I LOVED THIS BOOK!
It is now my life... :-) -- Jennifer

Notes from the book “Community Weaving” by Kent Roberts/Jay Newman www.civilitycenter.org
This is their second book. The first is: Bring a dish to pass. Here are the themes from the first book.
-Be realistic about this journey. Change is not easy. It will take time.
-Getting on the right path to improvement is more than half the battle. Figure out how to be successful in your community.
-Success begins with you.
-If we try to solve problems in isolation from each other, we will have limited success.
-With a diverse array of partners, you can make an impact sooner rather than later.
-Opportunities for civil dialogue are necessary if you are serious about improving community conditions.
…Here are other points made:
-Results oriented people need actions with observable outcomes, and processing-oriented people focus on continuing the methods that drive the action. Both are crucial for improving communities.
-Look both within and outside the community for guidance. All resources need to be leveraged around a healthy attitude toward self-improvement.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Leadership is the ability to produce change. 3 types -Local line, internal networkers and executive.
The real threat to our way of life lies inside our society, not outside. (ouch! An ah-ha moment!)
Hurdle 1 When it comes to change, we must learn to show more change. People want to be a part of something that flat out works and they motivate themselves as they experience success. Thus change is personal and it must be cultivated.
Hurdle 2 Focus on change of environment that produces a behavior – not the symptom. Use a comprehensive approach not a multi faceted one. Two be involved, start with where community members already are and build on to that.
Hurdle 3 Include all from the community – find the shared values.
Don’t offer a service, offer an opportunity to the solution.
Community building delivers services, combats problems and builds capacity for change among individuals and community institutions.
All help in a different way so provide different types of involvement opportunities. “If everyone is a resource, than we must create ways to let everyone give.”
As professionals trying to help, we must stop thinking that we know what is best for other people. The important question is, when do we step in and help and when do we step back and let people do things for themselves? Professionals are good, but not there to solve problems. Leave problems for the community members to solve.
It is also very important to treat people as a source of valuable knowledge, skills and talents. Building a communities capacity requires also building the capacity of its people. We do this by our actions and conversations. People know when others are not sincere.
If we want responsible citizens and learning communities, it must be done by design. We must be proactive about engaging more people in the practice of strengthening the community fabric.
If we truly want to engage everyone in the conversation, we must use language everyone understands. If people “speak a different language”, we must provide translation. (Gene is always talking about this.)
Each community member should look at existing “groups” that each community member is in, (work, church, school) and look at how to strengthen relationships with others already there!
Page 27 and Page 28 give ways to build community relationships. Good for Ashley to note. This information could also be shared on our website.
Communities need to take ownership of their problems.

To get people involved, the best way to do this is face to face – one by one. This is much more effective than mass mailings, posters etc. Each group may have a different reason to want to get involved. That is what you need to talk with them about. (Do your homework before you meet with them.)
Be open to new ideas. Not each person will be involved, but a community must have a large groups of citizens from each interested party involved.
Here is a question, if this moves so slowly, how do you evaluate? The neat thing about this whole process is that you never really fail, because you can learn from every experience. There is no downside to working with people and organizations across the community. The work by itself is positive growth.
Measurements keep you on track.
Implement something the community is ready for. (Don’t promote that all wear toga’s if the community is only at the point of having a wear a hat day.)
Need to have a dialogue - not a conversation. A dialogue allows you to really hear what the other one says. Best thing to do here is Agree to disagree.
Being proactive supports dialogue. Being reactive solves specific problems.
Proactive responses focus on… …fundamental problems, underlying issues and structures, long-term solutions, results that evolve, changes to culture and environment, capacity building, broad citizen involvement, equality, systems thinking, patters.
Reactive responses focus on… …symptoms, crises and behaviors of concern, short-term solutions, immediate results, no real change, fixing problems, involvement of service providers and recipients, divisions between experts and clients, random problem solving and isolated events.
It takes a child to raise a village. Get kids involved. All will listen to kids speaking and all will want to model for those kids. (Hmmm. Interesting!)
Change is one of the few constants in our modern world. How we respond to change will determine our success.
It is the same with leadership. The need for us all to be leaders is a given. Our responses to that challenge will set our course for success.
The power of leadership falls into the hands of many – not the few.
Staying open minded is listening to common sense.
When you can blend many different tools and methods to met your community’s needs, you will be well on your way to creating your very own effective process. There isn’t a manual.
Remember, continue to focus big picture.
Take the opportunity to look at the situation through a new lens. That means look at the situation through someone elses eyes. (Seek first to understand and then be understood.)
Asking the right questions is important. Here are some the book offers as suggestions:
-Who needs to be involved to make this work?
-What strategies will be most effective?
-Where do we look to reach the right people?
-How do we really get them engaged?
-How can we involve young people?
-If we are successful, how will we know it?
-What changes will occur as a result of our efforts?
-How will our new efforts be different from approaches used in the past?
-Are there other efforts out there that we could combine or leverage to help us with this effort?
-How do we demonstrate that we are serious about being effective and will we sustain our efforts over time?
Use the outcome you seek to drive the change and you won’t have to worry about accountability or compliance. show less

