Building A Healthier Community

BUILDING A HEALTHIER
COMMUNITY:
What can we do to make and keep our community
healthy, strong, and vibrant?
A guide for public dialogue
and problem solving
Study Circles Resource Center
A project of the Topsfield Foundation
Pomfret, Connecticut

BUILDING A HEALTHIER
COMMUNITY:
What can we do to make
and keep our community
Writers:
Michele Archie and Howard D Terry
Concept Advisors:
Linde Howell, Martha McCoy, Tyler Norris,
Patrick Scully
Research Assistance:
Reem Ghandour
Editorial Assistance:
Molly Holme Barrett
Copyright © 1999
Topsfield Foundation, Inc.
Building A Healthier Community was
developed by the Study Circles Resource Center
(SCRC). SCRC is a project of the Topsfield
Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit, nonpartisan
foundation dedicated to advancing deliberative
democracy and improving the quality of public
life in the United States. SCRC carries out this
mission by helping communities organize study
circles – small-group, democratic, highly
participatory discussions that give everyday
people opportunities to make a difference in their
communities.
Study Circle organizers bring large numbers of
people into these small-group discussions on the
same issue at the same time. These study circle
programs lead to a wide range of action efforts.
We would like to help you organize study circles
throughout your neighborhood. SCRC offers
assistance, free of charge, to organizers of
large-scale study circle programs. SCRC can
provide more detailed advice on organizing and
facilitating study circles, more copies of this
guide, or copies of study circle guides on other
issues (including race, crime and violence,
education, growth and urban sprawl, immigration,
diversity, and youth issues). Please contact us:
SCRC, P.O. Box 204, Pomfret, CT 06258.
Phone: (860) 928-2616. Fax: (860) 928-3713. E-
mail: scrc@neca.com. Visit our web site at:
www.studycircles.org
For more help organizing study circles, please
refer to the companion supplement for this guide,
Tips for Organizers and Facilitators of Study
Circles on Building a Healthier Community.
This guide is a joint publication of the Study
Circles Resource Center and The Coalition for
Healthier Cities and Communities.
(312) 422-2618
www.healthycommunities.org

BUILDING A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY PILOT DRAFT, 1/31/00
BUILDING A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY:
What can we do to make and keep our community
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
What’s in this discussion guide 1
What is a study circle? 2
Moving from talk to action 2
Making the most of your study circle 3
Ground rules for useful discussions 3
Discussion Materials
Session 1:
Connecting with our community 4
Session 2:
Understanding the challenges facing our community
6
Session 3:
Considering action options: How can we build on our strengths? 8
Session 4:
Making a difference: Setting priorities for action 11
Action Ideas 13
Sample Forms
Sample Mind Map 16
Sample Chart of Community Health Trends 17

Permissions Policy
Yes: You may photocopy this guide if you are using it for study circles.
Maybe: You may ask for our written permission if you want to use this guide (or
photocopies of it) in for-profit settings, or if you are incorporating it into other materials.

INTRODUCTION
When you think about health, what comes to
mind? Feeling fine? Happy and fit? Do you
think about hospitals and doctors? Health
clubs? Eating well? Your favorite outdoor
activity? What about laughing and having a
good time with friends and family?
Being healthy means many things to many
people. And when you put the words "healthy"
and "community" together, you can create an
even broader range of meanings. Now, when
you think about your city, town, or
neighborhood as a healthy community, what
comes to mind?
Maybe it's jobs. Schools and education.
Making sure everyone has decent housing they
can afford. How about clean water and clean
air? Access to basic health services. A healthy
childhood. Parks, ballfields, and bike trails.
Maybe you think about how people and
groups in your community work together —
do you cooperate with each other? Have fun
together? Celebrate your successes?
Some people think about finding ways to
encourage young people to stick around after
they graduate, or being encouraged to become
an active part of the community. Others think
about the kinds of advertising and other
messages that influence their lifestyles — and
their children's lifestyles. For some, a healthy
community is full of beautiful places...or it
offers plenty of opportunities to worship
together...or it has a vibrant economy.
Whatever "healthy community" means to you,
chances are that, deep down, you're motivated
by wanting the best for your community.
That's probably what motivates your
neighbors, friends, business associates...and
just about everyone you meet on the street or
in the grocery store...to get involved in the
community.
Study circles can help you come together with
others who want your community to be the
best and healthiest that it can be. Study circles
are small-group, democratic discussions with
plenty of give-and-take. A neutral facilitator
helps participants get to know each other,
listen and share ideas, consider different points
of view about how to build a healthier com-
munity, and think about how to take action.
What's in this discussion guide?
This guide is not meant just for reading; it's
meant to be used! Here's an outline of the four
discussion sessions in this guide:
Session 1:
Connecting with our community
This session is devoted to getting to know
each other, talking about your connections
to the community, and exploring your
ideas about what makes your community a
good and healthy place to live.
Session 2:
Understanding the challenges
facing our community
In this session, you'll identify some of the
most important challenges your
community faces and talk about what's
really going on with these challenges.
Session 3:
Considering action options: How
can we build on our strengths?
Here's an opportunity to discuss your
community's strengths, and talk about
some different approaches for making your
community stronger and healthier.
Session 4:
Making a difference: Setting
priorities for action
This session provides an opportunity for
you to explore specific ways for you to
make a difference in your community,
acting individually or together.

