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Women and the Principle of Ujima (LDER-001D-01) Monday - Friday 8:45am-11:45am

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Name. Location. Why you're here?

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2021 Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana

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Collective Work and Responsibility

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The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. -George Bernard Shaw
Your Guide To Being A Better Communicator and Listener
Being a better communicator and listener begins with a commitment to peace, love and understanding.
I believe that much of the suffering in the world could be reduced if people would simply adhere to what I call, Rules of Engagement - The basics of effective communication.

I have put together the following list of ways to show up in a conversation that allows for true understanding to occur.

Although many of the skills seem obvious, it takes practice and a real commitment to adhere to them.

* See communication as an opportunity and a gift rather than a challenge or threat.
* Communication improves when you slow down.
* Don't interrupt when someone is speaking.
* Don't criticize, judge or make someone wrong.
* Listen to understand versus reply.
* Maintain good eye contact when possible.
* Be an open and nonjudgmental listener.
* Speak in "I" statements.
* Avoid he said, she said.
* Only share your deepest truth.
* Be able to distinguish facts from judgments, opinions, assumptions and feelings.
* Eliminate gossip.
* Be direct and ask for what you want.
* Practice a high quality of attention when listening.
* Practice self-awareness before speaking.
* If you don't understand something ask for clarification.
* Acknowledge the speaker.
* Be generous with your listening.
* Let others speak first.
* Set aside preconceived ideas.
* Understand the subject that you are communicating about. Don't wander off-topic or subject.
* Welcome all thoughts, feelings and insights without invalidating.
* Become comfortable with silence and pregnant pauses.
* Ask a well thought out question, wait and listen.
* Go deeper with one question.
* Refrain from interrogating.
* Commit to getting yourself understood to the best of your ability.
* Own your judgments, feelings and reactions as your stuff, don't make it about someone else.
* Reduce or eliminate self referencing.
* Be present to what's arising in your own consciousness and communicate that.
* Receive and release another's communication.
* Avoid trip laying.
* Ask, don't tell.
* Get permission before offering feedback, coaching or advice.

Every relationship issues boils down to a lack of understanding.

And a lack of understanding is very costly in both the workplace and home life.

Please share this guide for effective communication with friends, family, and co-workers.

Become a Better Communicator By Working With Coach Greg

I offer communication training for couples, business partners and organizations who want to strengthen key relationships.

Greg Clowminzer
Communication Coach
PS Here are few ways I can help you.

1. Request a free Communication Coaching Consultation and have a heart to heart about what's possible for you and the people you care about. Book a call .

2. Join my FaceBook Page where I host Live Trainings and Q&A events where you can ask me anythings.

3. Attend my next 3 Day Coaching Immersion Programs where I teach the single most important thing you need to know to achieve the highest levels of performance and well-being.

Greg Clowminzer is a pioneering business and leadership coach with over 10,000 hours of real time coaching experience. Greg coaches and consults with CEOs, small business owners and professionals, helping them clarify their vision, create unique strategies for success and developing the necessary skills to be a leader and effectively exercise leadership as their natural self-expression.

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Rules of Engagement - The Basics for Effective Communication - Greg Clowminzer

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The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. -George Bernard Shaw Being a better communicator and listener begins with a commitment to peace, love and understanding. I believe that much of the suffering in the world could be reduced if people would simply adhere to what I call, Rules of Engagement - The basics of effective communication.

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How do you define community? Comment below.

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John McKnight, a longtime civics community builder, talks about the importance of valuing people, especially those different from you, as bringers of gifts and not bringers of problems. What do you think of his perspective? What is your view on the best way to do community building?

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Brené Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.

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1. Consider the places in your community that people come together to socialize where you feel comfortable.

2. Now identify the social situations that people gather where you don’t feel comfortable.

3. Write down your thoughts for at least 3 minutes about why you feel as you do for each.

4. Share the thoughts you generated. Take turns listening to each other, one at a time, BUT NOT RESPONDING at any point, only listening attentively.

5. Use the opportunity to hear what elements might make a community welcoming or unwelcoming.

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Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

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Who we are: Human uniqueness and the African spirit of Ubuntu.  Desmond Tutu, Templeton Prize 2013

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It's difficult to come up with a unified definition of community, and this is why community building is so fascinating.

A community can be a virtual or a physical (or both) space where people sharing common interests, goals or/and experiences come together to share, connect, exchange and work towards shared goals.

While this is a very broad definition, perhaps evnt too vague, of what community is, it's also enough for you to grasp the essential concept of community and to understand that community is a fluid entity, a virtual concept that can be actualized and put in place in many different forms, around every possible topic and through endless approaches and systems.

In whatever way you gather people together and whenever those people get the chance to exchange and connect, community spaces are born.

Why Building Community is so important?

COMMUNITY-BUILDING (CB) FOSTERS CONNECTION

We are humans and our socialization process (the way we are introduced to the social and cultural environments around us) happens within community spaces. These can be school, family, hometown, church, workplaces, etc.

People don't like to feel that they are alone in experiencing what they experience and therefore, they seek to connect with other humans about things, experiences and topics that matter to them and may have in common with others.

In the modern world, more and more humans feel the need to create more meaningful connections, find and offer support to other humans with whom they can build relationships and systems of exchange.

Building communities is a crucial process that fosters connections amongst people and creates infrastructures for these connections to happen.

CB CREATES SPACE FOR SHARING

Building communities is a process that not only fosters connection amongst people, but it offers a collective space for experience sharing.

Community spaces - if designed through systems of safety, openness and good moderation - allow people to share their experiences and learn from one another.

The act of sharing becomes a very empowering practice that can turn into a source of motivation, inspiration, learning and support for the people in the community.

CB IS ABOUT COLLECTIVE LEARNING

The act of sharing can be a very empowering practice but also a major source of collective learning.

Community spaces call for ongoing exchanges between members, experience sharing that becomes knowledge sharing and often knowledge production systems.

People who feel safe to share what they know and are happy to involve others in this sharing process are the ones creating values by creating opportunities for collective learning.

CB ENGAGES WITH COLLECTIVE GROWTH

Collective learning means collective growth. Dialogues, community activities, open conversations, mutual support, knowledge sharing and experience sharing often translate into a process of collective learning and collective growth.

Community spaces offer opportunities for ongoing exchange. By getting multiple perspectives, opinions, experiences and expertise, people get the chance to advance their own knowledge and benefit from it for their own journey.

CB IS ABOUT EXPERIENCE

While it's difficult to have a unified definition of community, it's easy to affirm that community is defined by the experience the people make of it.

Community is the experience that the members make of it and how the community experience impacts them and help them grow. Community is the experience and experience is in the value that the community activities are able to provide.

Community building needs to focus on providing value-driven experiences that support the members to grow and transform.

CB ALLOWS TRUST-BUILDING

Community building practices contribute to creating spaces for people to strengthen their sense of trust with each other.

When it comes to businesses, organizations, product-based and service-based companies, community-building strategies and practices are crucial to building trust with their people, audience, users, clients.

Community spaces, knowledge and experience sharing, collective learning e joint efforts towards shared goals found the ground for a strengthened sense of trust and loyalty.

CB IS MOVEMENT FORMATION

Building communities is forming a movement. When people come together, they get stronger, louder and more visible.

Each community has the potential to amplify missions and causes and to set themselves proactively to organize mobilizations, activism programs, campaigns, or simple actions to engage with impact-driven transformations.

CB FOSTERS INNOVATION

Community spaces are collective spaces where a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, experiences and opinions have a big potential to create innovation.

Many brains, souls, hearts and points of view working together result in higher chances to get brand-new solutions and approaches that can help coming up with innovative systems and answers to specific issues or challenges.