Book Review: Bring a Dish to Pass

Authors: Ken Roberts and Jay Newman

Organization: The National Civility Center

Reviewed by: Ashley Ward

Observations/Key Messages:

Forward:

• Must build an environment ready for change, based on trust and taking time to build relationships, develop a common language to prepare for dialogue
• Put needs of community above your own
• Involve all community members-not just the active ones, or not just people most in need-consider community as a whole-avoid band-aiding, make systemic change

Setting the Community Table:

• Community improvement not only involves the pursuit of common goals and practices but includes skill development and capacity building in members to create the change-make improvements (in other words: teach them to fish)
• Set the conditions right from the beginning (analogy: pot luck gathering, value is in combination of dishes rather than one dish by itself)
• Themes:
o take the work to heart
 take the time, get involved in your community-it takes YOU but grows from US
o have a comprehensive plan
 have the plan in place before the work begins but don’t delay planning waiting for everyone to get involved,
 allows for coordination of goals and services, think about how programs can enhance one another rather than just advancing their own mission
 open planning phase to formal organizations and informal groups, any contributions should be valued
o include a diverse array of partners
 do not involve show more professionals only
 lots of people care about their communities and want to get involved, they are waiting for a chance
o use civility to build trusting relationships
 solid relationships are based on TRUST and our actions must be guided by CIVILITY (issue of placing community interest above your own
 assess the quality of relationships in your community: do you trust each other? Do you schools, law enforcement, government?
o think broadly and inclusively
 avoid focusing only on those who need help the most-it is important to respond to and serve the needs of ALL community members and not just react to crisis situations
 create better opportunities for everyone, avoid labeling some community members as “clients” or “victims” or “at-risk” but rather see the potential in everyone-we all have something to contribute
 treat all with dignity and respect
 “If our efforts are not good enough for everyone, they are not good enough for anyone”
• Take these five areas and add in hard work and patience great things can be accomplished

Coming to the Community Table:

• Principles of Engagement:
o View everyone in positive terms
 avoid judgment and criticisms
 look for each person’s unique gift
 support each other
o Develop a common language
 use simple language-avoid driving people away with jargon
 discuss and select as a community group shared definitions of words and concepts (idea: develop a glossary of terms and distribute it)
 “Language is the building block from which we can discuss change” (Anne Kubisch, Director, The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives)
o Build trust and strong relationships
 Trust helps avoid petty arguments and competition
 Be aware of those who want to “protect” the status quo at all costs (afraid/avoid change)
 Consider history of discrimination for some people, trust does not always come easy to people who have experienced marginalization and disrespect
 Consider the variety of situations and circumstances where trust can be build across groups, build bridges and work side by side so trust can grow
 Create opportunities for discussion among leaders-it takes hard work and deliberate action, but it can be done!
o Remember our shared humanity
 Stop looking for differences and find situations/concerns everyone shares
o Value both the process and the results
 Consider this work comprises 2 competing needs: generate better results fast and address root causes of problems to produce sustainable results
 Commit to the long-haul
 Sustainability includes creating a process that works and can produce results
 Products that are directly linked to goals help get more people involved and give a sense of accomplishment***be careful not to see product as final solution (analogy of community improvement as an investment-better to think of long-term=bigger gain)
 Use desire for a “product” as the catalyst for developing the process
o Look for guidance within and outside the community
 Outside assistance is beneficial in terms of neutrality, avoid bias, offers motivation, guidance, support, encouragement and knowledge