In this guide you will also find suggestions for
participating in and facilitating study circles.
What is a study circle?
The study circle is a simple process for small-
group deliberation. Study circles create a
setting for personal learning, building
community, and problem solving. Here are
some of their defining characteristics:
♦ A study circle involves 10 to 15 people
who come together to talk with each other
about public issues. They meet regularly
— usually at least three times — over a
period of weeks or months. They work in a
democratic and collaborative way.
♦ A study circle is facilitated by a person
who helps keep the discussion focused and
asks thought-provoking questions. This
facilitator does not act as an expert on the
issue.
♦ A study circle looks at an issue from many
points of view. Study circle facilitators and
discussion materials help participants
consider different viewpoints, feel
comfortable about expressing their own
ideas, and explore areas of common
ground.
♦ In the first session of a study circle,
participants explore their personal
connections to an issue. In later sessions,
the discussion expands to consider a range
of views about the issue and how it might
be resolved. Finally, the study circle
focuses on what individuals, organizations,
and communities can do to address the
issue. Study circles give people the chance
to take action individually and together
with other community members.
Study circles can take place within
organizations such as schools, workplaces,
neighborhood associations, clubs,
congregations, or government agencies. In
such settings, a single group of study circle
participants meeting for just a few weeks can
lay important groundwork for positive change.
Study circles achieve their greatest potential,
however, when many are happening at the

same time across a community. These
community-wide programs usually have many
diverse organizations as sponsors or endorsers.
Organizers of community-wide programs
strive to involve as many members of the
community as possible in the study circles.
Moving from talk to action
Community organizers often take a “top-
down” approach. They see a particular
problem, come up with a proposed solution,
and then ask people to join them in
implementing it. Study circles turn that
process on its head by getting people involved
from the very beginning — first by creating an
opportunity for people to talk about the issue,
then to consider it from many angles and come
to their own conclusions. Study circle
organizers also help more people get involved
in figuring out the actions and solutions that
will work best for them, and then support
participants as the action projects unfold.
Study circle programs move from talk to
action because they:
♦ Build understanding among people of
different backgrounds and opinions.
♦ Give people the chance to look at a range
of views and approaches, and come up
with their own creative ideas.
♦ Build working relationships between
people and organizations. Often, study
circle programs involve parts of the
community, such as faith communities or
business organizations, in new and
different relationships with each other.
♦ Create more productive ways for citizens
to interact with public employees,
including police officers, teachers, elected
officials, and social workers.
♦ Help people gain a sense of "ownership"
of their community and its strengths and
challenges. This sense of responsibility
increases their determination to find
actions and solutions they can be involved
in and to carry them through.
To make progress toward stronger, healthier
communities, we all need to get involved.
Study circles provide a way to do that.
Through dialogue and action, we can make our
communities better, more vital and prosperous
places to live.

Making the most of your study circle
In a study circle, how you talk with each other
is as important as what you talk about. These
tips will help make your study circle
enjoyable, thought provoking, and productive:
♦ Attend every study circle session. If
everyone in your group makes a good
effort to be at each meeting, you will build
trust and familiarity. This is essential if
you're going to explore how you think and
feel about the issue, and to deepen the
dialogue with each session.
♦ Be prepared. Read the discussion
materials before you come to each session.
Each part of the study circle guide offers
questions, viewpoints, and ideas to help
you examine the issue. By preparing ahead
of time, you will be ready to jump right
into the discussion. The guide also
suggests simple things you can do to keep
your own learning and reflection going
between study circle meetings.
♦ Take responsibility for the quality of
your discussion. The study circle
facilitator's job is to keep the discussion
moving and on track. In the dictionary, the
word "facilitate" means "to make easier."
But participants are also responsible for
"making things easier"! The first time you
meet, your group will set ground rules for
your discussion. Stick with these ground
rules and help others do the same.
♦ Remember that you are not alone. If
your study circle is part of a larger,
community-wide program, many other
study circles may be going on at the same
time in your area. Join with them for a
kick-off session, to meet with public
officials, or for a wrap-up discussion about
taking action on the issue. These joint
meetings help build momentum for
addressing the issue across the community.
Even if no other study circles are going on
at the same time, think about ways to
include others in this important discussion.
For more information, see the companion
supplement, Tips for Organizers and Facilitators
of Study Circles on Building a Healthier
Community.
GROUND RULES FOR USEFUL DISCUSSIONS
Use these suggestions as a starting point for coming up with your own ground rules to
guide your study circle.
1. Everyone gets a fair hearing.
2. Share "air time."
3. One person speaks at a time. Don't interrupt.
4. Speak for yourself, not for others.
5. If you are offended, say so.
6. You can disagree, but don't personalize it. Stick to the issue. No name calling or
stereotyping.