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Community spaces - if designed through systems of safety, openness and good moderation - allow people to share their experiences and learn from one another. The act of sharing becomes a very empowering practice that can turn into a source of motivation, inspiration, learning and support for the people in the community.

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Stacey Abrams

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3 questions to ask yourself about everything you do | Stacey Abrams

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https://www.centreforglobalmentalhealth.org/the-friendship-bench

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Dixon Chibanda: Why I train grandmothers to treat depression

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Dixon Chibanda is one of 12 psychiatrists in Zimbabwe -- for a population of more than 16 million. Realizing that his country would never be able to scale traditional methods of treating those with mental health issues, Chibanda helped to develop a beautiful solution powered by a limitless resource: grandmothers.

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Lois Smidt: “A great community creates conditions where people can fall in love. It is a place where we can make a fuss about one another. A place where we can ask, ‘How did I ever live without you?’”

Based on this definition, do you believe that your communities are “great”? Why or why not?

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Making the Invisible Visible | DeAmon Harges 

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Making the Invisible Visible | DeAmon Harges 

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How do we make the invisible visible?

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Making the invisible visible | DeAmon Harges | TEDxIndianapolis

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Community Capacities and Community Necessities

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Community Capacities and Community Necessities

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Community Capacities and Community Necessities

A Call to Action by John McKnight

There is a new worldwide movement developing, made up of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that movements are not organizations, institutions or systems. Movements have no CEO, central office, or plan. Instead, they happen when thousands of people discover together new possibilities for their lives. They have a calling. They are called. And together they call upon themselves.

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Community Capacities and Community Necessities A Call to Action by John McKnight There is a new worldwide movement developing, made up of people with a different vision for their local communities. They know that movements are not organizations, institutions or systems. Movements have no CEO, central office, or plan.

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The key to creating or transforming community, then, is to see the power in the small but important elements of being with others. The shift we seek needs to be embodied in each invitation we make, each relationship we encounter, and each meeting we attend. For at the most operational and practical level, after all the thinking about policy, strategy, mission, and milestones, it gets down to this: How are we going to be when we gather together?― Peter Block, Community: The Structure of Belonging

I recently gave myself the gift of taking Peter Block's course titled, The Structure of Belonging. Many of you are familiar with Peter Block's books and his unparalleled contributions to the field of leadership consulting. It seems that everything I have learned from his work over the years has aligned in a culminating way in his book The Structure of Belonging.

I can't think of a more powerful time to lead from a place of connectedness and alignment versus mandate and management and yet when cultural and global fears are activated the hammer tends to come down. My hope is that sharing just a bit about The Structure of Belonging with you, will empower you to share it with another.

Sometimes grand sweeping change initiatives are not as powerful as genuine connections that spread because the interaction between individuals generates momentum that comes from a sense of belonging. We need to transform isolation within our communities today. Many of us are working remotely so connectedness and caring for the whole by strengthening the social fabric of our organizations is paramount. Every gathering, virtual or otherwise, is an opportunity to become the future we hope to create. Large scale transformation comes when enough small groups shift in harmony toward the larger change. Small groups and teams generate power when diversity of thought and dissenting ideas are given space to be expressed, commitments are made without barter, and the gifts of each member of the gathering are acknowledged and valued.

How do we gently shift our working relationships to feel and foster belonging? Asking the right questions is the key. The Block course was based on the premise that questions are more transforming than answers. Block emphasizes that we need to inoculate people against advice and help so advice can be replaced by curiosity. He clearly draws the correlation between engagement and accountability. Questions that are properly structured and intentional, demand engagement, generate unique and compelling dialogue, and help create a structure of belonging.

Six Conversations

There are six conversations for structuring belonging, according to Peter Block's work. They are invitation, possibility, ownership, dissent, commitment, and gifts. They do not necessarily need to be progressive in building a structure of belonging. Possibility, however, is an earlier conversation, and gifts tends to be more difficult one. It is important to know what you and your team are ready for in terms of the questions themselves. Below is a quick overview of each of the six conversations and a few questions to get you started, excerpted from my work in Peter Block's course. This is a lifetime of work and executive coaching can help leaders explore its application in more depth.

The Invitation Conversation

Creating effective invitations is the first step towards meetings, gatherings, and interactions that spark change. Block reminds us that when we gather together a diverse sample of the people most involved in a problem "in the right context and with a few simple ground rules, the wisdom to create a future or solve a problem is almost always in the room." We want people with an ability to speak about the consequences because they will be directly impacted by the outcome. Participants are necessary if they have unique information, expertise, or perspective about the topics on the table and the power to make decisions about time, money, contacts, and other resources.

Block argues that a genuine invitation is voluntary: "In an authentic community, citizens decide anew every single time whether to show up."
The Invitation Questions

Who do we need to invite in order to best serve the purpose of the gathering?

How can we shape the invitation so they feel most inspired to participate?

The Possibility Conversation

The distinction is between possibility and problem-solving. Possibility is a future beyond reach. The possibility conversation works on us and evolves from a discussion of personal crossroads. It takes the form of a declaration, best made publicly.
The Possibility Questions

What is the crossroads you are faced with at this point in time?

What declaration of possibility can you make that has the power to transform the community and inspire you?

The Ownership Conversation

It asks citizens to act as if they are creating what exists in the world. The distinction is between ownership and blame.
The Ownership Questions For an event or project:

How valuable an experience (or project, or community) do you plan for this to be?

How much risk are you willing to take?

How participative do you plan to be?

To what extent are you invested in the well-being of the whole?

The all-purpose ownership question:

What have I done to contribute to the very thing I complain about or want to change?
The questions that can complete our story and remove its limiting quality:

What is the story about this community or organization that you hear yourself most often telling

What are the payoffs you receive from holding on to this story?

What is your attachment to this story costing you?

The Dissent Conversation

The dissent conversation creates an opening for commitment. When dissent is expressed, just listen. Don't solve it, defend against it, or explain anything. The primary distinction is between dissent and lip service. A second distinction is between dissent and denial, rebellion, or resignation.
The Dissent Questions

What doubts and reservations do you have?

What is the no or refusal that you keep postponing?

What have you said yes to that you no longer really mean?

What is a commitment or decision that you have changed your mind about?

What resentment do you hold that no one knows about?

What forgiveness are you withholding?

The Commitment Conversation

The commitment conversation is a promise with no expectation of return. Commitment is distinguished from barter. The enemy of commitment is lip service, not dissent or opposition. The commitments that count the most are ones made to peers, other citizens. We have to explicitly provide support for citizens to declare that there is no promise they are willing to make at this time. Refusal to promise does not cost us our membership or seat at the table. We only lose our seat when we do not honor our word.

Commitment embraces two lands of promises: My behavior and actions with others and... Results and outcomes that will occur in the world.
The Commitment Questions

What promises am I willing to make?

What measures have meaning to me?

What price am I willing to pay?

What is the cost to others for me to keep my commitments, or to fail in my commitments?

What is the promise I'm willing to make that constitutes a risk or major shift for me?

What is the promise I am postponing?

What is the promise or commitment I am unwilling to make?

The Gifts Conversation

The leadership and citizen task is to bring the gifts of those on the margin into the center. The distinction is between gifts and deficiencies or needs. We are not defined by deficiencies or what is missing. We are defined by our gifts and what is present. We choose our destiny when we have the courage to acknowledge our own gifts and choose to bring them into the world. A gift is not a gift until it is offered.
The Gifts Questions

What is the gift you still hold in exile?

What is something about you that no one knows?

What gratitude do you hold that has been gone unexpressed?

What have others in this room done, in this gathering that has mattered to you?

The Structure of Belonging takes shape when the question is asked not answered.

It is a shift for many leaders to move to a context that restores community and possibility through generosity and the giving of oneself through the questions one is capable of asking. As a leader, begin by asking this question of yourself, "What is the new conversation that I want to occur?"