• Rules of Engagement:
o Broad, democratic participation
 Communities are complex and have issues beyond the capacity for key leaders to solve
 Everyone has the ability to be a resource and be a part of the solution
 Working with a larger group takes patience, decision-making is more involved, uneven skill sets-takes time to develop skills in some people
 Believe that all people involve only want the BEST for their community (even when actions might seem contrary)
 Encourage and support new membership even when it takes time to help them become involved
o Neutral leadership and coordination
 Most collaborative efforts begin with a small group of dedicated people and eventually a leader or leadership group emerges (through trial and error) that has the trust and ability to work with broader community
 Leadership needs to use an inclusive, comprehensive approach always
 Leadership needs to represent many facets of the community and should be “hosted” at a neutral site if possible
 Leader as symbol of movement and must exemplify dedication, credibility and skills to produce results
 Be aware of the risk of linking effort to leader’s personality
 Leadership may change several times before results are evident, focus on the work and ideas, NOT THE LEADER
 Think about dividing coalition efforts into 2 entities:
• The powerbrokers, these folks do not have the time to be involved day to day but can speak publically about efforts and results and have credibility
• Grassroots efforts and interests, reflects all segments of the community, this group helps implement ideas and gives the leader feedback re: effectiveness
 Consider pooling resources for leadership salary
o Action based on a shared sense of purpose
 Organized action that builds on existing resources and integrates new efforts with past activities that will improve community environment
 Actions that produce the best results are ones that untie people around a shared priority (not so much the purpose but what people think is important and valued in their community)
 Community action (analogy to barn raising-everyone has a part to play and is responsible in building some part of the barn)
 Action around a shared agenda can connect people and organizations in ways that exceed original goals, group efforts inspire people and give incentives to try harder-for the common good
o Documentation and evaluation
 Important to ask the following when establishing a procedure to document/evaluate your efforts:
• How do we know if what we are doing is working?
• How can we learn from our mistakes?
• Are we on track and heading in the right direction?
 Set standards, keep records, periodically measure progress toward goals
 The more information the better the action plan
 Remember to monitor the leader/leadership
 Data is important and helpful when applying for grants (prove the value of an approach)
 Have a clear idea of the results you want to achieve, how your actions will produce the expected results and what will indicate results have been achieved
 Establish checkpoints/benchmarks
 Consider the following when analyzing data:
• Do the data/observations indicate that the desired results have been met?
• Where are the gaps in our results and how can we modify the process to fill those gaps?
• Any surprises or unexpected results?
• Are we on track with our original goals/desired results or do we need to focus on different outcomes?
 Based on answers to the above questions, prepare a simple report for everyone to review and get feedback