SESSION 1:
CONNECTING WITH OUR COMMUNITY
The words "healthy" and "community" can mean different things to different people. In this
session, we'll explore these ideas by sharing our own thoughts, experiences, and stories. Doing
this lays the foundation for the rest of the study circle and sets the tone for open, thoughtful
discussion.
Facilitator Tips
♦ Welcome everyone, tell them about the
program, and explain your role.
♦ Help the group set ground rules and post them
where everyone can see them. (See sample
ground rules on page 3.)
♦ Introduce the recorder, or ask for a volunteer.
(See page 2 of Tips for Organizers and
Facilitators of Study Circles on Building a
Healthier Community for tips on taking
notes.)
♦ Break the session into three parts. Use the
amount of time suggested for each as a guide.
♦ Don't feel as though you have to cover every
question or that you have to ask the questions
in order.
Total suggested time for this session: 2 hours
Part 1: Introductions and discussion
starter (30 minutes)
1. Introduce yourself. Tell the group a little
bit about where you live and how you
came to live there.
2. When you think of your "community,"
what comes to mind? Do you see yourself
belonging to more than one community?
3. How are we (in this study circle)
connected with each other? Do we feel as
if we are part of the same community?
Why or why not? Does living in the same
place make us feel connected, or is it
another kind of community that we're all a
part of? Describe an experience you've had
that illustrates the different ways people in
this community are connected to each
other.
Part 2: Exploring health in our
community (60 minutes)
1. What goes into making individuals
healthy? Think of your own physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
What contributes to your health and well
being?
2. What makes this community a good and
healthy place to live? Why? Tell a story or
anecdote that illustrates that idea.
3. What would you point out to visitors as
our community's best features or greatest
accomplishments? Why are those
important to you?
4. How do we accomplish the good work that
gets done in our community? Who does
what? How do they do it?
People can see themselves as
belonging to different kinds of
communities, such as:
People in the same town or
neighborhood.
Co-workers.
People in the same profession.
Schoolmates.
People who share interests.
A group of nearby towns.
Condominium association.
Family.
Friends.
Church.
People I communicate with electronically.

Part 3: Wrapping up (30 minutes)
One or both of the following exercises will help us wrap up our conversation.
♦ Mapping community and health connections.
Working together, we can create a “mind
map” about our community's quality of life. In
this instance, a mind map is a way of visually
showing ideas and relationships among them.
The steps for creating a mind map are simple:
1. Ask someone to be the “map scribe.” This
person will draw the mind map, based on
ideas from the group.
2. At the center of a large sheet of paper, the
scribe draws a circle. In that circle, write
something like, "Our town as a healthy
community." (Or substitute
"neighborhood" or "city" or another kind
of community, depending on your focus.)
3. Think about what goes into making our
community vibrant and healthy. As we
begin talking about these aspects, we can
help the scribe map them by suggesting
how they are related to each other. Using
lines, circles, arrows, and other shapes, the
scribe creates a map of what goes into
building a healthier community and how
those things relate to each other.
4. Not everyone has to agree with each item
or connection that is drawn on the map.
There are no right or wrong answers. We
can ask questions to help clarify someone's
idea, but don't criticize or contradict.
5. As our map develops, do we see any
connections you didn't see before? What
new insights have you gained while this
map took shape?
See the sample mind map on page 16 for a general idea of what a
mind map can look like. Our own creativity will help us make a map
that fits our group and our community.
♦ Our vision for our community.
1. This is a brainstorming exercise. It's a
good way to get a lot of ideas out in the
open. Here's how it goes:
2. Ask one person to record the brainstorm
ideas on a large piece of paper that
everyone can see.
3. For a few quiet moments, individually
consider these questions:
4. Imagine that, 10 years from now, this
community is as healthy, vibrant and
prosperous as you'd like it to be. What
does it look like? How do things work?
What would it feel like to live here?
5. Now, start saying ideas out loud. We'll
make sure each person has a chance to
offer at least one or two ideas. As we are
speaking, the recorder will write all the
ideas where everyone can see him or her.
6. In a brainstorm, there are no right or
wrong answers. We can ask questions to
help clarify someone's idea, but don't
criticize, contradict, or make comments.
7. Keep moving from idea to idea, rather than
stopping to discuss certain ones as they
come up.
8. As the flow of ideas slows down, look
back at the list. What new insights or ideas
do we have now that we've heard all these
visions for our community's healthy
future?
Prepare for Session 2