Then you will have the answer about what conversation, from the six above, comes next. February is a month where love is celebrated in many cultural traditions. There is no greater expression of love and commitment than a leader committed to building a structure of belonging. I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever as a reminder that the courage and shift come in the forming and asking of powerful questions. Try it and see what happens. There is no greater way to overcome the obstacles we faced in the past year than feeling like we belong and extending that gift to others.

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.― Rainer Maria Rilke

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Structure of Belonging - Guiding Leaders and Teams

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The key to creating or transforming community, then, is to see the power in the small but important elements of being with others. The shift we seek needs to be embodied in each invitation we make, each relationship we encounter, and each meeting we attend.

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https://thecreativelittlechurch.com/how-to-start-a-womens-ministry/

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CST 101 is a collaborative 7-part video and discussion guide series presented by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic social teaching. The videos bring the themes of Catholic social teaching to life and inspire us to put our faith into action. Some suggested uses of the videos and discussion guides include adult faith formation settings, high school theology classes, in lay ministry formation and to prepare groups for service trips. The series also includes downloadable posters and handouts for adults and kids, in English and Spanish. The artwork featured in the posters, handouts and accompanying videos are courtesy of Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS.

Catholic Social Teaching Principles

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Catholic Social Teaching 101 Videos and Materials

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CST 101 is a collaborative 7-part video and discussion guide series presented by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services on Catholic social teaching. The videos bring the themes of Catholic social teaching to life and inspire us to put our faith into action.

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​​​​The following is a collection of tools from ABCD faculty members as well as individuals and organizations that embody the principles of ABCD in their work. The addition of the toolkit was made possible by a generous grant from the Alumnae of Northwestern University, the institute's former home.

We hope you find these to be useful. New tools will be added as we come across them.

The tools are arranged into three general categories: ABCD Talking Point Tools, Asset Mapping Tools and Facilitating Tools.

ABCD Talking Point Tools

These are helpful tools when presenting the ABCD principles, understanding what they can do and comparing organizing practices.

ABCD Basic Slide Presentation Notes and Descriptions

What is the essence of ABCD?, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Instructional: What is Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Collaborative for Community Transformation

What is an Association,Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

What is an Institution, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

The Bridge From Client to Community Member, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

ABCD Community Organizing​, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green ​

ABCD Organizing for Inclusion, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Young People in Our Communities, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Contributed by ABCD faculty member Tom Mosgaller, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Richland County Aging and Disability Resource Center, Richland, Wisconsin
"This wonderful video is a very useful description of the variety of activities that ABCD can stimulate."
-John McKnight

Charts: "Community Building Principles and Action Steps" Contributed by ABCD faculty member Dan Duncan

Chart: Needs-Based vs. Asset-Based "The New Paradigm for Effective Community Impact-Asset Based" - This chart compares needs-based strategies with asset-based strategies. Contributed by ABCD faculty member Dan Duncan

Community Partnerships That Really Work​, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Asset Mapping Tools

Mapping tools are available to download as PDF files.

Introduction to Capacity Inventories, Kretzmann and McKnight, 1993.

The Capacity Inventory, Kretzmann and McKnight, 1993.

How to Use the Capacity Inventory, Kretzmann and McKnight, 1993.

apping, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

ABCD in Action, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

ABCD Resource Kit. From our Asia-Pacific ABCD Network, this resource kit, titled Shifting Focus: Alternative Pathways for Communities and Economies, details the community partnering process used by the Latrobe City Council and Monash University, both in Australia. The kit includes documented examples of how positives can be found in negative situations, and will assist communities to establish micro-economic communities in their local area using people as their major resource.

Click on each link to download in four parts as PDF files:

ABCD Resource Kit Introduction
ABCD Resource Kit Part 1
ABCD Resource Kit Part 2
ABCD Resource Kit Appendices

Community Asset Map, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Guidebook: Participatory Community Building Guidebook, contributed by Dee Brooks and Michelle Dunscombe, Jeder Institute, 2020
The Art of Participatory Community Building blends patterns, practice, processes and principles from Asset Based Community-led Development, Art of Hosting, Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths based methodologies. This guidebook offers an insight to the range of patterns, practice, processes and principles available to support local community-led efforts.

Instructional Exercises: Gift Discovery (short version)
Gift Discovery (long version)
The purpose of these exercises is to demonstrate the wide variety of resources we have available to address an issue, beyond the services agencies offer.
Contributed by ABCD faculty member Dan Duncan

Capacity cards formatted to be printed on pre-cut business cards. There are 10 sheets of capacity cards (100) and two sheets of blanks (320). Corner sorting cards (four)A fun and engaging way to identify the gifts and capacities of a group of people.Contributed by ABCD faculty member Cormac Russell. Board Game: The "We Can" Game - Instructions and Guidelines for Playing Board Game Game Cards:
Board Game Corner Cards:

"Cormac Russell has invented a captivating 'game' that can flip negativity into an exploration of possibility - quickly - with groups of all sizes. It is quite remarkable. And it can be played with everyone! All sizes, shapes, ages, abilities. Basically people work in small groups of about 10 ideally. There could be many groups playing simultaneously in a room." -Jack Pearpoint

Board Game: The "12 Domains for People Powered Change" Game. An engaging and illuminating activity that asks the questions, "What can citizens do to create change, what can people do only with professionals and government and what can only government and professionals do to create change across 12 People powered domains? Contributed by ABCD f aculty member Cormac Russell.

Worksheet: Inupiaq Capacity Inventory - A capacity inventory designed specifically for an indigenous Alaskan community. An example of how the assets need to fit the community.

Block Connector Questionnaire - An example of questions used to collect information by a block connector in the Abundant Community Initiative, Edmonton, Canada. Contributed by Howard Lawrence.

Facilitating Tools

Instructional: Compendium of Methods and Tools for ABCD Facilitation ​ C ontributed by the Coady International Institute

This is a compendium of tools and methods compiled out of a 4-day Training of Trainers course in Asset Based and Community led Development (ABCD) offered by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS, South Africa) and the Coady International Institute (St. Francis Xavier University, Canada) in November 2012​​​​

Seven ABCD Principles For Institutions contributed by Tom Mosgaller
Instructional: Portrait of a Connected Neighborhood - Project CLIC: Creating Livable and Interactive Communities was aimed at creating more welcoming and inclusive neighborhoods by exploring the stories, photographs and experiences of citizens, one 'clic' at a time.

Instructional: "Gifts and Assets That People Who Are Vulnerable to Rejection Commonly Bring to Community" - A wonderful and important list of unique often overlooked gifts.
Contributed by ABCD f aculty member Judith Snow.

​: Connie Lyle O'Brien & John O'Brien Guiding Ideas​, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Two Tools for Community Building, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Community: A Place Filled With Care, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

To Get The Right Ducks; You Need The Right Duck Call, Twelve guiding principles for community engagement , Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

Inclusion Takes Both Person-Centered and Community-Centered Work, Contributed by ABCD faculty member Mike Green

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​​​​The following is a collection of tools from ABCD faculty members as well as individuals and organizations that embody the principles of ABCD in their work. The addition of the toolkit was made possible by a generous grant from the Alumnae of Northwestern University, the institute's former home.

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Introduction

When you feel included and engaged, do you do a better job? Do you think teams in which people work well together produce much better results? Have you noticed the best ideas often come from unexpected sources? Do you want to work at the top of your intelligence and give the same opportunity to others?

If YES, we have found this is the kind of organization and community that people want to be part of. AND, Liberating Structures help make it happen.

So why is it that so many organizations of all stripes are filled with disengaged workers, dysfunctional groups and wasted ideas?

While there will always be some justification for blaming leaders (or professors and administrators in education), the more compelling and useful explanation is not that people involved are bad, stupid or incompetent, but rather that the practices they have all learned are neither adapted to today's realities nor designed to achieve the ideals listed above.

