Everyday Democracy

Launching a dialogue-to-change effort: Where do I begin?

When a public engagement initiative is just getting off the ground and a diverse group of people have come together to say, “I think this is the way to go,” there are some early and simple things that the group can do to move the discussion along.

First, have a conversation with this group by starting with the question, ‘What do we hope this initiative will accomplish?’ Compile everyone’s ideas on paper. You’ll discover that themes emerging from this list are the beginnings of a goal statement of what the initiative is all about.

Next, ask the group, ‘What are we worried about?’ ‘What concerns do we have?’ Collect everyone’s thoughts and make sure to track them since these concerns might be barriers to watch out for during the dialogue-to-change effort.

A third step is to have a conversation with the group about your community’s assets. Assets can come in many forms: people, places, funding, geography, buildings, talents—anything that you can think of as an asset in the community is something to list and track. When you list your assets alongside your program goals, you will begin to see connections that can lead to real change.