Talk with family members, friends, and neighbors about what makes the community a good
place to live, and in what ways the community could be doing better. What do they think
helps make the community a good and healthy place to live?
Observe how things happen in the community (or in your workplace, school, family, etc.):
How do people best work together to get things done? What sorts of things do we do that
make it more difficult for us to do good work together?
SESSION 2:
UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES FACING OUR COMMUNITY
Before we begin talking about strategies and specific ideas for making our community a better
place to live, we'll spend some time talking about our community's most important challenges.
This session helps us focus on what needs attention so that we can understand why these issues
may be so difficult to resolve.
Facilitator tips
♦ Break the session into four parts. Use the
♦ If you have notes from Session 1, review
them at the beginning of the session. Or put
up the "mind map" or brainstorm list you
created at the end of Session 1.
♦ Remember to have a recorder take notes
so you can refer to them in later sessions.
Part 1: Reflecting on what we're
learning (20 minutes)
1. Since our last meeting, did you have a
chance to talk to others to find out what
they think about our community? What
do they think is good and healthy? In
need of improvement? Why?
2. What did you observe about how people
work together well? Not so well? Tell a
story or anecdote that illustrates your
ideas.
Part 2: Identifying our community's
most important challenges
(40 minutes)
1. What would we need to work on in order
to make this community a better, healthier
place to live? Why is this an important
issue? What experiences have we had
with this problem?
2. What's keeping our community from
addressing these issues?
3. If we think ahead to the next 5 to 10 years,
are there any challenges our community is
likely to face that we haven't already
discussed? If so, what are they?
4. What issues and challenges might
community members who are not in this
discussion identify?
Part 3: Understanding our
challenges (40 minutes)
1. Look at the list of all the issues and
challenges our study circle group thought
of. Do we see any connections? If so,
what do they look like?
2. What's at the core of these problems?
What really causes them? In other words,
what are the "causes behind the causes"?
3. What makes leadership on these issues
difficult?

Spark your thinking!
Here are some ideas for you to use to start
thinking about trends in your community's
health. When people think about healthy
communities, they often consider some of the
following categories:
Access to health care
Relations among different races, people
with different income levels, newcomers
and "old-timers," and other groups.
People's ability to move around the
community — to get to and from work,
school, recreational activities, shopping
centers, and so on.
Quality of education and access to
education.
Employment
Safety
Community activities
Quality of the environment
S f i hb li
During the next session, we'll be talking
about how to address some of the challenges
we identified today. One or both of the
following wrap-up exercises will help us
summarize today's discussions.
♦ Mapping community and health
connections. Working together, we can
create a “mind map” about our community's
quality of life. In this instance, a mind map is
a way of visually showing ideas and
relationships among them.
The steps for creating a mind map are simple:
1. Ask someone from the study circle to be
the "map scribe." This person will draw
the mind map, based on ideas from the
group.
2. At the center of a large sheet of paper, the
scribe draws a circle. In that circle, write
something like, "Our community's biggest
challenges," or "What we need to work on
for our community to be a healthier
place."
3. Think back to our discussions about what
our community needs to work on in order
to be a better, healthier place to live.
Think about what needs to happen where
you live, work, play, worship, and go
about other aspects of your daily life. As
we begin talking about these challenges
and concerns, help the scribe map them
by suggesting how they are linked to each
other. Using lines, circles, arrows, and
other shapes, the scribe creates a map that
shows how these challenges relate to each
other.
4. Not everyone in the group has to agree
with each item or connection that is
drawn on the map. There are no right or
wrong answers. We can ask questions to
help clarify an idea, but don't criticize or
contradict.
5. As your map develops, do we see any
connections we didn't see before? What
are our new insights?
See the sample mind map on page 16 for a general idea of what a
mind map can look like. Our own creativity will help us make a map
that fits our group and our community.
♦ Charting trends: How is our
community is doing? Make a chart that
shows the changes you see in the quality of
life in your community.
Here's one way to do it:
1. On a separate sheet of paper, each person
draws a chart of how he or she sees the
community's quality of life changing.
Consider these questions:
• What trends do you see in our
community's health and well being?
• How is it improving? declining?
staying about the same? Explain your
charts to others in the study circle.
2. As you draw your own chart and listen
others' ideas, what new insights or ideas
do you have?
See the sample chart on page 17 for one idea about how to show
trends in your community's health. Use your own creativity to make