Unwittingly, the conventional structures used to organize how people routinely work together stifle inclusion and engagement.

Conventional structures are either too inhibiting (presentations, status reports and managed discussions) or too loose and disorganized (open discussions and brainstorms) to creatively engage people in shaping their own future. They frequently generate feelings of frustration and/or exclusion and fail to provide space for good ideas to emerge and germinate. This means that huge amounts of time and money are spent working the wrong way. More time and money are then spent trying to fix the unintended consequences.

Liberating Structures start with something so simple and essential as not to seem worth doing and end with something so powerful and profound that it hardly seems possible.

This website offers an alternative way to approach and design how people work together. It provides a menu of thirty-three Liberating Structures to replace or complement conventional practices.

Liberating Structures used routinely make it possible to build the kind of organization that everybody wants. They are designed to include everyone in shaping next steps.

Liberating Structures introduce tiny shifts in the way we meet, plan, decide and relate to one another. They put the innovative power once reserved for experts only in hands of everyone.

This alternative approach is both practical and feasible because Liberating Structures are quite simple and easy to learn. They can be used by everyone at every level, from the executive suite to the grassroots. No lengthy training courses or special talents are required. Mastery is simply a matter of practice. LS routinely unleash a vast reserve of contributions and latent innovations waiting to be discovered.

Every person interested in leading change-in schools, hospitals, foundations, agencies, and businesses-can use Liberating Structures to generate innovation and great results.

Liberating Structures are easy-to-learn microstructures that enhance relational coordination and trust. They quickly foster lively participation in groups of any size, making it possible to truly include and unleash everyone. Liberating Structures are a disruptive innovation that can replace more controlling or constraining approaches.

Click on any Liberating Structure below.

Leaders know that they would greatly increase productivity and innovation if only they could get everyone fully engaged. The challenge is how. Liberating Structures are novel, practical and no-nonsense methods to help you accomplish this goal with groups of any size.

Liberating Structures spark inventiveness by minimally structuring the way we interact while liberating content or subject matter. Very simple constraints unleash creative adaptability, generating better than expected results. Individual brilliance and collective wisdom are unbridled. Such a dramatic shift cannot be THAT simple, engaging, and powerful but it is. Read Getting Started if you are ready to liberate yourself.

By design, Liberating Structures distribute control so that participants can shape direction themselves as the action unfolds.

Learning Events

Immersion workshops are a great way to get started. Like a foreign language immersion course that temporarily relocates you away from a familiar culture, a LS immersion experience is a very effective way to learn. There are no presentations, facilitated discussions, status reports, brainstorming sessions, or open discussions. Only Liberating Strucutres arepracticed. Organizing a workshop for people in your working group can accelerate "fluency."

Check out News and Events for more immersion workshops and LS User Group meetings. Subscribe to LS News & get access to archives here.

Liberating Structures are immeasurably practical. Our world is increasingly complex, interdependent, and culturally diverse. Many of our most pressing challenges cut across geographic, cultural, and technical boundaries. Simple methods that help us work together productively are central to making progress.

Helpful Analogies
Like Wikipedia, LS create simple rules to guide and liberate everyone's contributions. Wikipedia's must-dos and must-not dos specify how anyone can write articles, edit content, reach consensus about the facts, and share with attribution. This structure makes it possible for a diverse community to generate and sustain accurate content that compares favorably with professionally edited encyclopedias. Like Wikipedia, LS is a disruptive innovation in regard to how we engage people in organizations.

Like improv jazz, LS sparks freedom that arises from shared understanding of simple rules. Great jazz comes from playing creatively within the context of melodic and harmonic structure. Like water in a river, LS takes the shape of the banks that it touches: adapting a similar pattern at every scale and in each local setting.

Below: watch this inspired video by Professor Arvind Singhal talking about liberating education and the role of changemakers. UnScripTED: Liberating Structures

Read this practical article "Tiny Tweaks That Help You Use LS" by Barry Overeem.

Simple Ways to Engage Everyone on Zoom: Learn Several Liberating Structures in 30 minutes from Media Changemakers on Vimeo.
Unscripted #2 Liberating Structures with Dr. Arvind Singhal from Media Changemakers on Vimeo.
Lisa Gill is a fabulous writer and top drawer interviewer. Her Leadersmorphosis series dives deeply into self organizing @ work. Put your ear to this interivew she conducts with Henri and Keith.

Below, enjoy scenes from the LCJP Restorative Justice Summit. Liberating Structures were used to organize a three day event full of learning, designed to advance the Restorative Justice movement. Restorative Justice (RJ) aims to create communities in which people feel safe by carefully structuring opportunities for offenders to make amends and victims to regain their personal power. Restorative Justice practitioners found Liberating Structures to be highly structured, liberating better than expected results.

2012 CO RJ Summit Video from LCJP on Vimeo.

LS were used to design the Transformation of Nursing summit. Coalitions from all 50 states and DC came together to advance the cause.

For the United Nations ITC-ILO, Henri and Keith offered a Liberating Structures immersion workshop and follow-up consulting sessions. (The Centre is in Turin Italy.) The focus was how to organize for promoting decent work and sustainable development by not over-helping but rather facilitating networked self-organization.

Ten Principles

While the individual LS microstructures are powerful separately, they function as an interrelated set which can transform an entire organization. The LS repertoire is inspired by ten liberating principles.

When we decide we belong together, LS principles help to guide behavior and leadership actions. Detailed descriptions here.

The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures book! Preview and buy on Amazon. The color paperback ($49.95 USD), black&white ($19.95 USD) and e-book are now available on the Amazon website. Amazon offers deep discounts and free shipping to some customers.

The development team at Holisticon is happy to announce that the Liberating Structures App is now available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. A deep bow to their creative genius. Happy downloading!

Audio: A very playful Brave New Work podcast with Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans. On Liberating Structures with Lorenz Sell of Sutra and Keith. Lorenz asks the deepest questions about collective intelligence, generativity, and complexity science. (50 minutes) Coaching Zone Podcast with Keith and Dr. Krister Lowe. The focus is on how leaders and teams can develop more productive habits with LS. [45 minutes] Radio Interview with Meisha Rouser, organizational psychologist. The focus is on groups working at the top of their intelligence and imagination. And a third podcast interview with Amiel Handelsman that dips into specific LS microstructures and their use by groups to generate innovative cultures. [60 minutes].

Check out Falling Off the Horse while faciliating & leading with Liberating Structures. This article by Keith McCandless describes a personal path forward. It includes what is possible to stop doing when LS is integrated into your practice.

LS are inspired by complexity science. Listen to this entertaining RadioLab program on Emergence to learn about some of the underlying concept of complexity science.

LS User Groups (inventing and enlivening a new way to organize) Open Letter from a Grateful Student to All Educators
Rhapsody for Strings!

Below: early LS users and co-developers in Latin America, Europe, Canada and the USA.

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liberating structures, social invention.net, microstructures, disruptive innovation, behavior change, collaboration, social invention, diffusion of innovation, strategy, transformation, heuristics, complexity science, emergence

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Recommended by Tina

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What's CODE SWITCH? It's the fearless conversations about race that you've been waiting for. Hosted by journalists of color, our podcast tackles the subject of race with empathy and humor. We explore how race affects every part of society - from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between.

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http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/

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Collaboration is an imperative skill in any workforce. However, being able to facilitate groups toward successful collaboration, is a skill that can make you a superstar in any organization.

Whether you're organizing business strategy or an office potluck (remember those before the pandemic?), helping teammates communicate effectively and reach consensus with one another can be difficult, but also immensely rewarding.

Each facilitated activity is different and may require its own set of "rules" for success, however, I've found that the tips below are helpful - regardless of how simple or complex your activity may be.

