"Campaigns or organizing drives that take time to get to know the people they are trying to influence are able to develop messages that truly resonate with their audience."

—Values-based messaging, Wellstone Action! Organizing Corner.

Here are the first steps to organizing a community conversation in your community.

1. Find a location. For a small private group, you may want to invite neighbors, friends or your book group to host in your home. For public gatherings, you might approach bookstores, cafes, coffee shops, libraries, community centers or houses of worship.
   
   
2. Decide whom to invite. Getting together with people you know is always wonderful and will deepen your friendships. Opening the process to the public might result in a more interesting discussion. Either way, it is up to you. Parents United can promote public events on this Web site.
   
   
3. Publicize the event. You may want to use a simple leaflet to advertise your event. You might also send written or email invitations, get a small article in your local press, network with other organizations or simply call a group of acquaintances. Every community is different, so we encourage you to be a creative as possible in your publicity. 
   
   
4. Learn about the Issues and What to Say.
   
   
5. Develop your discussion questions.  Make copies of the questions and any additional handouts for all participants.
   
   
6. Identify additional facilitators if the group is too big. One facilitator for every 10-12 participants who attend might allow more people to talk. If your group is too big, you can split into two or more groups.
   
   
7. Facilitate the discussion!
   
   
8. Evaluate your event and keep a record of the list of participants for future events..

Adapted from Civic Dialogue Project: National Dialogue on Social Security, Wellstone Action! Organizing Corner.

Additional Resources

Forums on the Public Schools - Free materials to aid individual schools, districts, community groups, and PDK chapters in conducting forums on the public schools, Phi Delta Kappa International Advocacy for Education.

Give Kids Good Schools - Begin a conversation about public schools.

A Case for Public Engagement in Public Schools: Why community support matters - Democracy’s strength lies in the ability of people to understand and participate in decisions that affect them, their families and their society. As Americans, we look to our system of public education to sustain and reflect the promise of democracy by giving all children, regardless of race or class or language ability, access to high-quality education. Educating all of our children to high standards, however, is a collective responsibility and one that requires ongoing engagement and support of the American public, Give Kids Good Schools.

November 2004 - MPS Community Engagement: Final Report, Submitted to the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education.

June 2004 - Taking Responsibility: Using Public Engagement to Reform Our Public Schools - Democracy’s strength lies in the ability of people to understand and participate in decisions that affect them, their families, and their society, Public Education Network.