The Institute of Cultural Affairs
  • About Us
    • Mission & Approach
    • History
    • Our People >
      • Staff
      • Board >
        • Join our Board
    • Get Involved >
      • Volunteer
      • Employment
    • Contact Us
  • Programs
    • Chicago >
      • Earth Day 2024
    • National
    • Global
  • ToPĀ® Services
    • Consultation and Facilitation
    • ToP® Training
  • GREENRISE BUILDING
    • About ICA GreenRise
    • LEASE at ICA
    • LIVE at ICA
    • MEET at ICA
    • Tenants & Residents
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Publications
    • Past Events
  • Store
    • Store
    • Store For Trainers
  • Donate
  • Annual Reports

ToP Community Welcomes Newly Certified Facilitators at Annual Gathering

3/1/2020

 
Picture
ToP Mentor Trainer Marilyn Oyler shares the strengths of CTF candidates at the ToP Network Annual Gathering in Walnut Creek, CA.
Learn about certification
In the days before the ToP Network Annual Gathering, three facilitators completed assessments and became Certified ToP Facilitators (CTFs). Congratulations to Jennifer Allen of Long Beach, CA, Jasmine Jetton-Gonzales of Deerfield, IL, and Diana McCall of Asheville, NC!

Certification is a long journey of skill-building, practice, and reflection. Candidates create and submit extensive portfolios that showcase their competencies and application of ToP methods, get structured feedback from mentors and clients, and are supported by a coach and a community of practice. Upon completion of the final assessment, facilitators are welcomed into the global community of ToP practitioners.

Darnell Shields Dreams of a Dynamic, Bustling, and Alive Austin

12/19/2019

 
Picture
LISC Chicago community partners learn ToP facilitation methods during a Chicago Plans workshop. Photo by Gordon Walek
Darnell Shields dreams of a dynamic, bustling, and alive Austin, a community on the West Side of Chicago. As the Executive Director of Austin Coming Together (ACT), Darnell and his team have worked diligently on building a system that supplies the resources and support that local residents and organizations need to address the barriers they face. The role of community “has to be better acknowledged and valued when it comes to community development initiatives,” he says. “Developing resident capacity on the ground in neighborhoods into interconnected systems is the only way you can have harmonious allocation and distribution of resources in a place.”

Read More

ToP FOCUSED CONVERSATION FEATURED IN AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION FACILITATION GUIDE

7/20/2019

 
Picture
“Public participation in the planning process is key to creating successful and implementable plans. Unfortunately, the term often conjures up images of angry residents, stifling-hot rooms in old buildings with dim fluorescent lighting, and a group of people that simply cannot agree.” –ICA Program Director Seva Gandhi, The ToP Focused Conversation: A Facilitation Tool for the Planning Process, APA PAS Report 595

Read More

SHARED HISTORY EXPLORED AT ToP GATHERING IN HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS

2/7/2019

 
Picture
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.

Read More

'TORCHBEARERS' HONORED IN STORYTELLING SESSION

2/7/2019

 
Picture
See more photos on Flickr
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.

Read More

ACTIVATING ToP ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

8/21/2018

 
ICA’s Technology of Participation (ToP) training program continues to thrive in 2018.  With more than 100 trainers in 26 states offering over 250 public courses each year, ToP’s impact continues to grow throughout the United States. Several improvements to the ToP program are currently underway through the work of ICA staff and trainer teams throughout the US.
Picture

Read More

NEW ToP PRICING MAKES COURSES NOW MORE ACCESSIBLE

6/11/2018

 
Did you know that all our Technology of Participation (ToP) facilitation courses have moved to a new pricing system? ​Course fees are now tiered depending on the participant’s organization type, making ToP training more accessible to students, small nonprofits, and community groups.
ToP Training, Sticky Wall, Facilitation, Gerry Cazares
Photo Credit: Gerry Cazares

Read More

CONVENING ToP TRAINERS FROM ACROSS THE US

12/6/2017

 
On August 10-11th 2017, over 20 dedicated ToP Trainers gathered in Chicago to discuss ways to collectively improve their capacity to deliver ToP Training. The convening was called by the ICA, the ToP Network (a membership organization that serves both ToP trainers and ToP facilitation practitioners), and the ToP Training Leadership Forum (TTLF), the joint decision-making body between the two organizations.
​
Picture
Enjoying the music in Millennium Park

Read More

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS: LOCAL TO NATIONAL

7/6/2017

 
For many years, ICA has been working on creating intentional and meaningful institutional partnerships with organizations that share our values and are looking for more effective ways to engage their constituencies. The following is a snapshot of four unique collaborative partnerships that have emerged in the past few years.
Picture
LISC Chicago Plans training for Quality of Life planning

Read More

ToP NETWORK RIDES THE WAVES OF INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, AND ENGAGEMENT

3/7/2017

 
On January 13 - 16th at the 26th ToP Annual Gathering, the ToP Network came together for in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Each day’s agenda included opportunities to experience and learn new ideas and innovations, share practices and skills, and discuss the role of facilitation in today’s society.
Picture

Read More
<<Previous
    Subscribe

    Categories

    All
    Accelerate77
    CSLN
    GreenRise
    ICA Archives
    International
    News
    Spotlight
    ToP
    Uptown

    Past News

    ​All
    2019
    2018
    2017
    2016
    2015
    2014
    2013
    2012
    2011
Picture
Contact Us | Privacy Policy
4750 N Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60640
773 769 6363 x 335

Copyright 2022. The Institute of Cultural Affairs. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
    • Mission & Approach
    • History
    • Our People >
      • Staff
      • Board >
        • Join our Board
    • Get Involved >
      • Volunteer
      • Employment
    • Contact Us
  • Programs
    • Chicago >
      • Earth Day 2024
    • National
    • Global
  • ToPĀ® Services
    • Consultation and Facilitation
    • ToP® Training
  • GREENRISE BUILDING
    • About ICA GreenRise
    • LEASE at ICA
    • LIVE at ICA
    • MEET at ICA
    • Tenants & Residents
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Publications
    • Past Events
  • Store
    • Store
    • Store For Trainers
  • Donate
  • Annual Reports