So, hre are 5 Do's and Don'ts to consider the next time you find yourself in the seat of the facilitator.

Here are some things you want to do:

Model the Behavior You Want

Group members will mimic the behavior of other members in the group, especially the facilitator. If you're acting like the activity is a chore, then the group will believe it's not worth their time. However, if you're bringing positive energy and engagement to the work, you'll see the energy of the group change in response. Be mindful of the belonging cues you're sending out. Everything from your expressions, eye contact, body posture, energy, and most importantly, the language you're using. These cues demonstrate to the group how they should engage with one another.

Note: As many of us have shifted to collaborating remotely, turning on your camera is so important for facilitation. The group needs to see that you're attentive and engaged. Again, many will follow your lead. If you have a group that's resistant to turning on their cameras, turn yours on. You may be surprised to see others follow your lead.

Create Clarity

The primary role of the facilitator is to help the group find clarity. This can be achieved by simply being curious and inquisitive.

Examples: "Susan, can you tell us more about that?" or "Jeff, it looks like you want to jump in here, do you have something to add?"

You want to be constantly engaging group members, watching their body language, and helping them clarify their thoughts, so each member is heard and understood. This achieves two important things: First, it helps the group understand each other - of course - and second, it fosters trust between you and your group members.

Be Inclusive

As a facilitator, it's your job to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to contribute. But here's the thing to remember: each person contributes in their own way. Great facilitators are attentive to each group member. They're empathetic and don't treat facilitation as a "one size fits all" strategy. If you have members in the group that are shy or quiet, it may just mean that their style of collaboration isn't to just "jump in and start talking". Consider providing multiple ways to contribute to the discussion.

For example: Having them type comments in a chat window (or writing them on Post-Its), or taking turns to comment, or pairing up in smaller groups. All of these strategies can help less-vocal members contribute.

Also, be considerate of group dynamics and hierarchy. Appreciate how those forces may be affecting a member's willingness to speak freely. A junior employee may need support and advocacy if she's going to speak up in a meeting full of her superiors. In those situations, a great facilitator can be a powerful ally.

Be Positive

This may seem self-explanatory, but the facilitator must maintain the voice of positivity within the group. As a facilitator, you're looking to remove tension, not add to it. Constantly reminding the group that they're running out of time or that they're off track doesn't help. It adds anxiety and makes facilitation more about your need to control the group, rather than helping the group work effectively with one another.

Your tone should always be supportive and encouraging. If you have someone in the group that's combative, do what my father-in-law always says, "You gotta kill 'em with kindness." While difficult group members can be a chore, they can also be a fantastic opportunity for you to model positive, collaborative, behavior to the rest of the group. (More on how to deal with difficult group members below).

Remember: The quickest way to show that you've lost control of your group, is by losing your cool.

Have Fun!

Listen. I get it. Work is important and we're all trying to achieve serious things. But I just don't understand how we've convinced ourselves that work should be completely devoid of fun.

Great facilitators find small ways to interject fun into any activity. Perhaps it's sharing a quick story of something embarrassing that happened to you this morning (also, you're modeling vulnerability to the rest of the group. Double win!).

Or maybe you can try asking everyone about their latest Netflix binge or what new song they're obsessed with (then play that song during the next activity). You don't have to put on a comedy routine, but adding a bit of levity can go a long way when group members are tired or anxious.

Here are some things you should try and avoid:

Don't Be Afraid to Lead

You may have come to this list because you've been asked to facilitate a group activity for the first time. Perhaps you're feeling a bit of imposter syndrome and you're unsure of asserting yourself as the lead of the group.

You may be tempted to be agreeable and passive, ensuring that you don't come off bossy or controlling. That's not a good strategy.

Your job as a facilitator is to lead, so feel comfortable in that role and take charge where needed.

If the group is off track, jump in and assert yourself - gently steering them back to the activity.

Example: "I really like the energy around this discussion, but I want us to return to the question we're trying to answer here: <restate question>." A statement like this redirects the group's energy, in a positive way, and re-asserts your role as the group's organizer.

Don't Have All the Answers

Don't fall into the false belief that, as the facilitator, you have to have an answer to every question that comes your way. That's just not possible.

One of the downsides of being a great facilitator is that the group may often put you in the role of mediator or "judge".

"I have a question," someone clever might ask, "do you think it's a good idea to keep pursuing this strategy, if we don't have all the information?"

Don't take the bait. Instead, use it as an opportunity to re-engage the group.

"That's an important question! What does the group think?"

Your goal as a facilitator is not to have all the answers, it's to help the group find t heir own answers.

Don't Do All the Talking

You may be tempted to talk your way through a group who's quietly struggling. Do your best to avoid this.

Awkward silence can be brutal, but it may also be necessary.

Sometimes the best thing a facilitator can do, is let the group rest in the silence. If the group isn't talking, it doesn't mean that they're not engaged, they're confused, or that they don't care - it could just mean that they're processing their thoughts.

Throughout the activity, be mindful of your talking-to-listening ratio and make sure that it trends more toward listening.

Don't Seek Consensus on Everything

Not every decision needs to be reached by consensus. Especially decisions around how the group should organize themselves for the activity or how the work should be delivered. Where you can, do that work upfront and save your group's "consensus energy" for the decisions that matter.

For the smaller decisions, go for the presumptive close and move on.

Example: "There seems to be a lot of interest in option A, so let's start with that one."

Don't Ignore Non-Inclusive Behaviors

The most common situation I've mentored other facilitators on is the dreaded "difficult group member". We know these group members all too well. They talk over other group members, they roll their eyes at others' suggestions, they're aggressive, and pout when they don't get their way.

Fear of having to deal with bullies is the number 1 reason most people avoid opportunities to facilitate groups. But they shouldn't. There's a lot of info and great strategies to help you deal with these difficult collaborators. If you're looking for a really good resource, I'd recommend The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley. It's one of my favorites.

Bottomline, the best approach is to have a few tools ready should a situation arise. In my experience, the worst thing you can do is just ignore the behavior, hoping it'll go away (spoiler: It won't).

For now, here's a cheap list of things you can try:

1. Take note and keep moving: If you have a group member that is insistent on making a point that is tangential to the work being done, the best strategy is to just acknowledge it and move on. Example: "That's a really good point, but I want to move us back to the activity. I'll make note of it over here (demonstrate that you're capturing the idea), and if there's time we should definitely return to it."

2. Redirect: If a group member seems fixated on one idea, give them an opportunity to generate an opinion on something else. Example: "I really like your idea on this. I'm curious though, what are your thoughts on <the thing you want them to focus on>? Do you have something else we should be considering here?"

3. Draw others into the conversation: If one person has held the spotlight for too long, feel free to move it to someone else. Example: "Anyone have thoughts on what he's saying here? Is there anything else we should be thinking about? Tom, I noticed you got cut off earlier, did you have something to add?"

4. Make connections: One of the most powerful tools I use as a facilitator is having the freedom to say what others might not be able to say themselves. A great way to do this is by making connections between other group members. Stating the differences in opinions you're hearing can help nudge the conversation in a healthy direction. Example: "That's a really interesting point Mike, but I feel like I'm hearing something different from Teressa. Teressa, do we have another thought on this that I should be considering?" Note: Notice the use of I and we here. I'm using myself and the group as a proxy between Mike and Teressa, helping diffuse any tensions while creating clarity between them.

Just like any other skill, facilitating takes practice. While this list can help you focus on the right behaviors, be sure to give yourself patience and space to master them.

