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THREE DAYS, THREE WAYS OF FACILITATING CHANGE

2/7/2019

While ICA programs are often the frontline for the innovation of our methods, we believe that a multiplicity of perspectives and approaches is necessary to creating sustainable change. When we are not organizing educational series in Uptown, sustainability leaders around Chicago, and facilitation trainers across the United States, our team works to cultivate connections and build the capacity of individuals, organizations, and communities through direct facilitation, consultation, and training. We’ve started off strong in 2019, jumping into three ways of facilitating change across three days in late January:

SHARED HISTORY EXPLORED AT ToP GATHERING IN HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS

2/7/2019

Even in the dead of winter, the warm and vibrant New Orleans was a breath of fresh air. Among the oldest cities in the country, New Orleans has a rich history of diverse cultural influences that infuse it with a particular energy—not unlike the rich and diverse group of facilitators that assembled there for this year’s ToP Network Annual Gathering.

'TORCHBEARERS' HONORED IN STORYTELLING SESSION

2/7/2019

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Fourteen people sat calmly in a row, shoulder to shoulder, holding between them over 700 years of experience learning and leading in community development projects around the world. In the air between the fourteen and those who came to hear them speak hung the promise of fourteen stories. Among these stories was a spark of the collected wisdom that would eventually become the Institute of Cultural Affairs and its Technology of Participation (ToP) methods.

FIFTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION "A DREAM COME TRUE" FOR CSLN MEMBERS

12/11/2018

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Within hours of breaking down and packing up the party lights, leftover food and drink, Polaroid pictures, flyers and banners, the praise began on social media. One member wrote on Facebook that the Fifth Anniversary Celebration of the Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN) was “the best time I have had all year.” Another posted a photo captioned “What a terrific evening!! Loved the vibe, food, drinks and especially the people.” Additional praise came through word of mouth, with a newcomer remarking that the event “made my life” and a long-time member calling it “a dream come true.”

On November 30th, 2018, over 70 people gathered at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to celebrate five years of community collaboration...

HIGH TECH AND SOCIAL TECH MEET AT FINAL NOURISH (COMM)UNITY EVENT

12/11/2018

When it comes to technology, the prevailing image is likely the smartphone, that glossy gadget capable of streaming vast quantities of information on the go. The internet-connected phone has undeniably come to dominate cultures across the world by allowing users unprecedented access to information and to one another.

It may be surprising, then, that when Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN) members came together for Community Tech on November 10th, 2018, it was a mostly screen-free event in a church basement...

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CONVERSATION ON EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT CLOSES SERIES, OPENS MINDS

12/11/2018

When organizing campaigns for housing and equitable development, start by asking three questions: For whom are the rules rigged? Who benefits? What is the dominant narrative?

Jennifer Ritter, Executive Director of ONE Northside, a community organization based in Uptown, Chicago, gave this advice to residents of the neighborhood who gathered on the evening of November 15th, 2018, for Conversations on Social Justice: Equitable Development in Uptown...

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COLLEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: OLIVEANN SLOTTA

11/8/2018

In 2015, a group of ICA colleagues in the Denver area began working to organize Accelerate Neighborhood Climate Action, inspired by the accelerate77 program ICA was doing in Chicago... There are now 22 action plans across 8 of Denver’s 79 neighborhoods.