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Stories About Changemakers

Stories illustrate what's possible when people come together to create positive change in their community. We feature stories from a wide range of issues, geographic areas, and demographics. You'll also find stories in a variety of formats including interviews, community profiles, videos, podcasts, and more.

Scroll down to start getting inspired, or jump to a section on this page:

Stories of Change  |  Community Profiles |  Community Notes

Stories on Specific Issue Areas  |  Printable Story Handouts

Stories of Change

These timeless stories showcase how people have come together to create more equitable, inclusive communities. The wide range of issues and types of communities featured illustrates how dialogue and action can be used in many situations. Building strong communities is an ongoing process, and many of these communities continue to use dialogue and action to address issues they're facing.

 

In Decatur and Beyond, It All Starts with a Conversation
Addressing diversity issues in your community can be difficult and complex.  Many look to Decatur, Georgia as an example of inclusion, diversity & citizen engagement. This is an community update...
Creating healthy neighborhoods through action and policy change
New York City residents are taking action to address concerns about food and health disparities. Four action teams are connecting residents with elected officials and local businesses, educating the...
Removing racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement
In Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, students, teachers, and staff have participated in dialogues to help find ways to address racial barriers to student achievement for over a decade....
Creating racial equity in education, policing, and leadership
When racial tensions rose to a tipping point in Stratford, Conn., the city used this as a springboard to improve community-police relations. Now, nearly a decade later, they see many results of their...
The path to a unified community
After using dialogue to address poverty and build prosperity, residents of the rural town of Wagner, S.D., realized that there was something holding them back from making real progress: they needed...
Inspired residents shape their own future
We all want a better future for our children. What does it look like when residents come together in dialogues to create change? Learn about how a group of residents are creating a healthier, safer...

Community Notes

This section showcases what's happening in communities that use dialogue and action to create change. You'll find a variety of content including podcasts, short stories, interviews, videos, and more.

 

From Culturally Reactive to Culturally Proactive Schools – A Case Study
Achieving educational equity in our schools is not simply a math challenge. It’s not even just about which schools are in which neighborhoods, public vs. private, or which schools have the most money...
Civic Change Champion Announced - Families United for Education
With over 400 community members and 44 community-based, non-profit organizations participating, Families United for Education is a leader in the nation when it comes to engaging families toward...
How Social Workers Improve Relationships Between Police and Communities
In 1955, the Los Angeles Police Department adopted the motto “To Protect and Serve,” and over the last seven decades, many other American law enforcement departments followed suit. But in the Black...
The Road to an Undivided Nation—Discovering How Race Divides Us
Imagine quitting your job, selling your home and taking your three small children on the road for a year in an RV to visit all 50 states in our nation, with the goal of understanding our current...
YWCA Delaware Fights Racism with Dialogue to Change
The YWCA of New Castle County, which later became YWCA Delaware, embraced the study circle process, starting with a small grant from DuPont and involving many other organizations, including...
Anchor Partner InterFaith Works in Central New York is On a Mission
Central New York’s Interfaith Works’ El Hindi Center for Dialogue continually confronts “hot topics” in the community head on, with thoughtful, facilitated listening and sharing sessions that gather...

 

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Printable Handouts

Many of our stories also include a printable handout to make it easy for you to share these stories at community meetings, with your board, at conferences, with funders, and more. Just scroll down on any story in this section to find a PDF version available to download and print.

Check out this section to find all of the stories that include printable handouts in one place.