Regardless of your aspirations as a facilitator, one thing is for sure. The world needs more people willing to invest in tools that help us collaborate with one another.
MURAL: The Definitive Guide to Facilitating Remote Workshops The Facilitator's Handbook: 24 Design Sprint Tips by Jake Knapp 6 Essential Skills of an Effective Facilitator by Akash Chander

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Top 10 Do's and Don'ts for Effective Facilitation

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Collaboration is an imperative skill in any workforce. However, being able to facilitate groups toward successful collaboration, is a skill that can make you a superstar in any organization. Whether you're organizing business strategy or an office potluck (remember those before the pandemic?), helping teammates communicate effectively and reach consensus with one another can be difficult, but also immensely rewarding.

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Tips of Facilitating Effective Group Discussions

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Tips of Facilitating Effective Group Discussions

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement. Discussion is a powerful mechanism for active learning; a well-facilitated discussion allows the participant to explore new ideas while recognizing and valuing the contributions of others.

Roles of Discussion Leaders

adapted from Handelsman et al. 2006

1. Create an inclusive environment

Opportunities for reflection

What do the participants bring to the group? ("Characteristics that may give you a unique perspective")

Self-awareness; awareness of others

What do I bring to the group? What surprises or challenges me?

What behaviors am I most familiar or comfortable with?

What behaviors challenge me?

Allow participants to introduce themselves - you can even set up an ice breaker to have pairs of students introduce each other.

Be clear up front about expectations and intentions amongst participants and the facilitator.

Use inclusive language.

Ask for clarification if unclear about a participant's intent or question.

Treat participants with respect and consideration.

Develop an awareness for barriers for learning (cultural; social; experiential, etc).

Provide sufficient time and space for participants to gather their thoughts and contribute to discussions.

Provide opportunities for participants to pair-share.

Use certain conventions or language that will exclude certain groups from understanding the context of the discussion, or make them feel uncomfortable.

Assume participants all have the same expectations when the group first convenes.

Over-generalize behavior or have stereotypical expectations of participants (tokenism).

Use (or allow others to use) disrespectful language or tone, or disrespectful non-verbal communication.

Convey a sense of self-importance or superiority.

Allow only the dominant or more verbal participants to take over the conversation.

Discourage alternate views or counter-arguments.

Try to be someone else - be yourself.

2. Keep discussions constructive and positive

Make the discussion functional by clarifying the goals of each session to the group.

Establish ground rules:

Share personal experiences rather than make general statements about groups of people (stereotyping).

Ask dominant participants to allow others to speak.

Give all participants a voice- at the start highlight the value of a diversity of perspectives as an essential part of the process.

Go over constructive and destructive group behaviors at the start of the course / workshop.

Request that if participants challenge others' ideas, they back it up with evidence, appropriate experiences, and/or appropriate logic.

Try to keep the group on task without rushing them.

If the group starts to veer in the direction of negativity and/or pointless venting, ask them how they would like to address this.

Step back when a group is functional/functioning - help participants become independent learners; take control of their learning.

3. Encouraging participants

Encouraging participation can be accomplished by:

Writing participants' comments on the whiteboard.

Asking follow-up questions, and paraphrasing the comments for everyone to ponder. A combination of initiating and probing questions can be an effective approach to bring out participants' ideas further.

Asking the contributor for further clarification and/or elaboration.

Re-visiting past contributions and incorporating them into subsequent discussions.

Encouraging others to add their reactions or ideas to build on someone's comment.

Not being afraid to admit your own ignorance or confusion if you don't know something - invite others to provide resources, and use the opportunity to discuss with the group how one might go about researching the issue.

Discomfort and silence are ok, but balance with a clearly stated context and purpose.

Potential Problems in Discussions

adapted from: Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning Handbook, accessed July 2008

Maintaining discussions often means dealing as smoothly as possible with the problems that arise. Here are some common problems with suggestions for how to deal with them.

The participant who talks too much:

A way to approach the dominant participant and pull in non-participants is to redirect the discussion to another person or another topic. Alternatively, you may wish to reframe their comments, making them viable additions to the discussion. Facilitators might also ask one or more members of the group to act as observers for a few sessions, reporting back their observations to the group. Perhaps assigning the avid talker to the observer role would help the person develop sensitivity. Another approach is to break down the group into still smaller task groups.

The member who will not talk:

A way to approach non-participants is to provide opportunities for smaller group discussions or pair-share discussions. Smaller groups may help put some students at ease. A second strategy is to ask opinion questions occasionally (e.g., "How do you feel about this?"). This may encourage participation by reducing participants' fear of answering incorrectly. Another strategy is to have participants write out their answers to a question. Having the words written out may make it easier for a shy or fearful person to speak up.

The discussion that turns into an argument:

In good discussions, conflicts will sometimes arise. If such conflicts are left ambiguous, they may cause continuing trouble. Here are some ways to resolve them:

If the solution depends on certain facts, the facilitator can ask participants to refer to the text or another authority.

If there is an experimentally verified answer, the facilitator can use the opportunity to review the method by which the answer could be determined.

If the question is one of values, the facilitator may use the occasion to help participants become aware of the values involved.

The facilitator can list both sides of the argument on the board.

The facilitator can take a strong position as moderator, preventing participants from interrupting each other or speaking simultaneously. She or he can lay ground rules for discussion, such as asking participants to focus conflict on ideas rather than people and to resist being judgmental.

Unclear or hesitant comments:

The facilitator can encourage participants making unclear contributions to give examples and factual evidence of their points. The facilitator can also restate points for verification or rejection by the participants, or give enthusiastic nonverbal cues and patience.

The discussion that goes off track:

Some facilitators keep discussions on track by listing the questions or issues they want to cover on the board or summarizing the discussion on the board as it proceeds. Stopping and asking a participant to summarize where the discussion is at the point it appears to go off track may also help.

The student who attacks the facilitator:

When participants argue for the sake of argument, facilitators will usually lose if they take the bait. Participants or students who attack often want attention, so simply giving them some recognition while firmly moving on often takes care of the problem. If participants are simply trying to embarrass the facilitator, they may seek to make him or her defensive with such comments as, "How do you really know that...?" or "You're not really saying that...?" Such questions can be handled by playing boomerang. The facilitator might say, "What I'm saying is..., but now I'd like you to share your perspective." Turning the question back to the questioner forces him or her to take responsibility for his or her opinion. Other ways to handle these situations include:

Confrontation - Facilitators can confront the questioner with their reactions to his or her behavior. "I'm uncomfortable with the imprecision of your questions. What I really hear you saying is..."

Active listening - Facilitators can paraphrase the message they heard and check out the accuracy of their assumptions before responding.

Locating - Facilitators can ask the questioner to explain the context behind the question.

Reframing - The focus can be on clarifying the assumptions behind the person's argument and then inviting her or him to see alternative possibilities.

Deferring - Often, the best strategy is to invite participants to come up after the session and arrange for a time to talk about the disagreement further, and then move the discussion on to another topic.

References

Boice, R. (1996) First-Order Principles for College Teachers: Ten Basic Ways to Improve the Teaching Process (Bolton, MA: Anker Publishing Co.)

Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment Guidebook, Center for Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (University of Wisconsin-Madison).

Feito, J. (2007) Allowing Not-Knowing in a Dialogic Discussion. The International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, accessed July 2008. http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n1/feito/ij_feito.htm

Gelula, M.H. (1997) Clinical discussion sessions and small groups. Surgical Neurology, 47:400-403.

Handelsman, J., Miller, S., & Pfund, C. (2006) Scientific Teaching: Diversity, Assessment, Active Learning (New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.)

Sellers, S.L., Roberts, J., Giovanetto, L., Friedrich, K. & Hammargren, C. (2007) Reaching All Students-A Resource for Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (Second Edition) (Madison, WI: Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning)

Steinert, Y. (2004) Student perceptions of effective small group teaching. Medical Education, 38:286-293.

Tuckman, B. & Jensen, M. (1977) Stages of Small Group Development. Group and Organizational Studies, vol. 2, pp.419-427.

