27 4.Contributing to Change, Particularly in the Area of Race......................... 28<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Best Practices from Experienced Programs.......................................................... 28<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Ways Study Circles Contributed to Individual Changes..........................................29<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Ways Study Circles Contributed to Changes in Institutions and Communities...29<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Case Study: Study Circles as a Vehicle for Change<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Marie Velazquez-Constas talks about Fayetteville, North Carolina...........30<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Organizing for Changes Related to Race.................................................................32<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Community Profiles........................................................................................33<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Fort Myers, Florida.................................................................................33<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> North Little Rock, Arkansas...................................................................33<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Oklahoma.................................................................................................33<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> 5.Linking Dialogue with Action................................................................. 34<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Best Practices from Experienced Programs......................................................34<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> About Action Forums.................................................................................................35<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Different Expectations for the Pace and Scale of Change When Addressing Race........35<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Case Study: Study Circles and Change<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Bill Pollard talks about Syracuse, New York.................................................36<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Tools for Sustaining Action........................................................................................37<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Community Profiles........................................................................................38<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Decatur, Georgia.....................................................................................38<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Greater Hartford, Connecticut..............................................................38<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Inglewood, California..............................................................................39<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Woodridge, Illinois..................................................................................39<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> Appendix A: About the Research Team...................................................... 40