a chart that shows what you see happening.
Pay attention to how some of the issues you talked about are being addressed in your
community. What's in the news? Who is taking action? What's already happening in your
community? What new ideas are being talked about?
Are there things being done in other places that might be useful to us here?
Look around your community. What strengths and capacities do you see for making this a
better place to live?

SESSION 3:
CONSIDERING ACTION OPTIONS:
HOW CAN WE BUILD ON OUR STRENGTHS?
Many communities are showing that they can tackle important issues by building on their strong
points. In this session, we'll discuss some different views about how people in your community
can get better at working together, solving problems, and making this community a healthier,
better place to live. This will help us think together about general directions for change before
moving to specific action ideas in the last session.
Facilitator Tips
♦ Break the session into four parts. Use the
them at the beginning of the session. Or put up
the "mind map" or some of the trends charts
you created at the end of Session 2.
♦ Remember to have a recorder take notes so
you can refer to them in later sessions.
TO START PART 3
♦ Ask a few members of the study circle to
volunteer to read each view out loud.
OR
♦ Ask members to read the views to
themselves
♦ After reading the views, ask some of the
questions listed in Part 3.
Part 1: What do we have to build
on? (30 minutes)
1. In dealing with community challenges,
what are some examples of projects or
accomplishments in our community that
we are proudest of? Why are we proud of
these accomplishments?
2. What strengths or resources do we have in
this community for making it a better place
to live? What resources does our
community have to work with in these four
categories:

• Individual and family — and you
personally?
• Small groups of people and informal
associations?
• Larger groups such as businesses and
other organizations, churches, clubs,
schools, and other groups?
• Neighborhoods and the whole
community?
Part 2: Setting priorities (20 minutes)
1. Thinking back on our earlier discussions,
what seem to be the most important
challenges for our community to address?
(These might be specific issues, concerns
about how things get done, or both.)
2. If our list could have only one or two
challenges on it, which ones would we
pick? Why would these be our priorities?
Part 3: How can we build a healthier
community? (60 minutes)
The following views will help us talk about
different approaches our community might use
to address the priorities we have identified in
this session.

Views on how to improve our community
The viewpoints below are written in the voice of people who are answering the question: How
can we work together to make our community a better and healthier place to live? Some of these
outlooks may sound strange to you, some may sound familiar. Consider each one as you think
about these questions:
1. Which views appeal to you and why? Which view is closest to your own?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the different views?
3. What other ideas would we suggest?
4. What do these views suggest about how we should address the top challenges identified in
our study circle?
View #1: Get the whole community
involved. Set common goals so that
each person and group can see
what it needs to be doing.
The only way we can make meaningful
changes is to get the whole community
involved — and keep it involved. We need to
get everyone together to create a vision of
what we want this community to be, and to set
clear goals for getting from here to there. Then
we need to create opportunities for everyone
to be involved in making that vision a reality.
Everyone should be able to see how they can
fit in: individuals, families, government,
community groups, hospitals, schools, faith
communities, businesses, young people,
unions, and so on.
View #2: Focus on underlying
causes and prevention. Pay
attention to what's “upstream” from
the problems we usually focus on.
Instead of focusing on symptoms, we need to
look at underlying causes so that we can
prevent problems before they become
unmanageable. If there are problems with
families, or early childhood education, or
unhealthy workplaces, or an economy that's
not providing a basic living for everyone, we
need to tackle their root causes. This way, we
can make this an attractive and fun place to
spend time, and create plenty of opportunities
to learn, play, worship, or work on community
projects together.
View #3: Influence decision makers.
Advocate policies and decisions
that will benefit the whole
community.
We need to influence the decisions of
government agencies, businesses, and not-for-
profit organizations. We should demand
access to basic health care for everyone,
livable wages and good benefits for workers,
and environmentally sound practices. We can
encourage businesses to invest in community
projects, or insist that government cut the red
tape that makes it harder to be creative. Often,
we can work in harmony with business and
government to make these changes. But we
shouldn't be afraid to hold them accountable in
other ways, too, including petitions, education
and publicity campaigns, and lawsuits.
View #4: Celebrate our successes.
Focus on good works and good
people — it's more effective and fun
than focusing on problems.
Let's look more at all the good things that have
happened to improve our community — and