University of Queensland: Designing Culturally Inclusive Environments, accessed July 2008. www.tedi.uq.edu.au/cdip

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Tips on Facilitating Effective Group Discussions

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Effective facilitation of a discussion involves the recognition and employment of different perspectives and different skills to create an inclusive environment. In order to do so, it is important to consider the features of effective discussions, and conditions that promote small group interaction and engagement.

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Say Her Name Publication https://44bbdc6e-01a4-4a9a-88bc-731c6524888e.filesusr.com/ugd/62e126_8752f0575a22470ba7c7be7f723ed6ee.pdf

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Kimberlé Crenshaw: The urgency of intersectionality

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Now more than ever, it's important to look boldly at the reality of race and gender bias -- and understand how the two can combine to create even more harm. Kimberlé Crenshaw uses the term "intersectionality" to describe this phenomenon; as she says, if you're standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you're likely to get hit by both.

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In this exclusive interview, the three founders of #BlackLivesMatter sat down with documentary filmmaker Sabrina Schmidt Gordon to discuss the origin of the hashtag, and their vision about the movement for Black lives. Read her essay about the making of the video.

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#BlackLivesMatter: How A Hashtag Defined a Movement - Define American

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In this exclusive interview, the three founders of #BlackLivesMatter sat down with documentary filmmaker Sabrina Schmidt Gordon to discuss the origin of the hashtag, and their vision about the movement for Black lives. Read her essay about the making of the video.

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Recommended by Tina

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The past is never past. Every headline has a history. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.Subscribe to Throughline+.

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Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church by: Olga M. Segura

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Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church by: Olga M. Segura

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Recommended by Peter

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birth of a movement: black lives matter and the catholic church

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race relations - religious aspects - catholic church

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religion/christian living - social issues

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religion / christian life / social issues

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religion/christian living - social issues

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Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church

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Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church [Segura, Olga M.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church

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Community: The Structure of Belonging by: Peter Block

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Community: The Structure of Belonging by: Peter Block

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Book discussed in class

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business & economics / organizational behavior

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social sciences: textbooks & study guides

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Modern society is plagued by fragmentation. The various sectors of our communities--businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government--do not work together. They exist in their own worlds. As do so many individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, th...

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The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker

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The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters by Priya Parker

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Book discussed in class

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The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

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The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters [Parker, Priya] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

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The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

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The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

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Book discussed in class

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"The Abundant Community is a book that reminds us that our greatest strength as a people comes from the gifts of caring, aware communities and neighborhoods."
-Frances Strickland, educational psychologist and First Lady of Ohio

"Peter and John provocatively challenge us as individuals to understand the power of the individual and the potential of our work together. They also suggest local governments develop new ways of engaging and connecting residents to develop the assets available in all communities."
-Robert J. O'Neill, Jr., Executive Director, International City/County Management Association

"This is a magnificent book. It is intelligent, but more than that, it is wise. This book is the kukakuka (deep conversation) between two kupuna (wise elders), sharing stories, ideas, memories, regrets, possibilities, and hope and weaving all of it together for us. Read this book with your mind, heart, and spirit."
-Puanani Burgess, Principal, One Peace-at-a-Time

"In this slim volume there is theory and there is practice but above all, hope and a way out of the disconnectedness of our society. It remind us that the success of the American democratic experiment lies in the hands of its citizens."
-James Keene, City Manager, Palo Alto, California

"The Abundant Community presents an elegant and compelling argument... A powerful statement that can simultaneously enable our everyday politics and enrich our souls."
-Carmen Sirianni, Morris Hillquit Professor of Labor and Social Thought, Brandeis University, and author of Investing in Democracy

"This book is a remarkable and timely contribution. It proposes an inspiring alternative that pushes us to engage and reengage on this entirely possible journey of hope."
-Jack Pierpoint, Publisher, Inclusion Press

"The Abundant Community is both a gentle awakening and a powerful call to action. These ideas have inspired a network of community builders in South Africa."
-Dr. Louise van Rhyn, founder, Symphonia (South Africa)

"In an era when we look to professions and institutions to address most of our community needs, or to fix our neighborhood problems, this book provides the refreshing and empowering perspective that what we most need exists all around us-a message that is as relevant in Mumbai as it is in Minneapolis."
-Mary Coyle, Director; Gordon Cunningham, Assistant Director; and Alison Mathie, Manager, Research and Publications, The Coady Institute, and authors of From Clients to Citizens

"We live in a world where every day many people experience loneliness, anxiety, and want. Many are hoping and wondering when the 'big break' will come. This book contains the map to the buried treasure. Locked in the secret code 'invitation, participation, connection' is the source of our wealth: our own and our neighbors' giftedness."
-Judith Snow, social inventor and peace advocate

"For over thirty-five years John McKnight and his colleagues at Evanston have labored to clarify the essence of mobilizing communities for health. Now writing with Peter Block the two offer us the E = mc2 of health. This book is destined to be a bible for public health and human services."
-Dr. John R. Ashton, Chairman, United Kingdom Public Health Association, and Director of Public Health, Cumbria, England

"This book exposes what economists have missed: the core economy of community. It provides the vision and the tools that put a life of mean- ing and abundance within our reach and answers the only two questions we need to ask: Why are we here? And what kind of world do we want to leave for those who come after us?"
-Edgar Cahn, founder, Time Banks, and author of No More Throw-Away People

"Block and McKnight go right to the heart of what we have to pay atten- tion to and do if we want to live in a better world. Their book is intelli- gent, practical, and well crafted. Use it to help make your world better."
-Adam Kahane, Partner, Reos Partners, and author of Power and Love

"This book gives us a new lens by which to see heretofore unseen limi- tations on and new possibilities for communal life. A useful guide for community organizers like me."
-Jimmy Toyama, Columnist, Nurturing Our Taro Patches,
The Paradise Post

John McKnight is emeritus professor of education and social policy and codirector of the Asset-Based Community Development Institute at Northwestern University. He is the coauthor of Building Communities from the Inside Out and the author of The Careless Society. He has been a community organizer and serves on the boards of several national organi-zations that support neighborhood development.
Peter Block is a partner in Designed Learning, a training company that offers workshops designed by Block to build the skills outlined in his books. He is the author of Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, and Community. He is the recipient of numerous awards, most recently the Organization Development Network's 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award.

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the abundant community: awakening the power of families and neighborhoods

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community development; social science; sociology; history books; history; sociology books; community involvement; neighborhoods; how to build community; building bridges; human connection; creating new relationships; interpersonal relationships; sustainability and growth; hospitality; compassion; gentrification; anthropology; psychology; culture; society; philosophy; community; business; social; nature; education; civilization; sustainability; leadership; economics; ethics; technology; cultural studies; work; political science

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The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

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The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods [McKnight, John, Block, Peter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

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From the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture

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National Museum of African American History and Culture

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For some, community means a group of people sharing common social characteristics, physical space, ideas, beliefs, or activities. For others, a community cannot exist unless the people coming together care about and feel connected to each other. This nuance reminds us that we can have things in common and be in the same space, but still feel isolated from and even afraid of each other. By considering each other's lives and experiences, and perspectives, we allow a community to be not only about what we have in common but what makes us different.

"Far too often, people think of themselves as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity."

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Community and community building are central to conversations about identity and equity. At the National Museum of African American History and Culture, community building is the way we connect and interact with others during our antiracist work and discussions about race. By sharing our own social identities (e.g. race, gender, class, culture, etc.), experiences and insights in these conversations, we're committing to building a community with others dedicated to achieving racial and social equity.

Community is essential to the health of human beings. If a person is not around people that care about them or for whom they have social connections, it can result in social isolation and emotional harm. Starting from birth, humans need nurturing relationships. This basic need for community is vital through a person's life. Learn about the science of human belonging starting in infancy.

