Description
Ironically, social change groups often disempower their less-educated members who are from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds. Stout is founder and director of Spirit in Action, an organization that supports a grassroots transformational culture shift in organizing for social justice. Here, she shows how to make sure that even socially marginalized people become part of the collective vision of an organization. She gives guidelines for leading group activities called collective visioning exercises, and offers advice on gathering a diverse group to do collective visioning together. She also covers the crucial next steps of using collective vision to develop a plan for action and sustaining work for change over the long term. Examples describe successful programs that accomplished positive goals and visions. The author's ideas for collective visioning can be used with organizations, schools, faith groups, and minority communities. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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It’s an unfortunate fact of social organizing that, despite even the best intentions, groups convened to effect positive change often fail to empower people from all backgrounds to speak up or to tap into a positive and inspiring collective vision. Longtime social justice crusader Linda Stout details a practical process that enables everyone—even those commonly marginalized—to work together with honesty, passion, commitment, and joy to create a positive, energizing, and sustainable vision and to make that vision a reality. Stout shows, in practical terms, how to bring a group together, build trust, ensure that each and every voice is heard, create a positive vision, and develop an action plan that leverages everyone’s abilities to bring that vision to fruition. Used successfully by more than 120 organizations—and illustrated here by dozens of practical examples and exercises—this process creates hope for change, even among those who’ve stopped believing that change is possible. This comprehensive guide will serve as a template for anyone seeking to create a better, more just tomorrow.
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