Dining at the Community Table: Diners turn ingredients into a feast

• Nine crucial sectors of the community
o Business
 Based in concern for high-quality workforce: strong work ethic, reliability, teamwork, eagerness to learn (many of these qualities are lacking among employees and are not taught if people come from troubled environments)
 Self-interest to invest in quality of community life
 Many ways for businesses to be involved in community aside from financial donations (eg: parent programs, incentives for employee mentors, offer planning and financial advice to community organizations, contribute talent and leadership in schools)
o Education
 Important point to consider: “all of a community’s problems seem to play out and intensify in schools” (p. 50)
 Schools not only provide education but address students’ safety and S/E needs (typically these factors can interfere with learning and should be addressed by schools)
 School-community partnerships expand the web of support for students by involving the parents, businesses, law enforcement, govt., health care providers, etc. Schools gain allies and resources to help in the other arenas so they can focus on education of youth primarily
 Strengthen the relationship between the teachers and caregivers in order to lay the foundation for student success
 Students get the message that people care about them when they see school and community collaboration (this is so important to healthy child development-to know people care)
 Create opportunities for parents to volunteer in school, hold annual fair focused on parenting tips, school-based family centers that give parents a place to gather and share
 Bring in business leaders as mentors, oversee classroom projects, speak to students about real-world perspective
 Local health professionals can provide health screenings and information on other health topics
 Have high school students create a portfolio of accomplishments throughout high school and present to a panel of community members at the end of their senior year-become more comfortable speaking to an audience and being interviewed
 Job Fairs
 Make police more familiar in school setting-not feared but seen as a resource and for guidance
 SIP (School Improvement Plans): most include a community outreach aspect
o Youth
 Bring energy to the table, along with empathy and insight into the lives of their peers and families
 Available time and desire to make a difference
 “It takes a village to raise a child” (view youth as a resource and part of the solution, not a problem)
 Learning opportunities for youth presented in collaborations
 Important areas of involvement for youth: problem-solving and peer leadership opportunities
o Senior citizens
 Invaluable resource, full of knowledge and life experience that could be put to use
 Volunteer time
 This group has much to gain from being involved in community change
 Available time
o Faith community
 Natural partnership based on belief-importance of the common good
o Health care
 An individual’s physical and mental health affect the entire community
 Health care professionals see the needs of the community-work on the “front lines” of many crises
o Local government and law
 Being involved in community improvement allows for govt to meet demands in systematic way, pools financial resources and brings together human resources
 Overall community improvement aims to enhance quality of life and in the end means less services required by govt
 Especially important for law enforcement to be seen as resources for community
o Non-profit and philanthropy
 Rapidly growing sector of our economy
 Community improvement projects can create a niche for philanthropies and non-profits
o Home
 As the community improves, home life will improve
 Involvement in community change can create a cycle of success, give people leadership, a voice, they will transfer increased self-esteem to their families and friends and share new knowledge and skills gained in the process

• Build on strengths that exist in the community
• No shortcuts
• Positive approach
• Never underestimate your sphere of influence-your life touches many others
• Provide a clear plan for willing community members to rally around
• Let each volunteer/participant choose a role that fits his/her talents, skills, interests and schedule

The National Civility Center is a not-for-profit established in 2000 to help people make their communities better places to live. They are responding to a renewed interest in the concept of “civility” and concern that civility is relatively absent in today’s society. The concept of civility includes: treating others the way you want to be treated, being kind, courteous, respectful and engaging in dialogue and action that puts the needs of others ahead of your own. This approach could help address feelings of fragmentation, isolation, marginalization that has eroded our connectedness.
Services: provide information (heavy on theory, practice and strategy), help communities develop strategies, share ideas of best-practices show less

Sheri's biggest take away's:
· When I comment on someone's work, I shouldn’t just say “that was great” or “that needs improvement”. I need to also give reasons why I have said that.
· I need to describe my observations and my expectations so clearly that there is little room for my associates to be confused or leave the conversation misunderstanding what I was saying.
· When I provide corrective feedback, I must describe what aspect of performance was either below standards or could be improved. I must also provide a clear description of what the person needs to do to improve.
· This book confirmed that when people know I have their best interest at heart, they are naturally more open to hearing how they need to improve. …The book also went on to say that corrective coaching must be provided in the spirit of helping people constantly improve. How true!
· In addition, I found it comforting to know that something we just started to do is also something the author suggests. That is... ...To form a pact with the staff in which we promise to work together to help all perform at our very best. This makes coaching a partnership rather than an interaction based on authority and negative consequences. It changes the focus of our relationships with people to a mutual commitment to excellence. …Yea!!! We are on the right track!...
· Great reference points are the mission statement, goals and values of the organization. From here I can praise work that aligns well and show more offer redirection for work that does not. show less