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Track Five: The Practice of Empowerment in Communities
A Framework, Methodology and Tools for
Behavior Change and Community Engagement
Over the past two decades Empowerment Institute has developed a highly effective community organizing framework and citizen behavior change and engagement tools which it calls “Social Change 2.0.” It has successfully built the capacity of several thousand community change agents in this approach who in turn have empowered hundreds of thousands of people to adopt pro-social behaviors. Track five provides community change agents with the strategies, tools and design expertise to integrate the Social Change 2.0 framework into their community initiative. As part of this toolkit it provides four community-based behavior change programs, described below, around green living, livable neighborhoods, water stewardship, and resilient communities. These programs can be used as part of an existing initiative or as the foundation for a new one.
Each behavior change program includes learning how to facilitate an empowerment training, offer empowerment coaching, and use the Social Change 2.0 framework, strategies, and skills to architect a transformational community intervention. You will also be provided training scripts, organizing templates and guidance on how to customize the program to the needs of your community and project.
To learn more about the Empowerment Institute Certification Program visit its home page.
Who should attend
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- Change agents from community-based non-profits, local government agencies, neighborhood and block associations, faith-based and corporate community service initiatives, community foundations and social entrepreneurs wishing strategies and tools to engage community members and empower them to achieve prosocial behavior change.
- Faculty or administrators from universities, community colleges and high school service learning or capstone programs wishing to engage students in a community behavior change intervention.
Green Living Program
This workbook program contains eighty-one behavior change actions and sustainable lifestyle assessments for solid waste reduction, energy efficiency, water efficiency, transportation efficiency, green purchasing and empowering others. It also has team leader guides for facilitating peer-support group meetings.
An education and outreach application of the Green Living Program is the Sustainable Lifestyle Campaign. It assists local governments, utilities and community-based organizations in empowering citizens to adopt resource-efficient lifestyle practices. For more information about the program click here.
Livable Neighborhood Program
This workbook program contains thirty-five block-level actions and livability assessments for health and safety, beautification and greening, resource sharing, and neighborhood building. It also has block leader guides for facilitating team meetings.
An education and outreach application of this program is the Livable Neighborhood Campaign. It serves as a platform for integrating and delivering the programs of local government agencies, community nonprofits, and neighborhood and block associations. For more information about the program click here.
Water Stewardship Program
The workbook program contains thirty-two behavior change actions and action plans for water quality, water conservation and community volunteering and advocacy. It also has team leader guides for facilitating peer support group meetings.
An education and outreach application of this program is the Water Stewardship Campaign. It assists local governments and watershed organizations in empowering residents to reduce pollutants they generate that harm local water bodies and to conserve water. For more information about the program click here.
Resilient Community Program
This workbook program which is customized for a city contains thirty-two block and building level level actions and action plans divided into three sections: preparing for energy disruptions; preparing for natural disasters, emergencies and terrorism; and creating a resilient neighborhood. It also has block/building leader guides for facilitating team meetings.
An education and outreach application of this program is the Disaster Resilient Community Campaign. It serves as a platform for integrating and delivering the emergency preparedness program of a local government emergency management agency, community nonprofit addressing emergency preparedness and resiliency issues, and neighborhood and block associations addressing safety issues. For more information about the program and its application in New York City click here.
Empowerment Framework
Register for Empowerment Certification Program
Future workshops to be announced here.
Track 5 Videos
To learn about some of the transformative social change strategies and tactics integrated into these programs view the following videos:
Reinventing the Social Change Formula: An Overview
The Essence of the New Social Change Formula
Beyond the "Good Fight"
From Pathology to Vision
Building A Resilient New York City
Secrets of Social Diffusion
Advanced Training for Social Change Agents
School for Transformative Social Change
Read about the Empowerment Institute Certification Program in a free download from David Gershon’s award-winning book Social Change 2.0: A Blueprint for Reinventing Our World, “Building Leadership Capacity to Change the World: A School for Transformative Social Change.”
To learn more about the Social Change 2.0 framework which undergirds the practice of empowerment in communities, read the free download from the book's introduction, "Reinventing Social Change."
Track 5 Testimonials
“The Green Living Program has demonstrated results. It can make a real difference. In our work with communities across America this is exactly the sort of tool for which they are searching.”
– Molly Olson, Executive Director, President’s Council on Sustainable Development