the great people who have helped make those
changes. Sometimes it seems as though all we
do is talk about our problems, and that's not
helping us make progress. As someone once
said, “We build the road as we travel.” That
means we should be having fun, learning from
our experiences, and celebrating along the
way! Simply thanking each other for the good
things we're doing will help us move forward.
View #5: Build working relationships.
Improve our ability to work together in
this community.
Learning to work together will help us get
more done — and be more effective. Instead
of competing for resources and protecting our
“turf,” we need to improve our ability to
communicate, share information, and focus on
creative ways of working together. We can
start by creating more community discussions
like study circles. Opening those channels of
communication will help us learn to work
together better instead of competing with one
another.
View #6: Take personal responsibility.
Change our community through
individual change.
Each one of us needs to take responsibility for
our own well being. We each help create the
“collective consciousness” of this community.
It is up to all of us to make an effort. We need
to be more aware of how our choices in our
daily lives at work, home, play, school, and
everywhere else affect the community. To
start, each one of us might go through a whole
day where we ask ourselves, “Will the choice
I'm about to make help build a better, healthier
community?”
View #7: Pick one project and do it
right. Build momentum by making a
difference in one area.
Our efforts tend to get scattered because every
problem and project seems to be at the top of
our list. As a community, we are better off if
we focus on one important project, or choose
one problem where we know we can make a
difference. This is the best way to move
forward, strengthen working relationships
among community members, and learn some
lessons along the way that will help us when
we focus on other projects in the future.
1. Which views, strategies or ideas seem
most promising? Which ones should we
emphasize as we talk about more specific
action steps?

Read the list of action ideas in Session 4.
Think about what you can do on your own and with others to move toward the kind of future
you want for your community. You might scan the newspapers, television, or radio — or get
on the Internet — for ideas from other places.
SESSION 4:
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: SETTING PRIORITIES FOR ACTION
By participating in this study circle, we have already helped to make our community a healthier
place. When we share our hopes and concerns, and begin to understand each other better, our
community grows stronger. For many of us, these discussions have sparked new ideas and
connections that we will want to take further action on.
There are many other ways we can make a difference. In this session, we’ll talk about many
different kinds of actions, and we’ll look more closely at some of the most promising ideas. We
can start by looking at the list of action ideas and examples from other communities included at
the end of this session. (See page 13.)
Facilitator Tips
♦ Break the session into three parts. Use the
them at the beginning of the discussion.
♦ Remember to have a recorder take notes so
you can refer to them later. If your community
is having an "action forum," these notes will
be helpful in preparing for that.
♦ People are likely to come up with a variety
of actions on different levels. Participants
should feel free to choose their own paths, so
make it clear that taking further action is
voluntary.
TO START PART 1
♦ Divide into groups of three or four. Ask
each group to look over the action ideas and
examples (see "Action Ideas," page X). Each
group should spend about 15 minutes
choosing two or three action ideas they would
like to pursue.
OR
♦ Ask participants to take a few minutes to
look over the action ideas and examples.
♦ After reading the action ideas, use the
categories listed in Part 1 to help start the
discussion.

Part 1: Brainstorming about ways to
make a difference (45 minutes)
Take some time to brainstorm about action
possibilities. We can use notes from previous
sessions to help us remember ideas we've
already come up with. The list on pages 13-15
gives examples that show some of the
different ways of approaching these issues.
Our imaginations will come in handy here!
Make a list that everyone can see — on
newsprint or a chalkboard. It might help to use
four categories:
• Individual and family actions — including
what you, personally, can do.
• Projects small groups of people and
informal associations could create.
• Activities that businesses, churches, clubs,
schools, and other groups could undertake.
• Community-wide actions — including
individuals, organizations, and public
officials working together.

Part 2: Setting priorities for action
— and for our study circle
report and the action forum
(60 minutes)
1. Which two or three ideas from each
category (individuals and families; small
groups; organizations; and community-
wide) seem most practical and useful?
2. Are any of these ideas already being tried
in the community? How could we support
those efforts?
3. Pick one or two ideas from the list and talk
about them, keeping the following
questions in mind:
• What would it take to turn this idea
into reality?
• What community strengths could we
use to help move this idea forward?
• What kinds of information, support, or
help do we need in order to take these
steps?
• What would our next steps be? What
other groups might we link up with?
• Is there an action that each of us —
personally — is willing to take? Is
there a project or action idea that
excites you enough to want to be
involved further? What resources can
you draw on or bring in to help these
actions happen?
Part 3: Reflecting on our study
circle (15 minutes)
1. What new insights came to you from
taking part in this study circle? What have
you learned that surprised you?
2. Has this study circle affected how you
think about our community? What about
how you'll be involved in our community
from now on? If so, how?
3. What did you find most valuable about the
study circle?
4. What worked well in our discussions?
What didn't work well? What changes
would you suggest for future study circles?
5. Does it make sense to get more study
circles going in our community?

