The Civic Health Diagnostic Workbook for Cities, Counties and Other Communities, published in March 2013 by Sarah Read (JD) and Dave Overfelt (Ph.D Sociology), both of The Communications Center, Inc., is designed to help communities evaluate conflict and the assets for responding in an integrated way. Written to be be used to monitor and evaluate the effects of various interventions, it’s goal is to help local governments better understand the underlying causes of conflict in the community and their interactions so they can better evaluate where, when ... (continue)

Many people are reluctant to discuss politics across party lines.  This 4-page guide entitled Reaching Out Across the Red Blue Divide, One Person at a Time (available for download in PDF format) by PCP Associate and NCDD member Maggie Herzig is a step-by-step approach to inviting one other person—someone whose perspectives differ from your own—into a conversation, focusing on developing a better understanding of each other’s perspectives.  Here’s an excerpt from the guide… Why bother to reach across the divide? Many people have at least one ... (continue)

This article addresses why it is so difficult for our country to navigate the issue of gun violence and contains suggestions for starting a national conversation. It was written by Sarah Read and Dave Overfelt, both of The Communications Center, Inc. in Columbia, MO with funding from the University of AZ’s National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD).  After the December 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, NICD called for essays to address the challenges of conducting constructive conversations about gun violence in the U.S. As part of their ... (continue)

Peacebuilders is a youth focused, not-for- profit, charitable organization based in Toronto, Canada. Peacebuilders was established to improve the lives of youth, by providing them with appropriate access to justice so that they are empowered to overcome personal challenges and are able to realize their full potential. The mission of Peacebuilders is to support youth and adults to manage conflict through Peacebuilding Circles. Peacebuilders programs not only help to keep young people in school and out of the criminal justice system, but also help to ... (continue)

Worldwork is an experiential training seminar in conflict work and community building. The seminar provides a unique opportunity for people from all over the world to come together in a powerful forum for focusing on and working with social, environmental, and political issues using group process skills. Between two and three hundred people from over thirty countries and all walks of life participate in these 7 – 10 day gatherings. The large staff facilitates a diversity of learning experiences that include large group focus and ... (continue)

The Institute for Local Government’s Public Engagement Program offers a draft (as of Jan 2013) 7-page document to help local officials design and prepare for public engagement processes that are effective, responsive and civil - even when participants hold very strong views. It begins… (continue)

Civic Fusion: Mediating Polarized Public Disputes by Susan Podziba, a public policy mediator and principal of Susan Podziba & Associates,” offers proven strategies for moving polarized parties to consensus solutions based on the author’s 25 years of mediation experience, including working with pro-life and pro-choice leaders to change the rhetoric of the abortion debate.” Civic Fusion occurs when people with passionately different interests and positions bond to address common public goals without sacrificing core values. The book includes stories of the abortion talks as well as ... (continue)

The Albert Einstein Institution is a nonprofit organization advancing the study and use of strategic nonviolent action in conflicts throughout the world. They are committed to the defense of freedom, democracy, and the reduction of political violence through the use of nonviolent action. Their goals are to understand the dynamics of nonviolent action in conflicts, to explore its policy potential, and to communicate this through print and other media, translations, conferences, consultations, and workshops. (continue)

Dispute Resolution Magazine is published quarterly (4 times a year) by the American Bar Association’s Section of Dispute Resolution. Dispute Resolution Magazine provides timely, insightful and resourceful information regarding the latest developments, news and trends in the growing field of dispute resolution throughout the world and features internationally-known scholars and practitioners as authors. (continue)

Why can’t our political leaders work together as threats loom and problems mount? Why do people so readily assume the worst about the motives of their fellow citizens? In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition—the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are ... (continue)