Australian Study Circles Network

Did you ever wonder how Citizens Juries are different from Deliberative Polling? When should you use World Cafe, rather than Open Space? Or are Charrettes what’s called for? First developed in 2005, NCDD’s Engagement Streams Framework helps people navigate the range of dialogue and deliberation approaches available to them, and make design choices that best [...]

D2C Organising Manual All communities, be they neighbourhoods, suburbs, rural areas, small towns, or large metropolitan regions often face a range of complex challenges. Addressing these challenges calls for innovative and inclusive approaches. Most people care about their communities and would like to make a difference. Many would like the chance to work with others [...]

The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD) is an active network and community of practice centered around confl ict resolution and public engagement practices. Our 1,300+ members help people work together across partisan, ethnic and other divides to address today’s toughest problems, and NCDD provides them with much-needed support, connections, and resources.

Study Circles are another technique that has a variety of different uses and variations. At it’s core a study circle comprises a small group of people, usually between 5 -12 who look at a particular subject in depth and develop some recommendations or decisions from their study. Variations include: Who establishes the Circles? Who provides [...]

This Organizing for Change, workbook is for steering groups or coalitions who are beginning to plan and organize a dialogue-to-change program. Working to engage the whole community in public dialogue leading to change takes time and dedication. The most successful efforts are led by a diverse group of committed leaders who come together to drive [...]

This resource is a collaborative work-in-progress, initially developed to help inform workshops that Sandy Heierbacher presented in 10/05 with Tonya Gonzalez (at Study Circles’ national conference) and Jan Elliott (at the Canadian Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation), and a beginner’s toolkit that National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is in the process of developing. Feel [...]

Our friends at Everyday Democracy are always busy producing valuable information on community wide study circle programs. In this YouTube clip – ‘Tip of the Day – Organize Before Dialogue’ – Carolyn Abdullah, Program Director explains the necessity and importance of giving careful consideration and time to the organising phase of a Project. Her experiences [...]