ACTION IDEAS
These ideas reflect different views about how to work toward healthier, more vital and
prosperous communities. We can use them to jump-start our own thinking. For example, you
might ask yourself which action ideas best fit your views and our community.
What can we do as individuals and families?
Sometimes it seems that one person can't do much to make a difference in the community. But
there are simple, everyday steps that each of us can take:
Meet your neighbors, and welcome newcomers. Getting to know each other is one way to
start building strong working relationships.
Think about how your decisions affect the community. Start by taking part of a day
asking yourself, "Will this decision or action make my community healthier or not?"
Take part in activities that help make your family a creative, supportive, fun, and
healthy group of people.
Share your skills and talents with the community. Could you coach a kids' sports team?
Help others to learn English? Tutor school children? Work on a community garden or clean-
up project?
Example: A resident in Jacksonville, Oregon, started the Home Gardening Project to build
public gardens for the poor and elderly. Project volunteers build more than 100 gardens
each year, providing a healthy, inexpensive, and local source of food.
Attend meetings of the school board, zoning board, city council, community
development corporation, or other groups that make important decisions. Do your
homework, give your ideas, and get others to attend with you.
Get to know the names of your neighbors and the kids on your block. Especially for
young people, being greeted by their name is a sign that someone cares about them.
Take care of your own health. Eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep. Try something new
each day! Make sure you're taking time for yourself — take a walk, relax in the bathtub,
pray or meditate, do something you love.
Be active in neighborhood and community groups, your church, or school group. These
organizations can make a big difference in people's lives and in your community.
Express your thoughts. Write letters to the editor, communicate with public officials, talk
with neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. Keep the dialogue and the learning going.
Continue your study circle. Help organize study circles on other issues.
Be a mentor. Young people, new mothers, people starting a new business, and others often
need some support and guidance. Who would you be willing to share some time with?
Example: Female heads of households in a Maine housing development receive support and
mentoring from local church volunteers in the "Mother to Mother" program.
Organize a block party or a get-together to help new and diverse people at work get to
know each other.
Think about how you could use your contacts or your position within an organization
to support the kinds of changes your study circle talked about.

Example: As part of the executive loan program, an IBM employee was granted a one-year
social service leave to coordinate a community-wide study circle program in New Rochelle,
New York. Focusing on youth issues, almost 200 participants attended forums and took part
in study circles to talk about violence, youth empowerment, and substance abuse issues.
Support local businesses.
Volunteer for a neighborhood crime watch.
Example: Citizen volunteers in Delray, Florida, have been trained and equipped by the
police department to create citizen-observer patrols. The patrols use donated cell phones
and radios to report suspicious behavior and problems. In every Delray neighborhood that
has a citizen patrol, there has been a 75% drop in crime.
What can we do together as a community or in smaller groups?
If you want to solve a problem or create a project, look around you. There are many people in
your neighborhood, workplace, school, church, or the study circle program who might want to
join you. Use the organizations you belong to, such as businesses, clubs, neighborhood
associations, and congregations to recruit more people and give more weight to your efforts.
Get more study circles going. Often, study circle participants volunteer to help expand
study circle programs to include more people in their communities. Maybe more people need
to use this healthy communities guide, or perhaps study circles could be used for other issues
that come up.
Example: The success of widespread study circles on race relations in Lima, Ohio, led the
community to expand the program and to address other issues.
Find creative ways to use community spaces and resources. Many communities have
buildings, parks, and other facilities that are unused for much of the time.
Example: In Chicago, Illinois, Ekhert Park offered its facilities to a local community college
to hold English-as-a-second-language classes for the community. Soon families that
originally came to the park for these classes began to participate in the park's recreational
and fitness programs as well.
Host events where speakers, people with slide shows, and others can help educate the
community.
Example: In Lyndale, Minnesota, the neighborhood association's Lyndale Environmental
Education Project invites speakers to address a variety of environmental concerns affecting
the neighborhood, including sprawl, recycling, and water management.
Map neighborhood assets and help people find out about services available to them.
Example: In Bridgeport, Connecticut, study circle organizers created a simple directory
listing area services and programs to connect new volunteers with community service
projects.
Organize an arts project — such as a photo exhibit, mural, cultural festival, musical
event, or theater production.
Example: In Boston, Massachusetts, a neighborhood association sponsored the "Unity
Through Diversity Mural," which was designed and painted by young people, and is now a
prominent landmark.
Get together to help the less fortunate.

