A 3-page syllabus for Dr. Gretchen Wehrle's Community Psychology course at Notre Dame de Namur University. The course includes training and experience in civic engagement and community dialogues. (continue)

American colleges and universities are major assets for cities and regions and hold enormous potential to help solve society's most pressing challenges. Over the past 20 years, there has been a great push for these institutions to be more responsive and engaged in what happens outside their institutional walls. This means being better neighbors by more thoroughly integrating civic engagement within their organizational structures and practices, and their research, teaching, and outreach activities. A key question for advocates for the 'engaged institution' is: how can we produce this sort of deep organizational transformation? Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Engaged Institutions project seeks to provide answers to this question. PolicyLink, a national research and action institute based in Oakland, California, is the national evaluator of the project and maintains the website. (continue)

Drawing on case studies of successful projects, this 2006 guide from the National League of Cities (1) explains how to educate, involve, and mobilize citizens in a variety of events and initiatives, (2) describes how communities have used democratic governance approaches to address key issues (2) builds on city strategies for accomplishing key tasks using shorter-term mechanisms, and (4) describes some of the more permanent, structural forms of democratic governance that have emerged recently. Changing the Way We Govern is an essential tool for anyone who is tired of the conflict and apathy created by old-fashioned citizen involvement methods - and who wants to tap into the full potential of citizens and public life. (continue)

The Institute For Civic and Community Engagement (ICCE) provides opportunities for civic engagement and leadership development at San Francisco State University for students, faculty and community members. Through innovative courses, experiential learning, political engagement, participatory action research and direct services, we partner the resources and expertise of the urban university with the needs of diverse communities. Working locally, statewide and internationally, we cultivate strong leaders who will effectively advocate for full social, economic and educational inclusion and fully participate in the civic life and political processes of their communities. (continue)

This determinedly optimistic manifesto-cum-workbook by the author of Diet for a Small Planet begins with the question, "Why are we as societies creating a world that we as individuals abhor?", Lappé posits that U.S. culture is grounded in a worldview of scarcity, creating a society of competitive materialists who practice a Thin Democracy of electoral politics in a one rule market economy that returns wealth to wealth and leads to an ever-increasing concentration of power. Yet she believes there is no reason we can't create a values-guided, empowering democracy based on the premise of plenty, where individuals and communities take charge of public life and engage in active listening, conflict mediation, dialogue and judgment. (continue)

In Democracy's Edge, Lappé challenges citizens to nourish democracy itself by rejecting the "thin democracy" of private interests and concentrated power in favor of "living democracy" fueled by engaged communities pursuing social justice in the public interest. Lappé emphasizes the power of motivated individuals to effect meaningful change, and provides strategies for getting out of the house and taking control of one's latent political power. Readers ready to get their feet wet will also find the appended material useful, particularly the regionally organized directory of advocacy groups. (continue)

This 31-slide Powerpoint Presentation was developed for local officials to use in spreading the word about democratic governance at state and local conferences and meetings. (continue)

Here are some great tips that Joe Goldman from AmericaSpeaks sent out to people who were considering writing op-eds/letters to the editor in response to John Edwards' October 2007 announcement that he would create deliberative "Citizen Congresses" if he were to become President. These are great tips for anyone writing a letter to the editor of their local paper on any topic. (continue)

A private foundation located in San Francisco, TWI promotes open-mindedness, cross-perspective dialogue, and engaged communication to improve the process and quality of public and private decision-making. Our ultimate goals are to broaden the public conversation about the importance of critical and collaborative thinking and to link that deepened awareness to effect individual and social change. (continue)

This 1999 proposal outlines the rationale for and structure of a "Civic Partnership Council' attached to the Domestic Policy Council and chaired by the Vice President. Even today, it provides a great starting place for thinking about the creation of an office or council that would promote public problem solving and collaborative governance within the U.S. policymaking structure. (continue)