The Importance of Community Building
Humans have survived by living in communities since the beginning of time. We are born into families, and into the groups that our families choose to be a part of. We also deliberately seek out and create community based on proximity (neighborhood or workplace), shared values and beliefs (religion, activism or politics), and individual interests (book clubs, sports or hobbies). When we intentionally create a community for the purpose of a shared goal, it can deepen relationships, create feelings of belonging, and provide support for the health and wellbeing of all members. Community is a gateway to better understand our own lives and the lives of others and creates an essential foundation for people working toward common goals.

Ubuntu - A person is a person through other persons South African philosophy

Community Building in Equity Work

Ground Rules or Community Agreements
When discussing race or across any lines of difference, an essential first step is creating ground rules or to ensure open, respectful dialogue and encourage maximum participation. Here are some suggested guidelines on creating community agreements.

Examples of norms or community agreements we have used are the four agreements from "Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools," by Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Linton.

Stay engaged: Staying engaged means "remaining morally, emotionally, intellectually, and socially involved in the dialogue."

Experience discomfort: This norm acknowledges that discomfort is inevitable, especially in dialogue about race, and that participants make a commitment to bring issues into the open.

Speak your truth: Use "I" statements when talking. You are the only person who has your unique experiences.

Expect and accept nonclosure: This agreement asks participants to "hang out in uncertainty" and not rush to quick solutions. Be aware that racial understanding requires ongoing dialogue.

Safe Spaces to Brave Spaces
A long tradition in equity work, ground rules have been used to create a safe environment for having honest, open conversations about differences and identity. For people who identify as white, safety is often confused with comfort. In our workshops, we encourage our white participants to "get comfortable with being uncomfortable."

Conversations about race may be uncomfortable, yet it is at the edge of discomfort where we can learn the most. Since we cannot remove the risk from conversations about race, we encourage a shift in mindset. By moving from safe spaces to brave spaces, we can rise to the challenge of having honest conversations that lead to a more equitable society.

For people of color, a racially mixed group is rarely a safe space no matter what the intent of the participants. Brave space requires different kinds of bravery for people of color than it does for white people.

The Power of Storytelling
In a data-driven world, we can very often find our world reduced to numbers, statistics, and soundbites. While informative, if we use only those methods of understanding our world, we can miss the nuances and subtle differences in what it means to be human. Storytelling is an essential way to portray the complexity of the human experience.

When community building, the power to share our own stories and hear the stories of others is foundational and uplifts us all. By reflecting and understanding our own lives and those of others, we connect our shared experiences and learn from our differences. This process of sharing stories strengthens our ability to consider different perspectives and builds our empathy towards others. Learn more about the science of how our brains react to storytelling.

Through the act of storytelling, we practice being vulnerable as we share our own stories. When we hear stories of others, we practice the art of deep listening. The dual nature of storytelling, consisting of vulnerability and listening, form two crucial characteristics of community building.

The Courageous Conversation Compass
A powerful tool to use to seek an understanding of others is the Courageous Conversation Compass from "Courageous Conversations about Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools" by Glenn E. Singleton and Curtis Linton. The compass, initially designed for educators, can be used to identify how each of us enters the dialogue about race and how we process the content. Recognizing and considering where each of us joins the conversation can lead to a more open, more in-depth understanding.

Emotionally: We respond to information through feelings, when a racial issue strikes us at a physical level and causes an internal sensation such as anger, sadness, joy, or embarrassment.

Intellectually: Our primary response to a racial issue or information that may result in a personal disconnect with the subject or lead to a search for more information or data. An intellectual response is often verbal and based on rational thinking.

Morally: We respond from a deep-seated belief that relates to the racial information or event. This belief has to do with the "rightness" or "wrongness" of a given racial issue. The justifications for one's moral views are often that of a "gut" or intuitive reaction and may not be verbally articulated.

Socially: We connect and respond to racial information through our specific behaviors or actions.

Source: "Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools," by Glenn E. Singleton, 2nd Edition (2015). Corwin: A SAGE Company. Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Gratitude
Throughout American history, from slavery to segregation to modern-day challenges, we appreciate humanity's strength, resistance, and resilience. We even people find joy and gratitude despite horror and hardship. At the museum, we end our workshops with expressions of gratitude. We acknowledge the journey we have shared and the choice each participant has made to join in conversations about race in our community.

Gratitude is more than saying "thank you" to someone. From a scientific perspective, gratitude is an emotion that serves a biological purpose; it is a more profound appreciation that produces longer lasting positivity. Gratitude can help reduce stress in big and small ways, including the pressure that may arise in conversations about race. We show appreciation to individuals engaged in antiracist work because of its power to improve well-being, increase patience, and boost brain function. Expressing gratitude toward others seals the time we've spent together, enhancing the bond we have with each other as people committed to antiracist work. It acknowledges the humanity that is central to the work and says, "I see you."

Recognizing, honoring, and embracing the differences in our identities can help us to be more understanding, empathetic, and cooperative as we work towards equity. By recognizing how we are the same and how we are different, we can know each other more deeply. This understanding allows us to create powerful communities dedicated to equity for all.

Examples of Community Building
Explore the videos below that exemplify the power of building community.

WATCH: Not In Our Town presents a portrait of a community grappling with a suspected hate crime after an African American family's home was set on fire in Manhattan Beach, California.

REFLECT:

In the video above, the Clintons describe the community they experienced in Manhattan Beach before their home was firebombed and the community they experienced in Manhattan Beach afterward. What do you notice about their two descriptions? What difference did community make to them?

Learn More about the Clinton's family history of community building in the face of bigotry.

WATCH: Stephen Thompson walks you through his journey from being a ward of the state at age nine to Silicon Valley Executive and how he created a community to pave the way.

REFLECT: Stephen Thompson overcame incredible life obstacles, and he asserts, "My success is a symptom of my community." Why do you think he feels this way? What have your various communities given you that you value?

WATCH: Angel Alviar-Langley (a.k.a. Moonyeka) runs a movement-based program for black and brown girls, welcoming like-minded women and LGBTQ+ people into the dance scene. Watch her and other dancers pop, strut and waack at the Seattle Center.

LISTEN: For several months, Brian Peterson passed Matt Farris on his way to and from work. Then, one day, Brian decided to introduce himself. The friendship they would go on to develop would have a surprising influence on them both.

REFLECT: Given these strangers have very different lives, what do you think is the benefit of their efforts to connect in a meaningful way?

WATCH: Students Demonstrate Two Community Building Practices

Let's Think

Watch below as John McKnight, a longtime civics community builder, talks about the importance of valuing people, especially those different from you, as bringers of gifts and not bringers of problems. What do you think of his perspective? What is your view on the best way to do community building?

Let's Talk

1. Consider the places in your community that people come together to socialize where you feel comfortable.

2. Now identify the social situations that people gather where you don't feel comfortable.

3. Write down your thoughts for at least 3 minutes about why you feel as you do for each. Have a partner from the same place do the same activity.

4. Share the thoughts you generated. Take turns listening to each other, one at a time, BUT NOT RESPONDING at any point, only listening attentively.

5. Use the opportunity to hear what elements might make a community welcoming or unwelcoming. Conclude by thanking your partner for sharing.

Let's Act

One of the most potent ways of community building is to involve yourself with other people doing something you value in an organized way.

Can you think of an activity you value (a hobby, a skill you want to learn, or a campaign you want to be involved in) to participate in for a defined period of time?

Now imagine a way to do this activity with a group made of people who are mostly of a social group radically different from yours in some way (e.g., age, ethnicity, religion, political orientation, etc.)?

Once you decide on an activity, consider making a short-term commitment to trying it out (if it sounds daunting, consider picking something with five or fewer participants).

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For some, community means a group of people sharing common social characteristics, physical space, ideas, beliefs, or activities. For others, a community cannot exist unless the people coming together care about and feel connected to each other.