Example: The Good Shepherd Alliance is a partnership of local clergy, civic organizations,
developers, and businesses working together to fight homelessness in Loudon County,
Virginia. By working with developers, church groups, local youth, and homeless individuals,
the Alliance turned homes that were slated for redevelopment into temporary shelters. Other
local businesses donated trash removal, beds and linens, and construction materials.
Volunteers established a transportation system to get shelter residents to work or training,
and a local community college opened its early childhood development program to homeless
preschoolers.
Example: After their study circles, people in Lima, Ohio, got together to help the Daily
Bread Soup Kitchen expand its operation and add tutoring and recreation activities.
Create a skills or talent bank in your neighborhood. Often, neighbors don't know what
they can do for each other, or what kind of assistance is available to them close to home.
Creating and circulating a simple list of what each neighbor (including young people) is
good at doing, or willing to offer as a service, can help people make those connections. The
skills can range from gardening to book keeping, and from musical or artistic talents to car
repair.
Get youth involved.
Example: In New York, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and the
Salvardori Educational Center partnered with teenage skaters to build the Riverside Skate
Park in upper Manhattan. The park was built by teenagers and is maintained and
administered by the skaters.
Provide innovative services that create a good fit between community needs and
resources.
Example: In South Bend, Indiana, Memorial Hospital established the Community Health
Enhancement program to explore how the hospital could better use its funds to improve the
overall health of the community. One project, Women in Touch, used aggressive educational
campaigns and referral services to cut the number of African American women diagnosed
with advanced breast cancer in half within four years.
Example: In Washington, DC, the Third District police station has established a community-
policing station at a local McDonalds. The station is open part-time. Officers can opt to
spend part of their shift in the sub-station, where they are available to talk with residents
and answer questions.
Organize to make sure your voices are heard.
Example: The residents of the Chatham Court Apartments in Washington, DC, formed a
tenants' association to make sure that their concerns and interests are represented in the
operation of the apartment complex — and in the surrounding neighborhood. They publish a
regular newsletter to keep tenants informed about community events and neighborhood
issues.
Help create new business opportunities.
Example: In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the residents of the Westside neighborhood teamed up
with city officials, local educators, and business professionals to create the Westside
Community Development Corporation (WCDC). Working with the City, the Junior League,
and local foundations, WCDC turned a former elementary school into a community resource
center. The new center provides adult education programs, job training and small business
management courses, youth clubs, substance abuse counseling, and senior citizen programs.

The school's kitchen houses one of the community's first small businesses: HomeGirls
Catering.

Sample Mind Map
Health in Our
Community
Health in Our
Community
JobsJobs VolunteersVolunteers
Our Beautiful
Community
Our Beautiful
Community
EducationEducation
PeoplePeople
Hospitals &
Clinics
Hospitals &
Clinics
Clean
Environment
Clean
Environment
Great
Neighborhoods
Great
Neighborhoods
Adults
Adults
Kids
Kids
Peer Counseling
School
Home
TV Ads
River clean-up
Government
regulations
Litter pick-up
We’re all responsible
Safe
Good housing
Connect with everything
Good jobs Good pay Healthy Things we love Things that built
workplaces to do our community
Happiness
Physical
Health
Choices we make
Home Work School
Lots of people find satisfaction
or frustration in their jobs
Hospitals and clinics
care for people
Peopleworkin
Do our jobs make it possible for everyone to live in great neighborhoods?
Health care for Preventing illness Care for children
everyone
Public health Work with low- Sometimes not Educating parents
programs income folks able to
Can’t do Can make
everything things worse
BUILDINGAHEALTHIERCOMMUNITY16PILOTDRAFT,JULY1999

Sample Chart of Community Health Trends
W
ELL-PAYING
JOBS
Past Present Future
[Time]
Gettingbetter
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
EDUCATION
We have great schools in our community and I
expect things to get better and better.
After the factory closed down, there weren’t many
high-paying jobs. Things have gotten better, but I
don’t know where we’re going from here.
I see the cost of health care and health insurance
skyrocketing and I don’t think most people’s
incomes can keep up.
?
[HowWe’reDoing]
BUILDINGAHEALTHIERCOMMUNITY17PILOTDRAFT,JULY1999

Building A Healthier Community

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