We've been collecting toolkits & research for having better conversations, building community, and promoting civic engagement. We thought we'd put them in one place here to share with anyone looking to start a conversation or bring people together in your community:
Conversation Toolkits:
- Civil Conversations Project (Source: On Being)
- Ask Three Questions (Source: On Being)
- Daring Discussions (Source: Womens March)
- The All-America Conversations Toolkit (Source: National Civic League)
Civic Engagement & Diplomacy:
- Renew Your Civic Vows (Source: Citizen University)
- How to Understand Power (Source: Citizen University)
- How to Turn Protest into Change (Source: Citizen University)
- Civic Saturday (Source: Citizen University) - in development
- Guide to Citizen Diplomacy (Source: U.S. State Dept)
Community Events:
- SOUP Micro-Granting Dinners (Source: Detroit SOUP)
- 500 Plates (Source: Creative Exchange)
- Refugees Welcome to Dinner (Source: UNICEF)
- People's State of the Union Story Circle (Source: U.S. Dept of Arts & Culture)
- Ben Franklin Circles (Source: Citizen University, Hoover Institution & 92Y)
Community Planning & Development:
- Principles for Ethical Redevelopment (Source: PlaceLab & Rebuild Foundation)
- All-In Cities (Source: PolicyLink)
- Tools for Measuring Public Life (Source: Gehl Institute)
- Mayors Guide to Public Life (Source: Gehl Institute)
- Tactical Urbanism Guide (Source: Street Plans)
- Open Streets Toolkit (Source: 880 Cities & Street Plans)
- How to Build A Better Block (Source: Better Block Foundation)
- Park(ing) Day Manual (Source: Rebar Group)
- Making Change in Public Space (Source: Center for Urban Pedagogy)
- Making Policy Public (Source: Center for Urban Pedagogy)
- What is Zoning? (Source: Center for Urban Pedagogy)
- What is Affordable Housing? (Source: Center for Urban Pedagogy)
Civil Rights & Racial Justice:
- Created Equal (Source: National Endowment for the Humanities)
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (Source: SURJ)
- House Party Kit (Source: Kentuckians For The Commonwealth)
- Living Room Convos (Source: Groundwork Madison, Wisconsin)
- Anti-Racism Resource Packet (Source: Catholic Worker Community, St. Louis)
Community Research:
- How We Gather (Author: Casper ter Kuile & Angie Thurston, 2015)
- Soul of the Community (Source: Knight Foundation, 2010)
- The Big Sort (Author: Bill Bishop, 2008)
- Bowling Alone (Author: Robert D. Putnam, 2000)
What are we missing? Any toolkits, curricula or guides you've found helpful? Let us know.
Also see our blog post: Why Conversations?