Organizing Study Circles to Build Hospitable Communities, Confront Bias, and Counter Zenophobia

More than eighty U.S. communities are using study circles - small-group, democratic, highly participatory discussions - to address community tensions, bridge divides, and work together on public problems.

Part of the challenge in building an hospitable community is to find ways for long-time residents and newcomers alike to know that they are part of something bigger than themselves, and that they can make a difference on the issues that affect their lives. Study circles provide just such a way. They welcome people from all backgrounds and provide a safe place for all participants to exchange ideas, dispel stereotypes, create new relationships, and form new networks for public problem-solving.

There are a number of ways you can build study circles as you follow up on the teleconference. Central to each of these is a commitment to bring together a diversity of people for honest, respectful, democratic dialogue:

1) Organize a study circle program on an issue of general concern to the community.

Consider what will draw broad participation from all sectors and groups.
Examples: Relevant resources:
In Long Beach, CA, the "Peace Among the People Initiative" is bringing together people from Hispanic, Anglo, and Cambodian backgrounds for study circles on violence. In these bilingual groups, many people will have their first opportunity to meet and share with fellow community members. In Syracuse, NY, the Interreligious Council of Central New York worked with other community organizations to sponsor community-wide "dialogue circles" on children's issues. The groups represented a broad cross-section of the community. The Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC) has discussion guides on a variety of issues, including education, violence, and youth issues:

Education: How Can Schools and Communities Work Together to Meet the Challenge?
Confronting Violence in Our Communities: A Guide for Involving Citizens in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving
Youth Issues, Youth Voices: A Guide for Engaging Youth and Adults in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving (about to be released).

Spanish versions of some of these materials are also available
2) Organize a study circle program on race relations and racism.

This issue provides natural opportunities for community members to discuss their ethnic backgrounds and immigration histories. It also provides a way for to people to hear about - and grapple with - tensions among ethnic groups and the forms of bias that different groups are facing.
Examples: Relevant resources:
In Los Angeles, CA, the City Council has sponsored "Days of Dialogue" study circles to provide ways for residents of the city to address tensions surrounding racial and ethnic divides. The first Day of Dialogue followed the O.J. Simpson verdict. In Springfield, MA, the Springfield Council of Churches has sponsored a study circle program in the faith community, by pairing congregations for discussions of race relations that include a variety of ethnic and immigration backgrounds. SCRC's"Can't We All Just Get Along?" A Manual for Discussion Programs on Racism and Race Relations. Also available are brief videotapes on study circle programs in Aurora, IL, and Lima, OH, that demonstrate the impact of study circles on race relations.
3) Organize study circles on "pluralism and identity" issues.
This kind of program can expand community awareness of everyone's backgrounds and immigration history.
Examples: Relevant resources:
In Somerville, MA, the Somerville Human Rights Commission and Tufts University sponsored a study circle program called "Somerville Conversations on Ethnic Identity, the Immigrant Experience, and What it Means to Be an American." Other sponsors included the Somerville Haitian Coalition, Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, Centro Presente, the Disability Commission, and the Somerville Interfaith Group. SCRC is partnering with A More Perfect Union (a media education project funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities' National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity) to develop a study circle guide, which will be released in early 1997. Please contact SCRC if you are interested in receiving (and perhaps testing) a draft of this guide.
4) Organize study circles on immigration issues.

In a growing number of places, tensions related to recent immigration and related policy issues are receiving widespread attention and concern, and could be the focus of a study circle program.
Relevant resources: SCRC is developing a discussion guide entitled, Immigrants, Immigration Policy, and Your Community, which will be available by early 1997. A draft outline of this guide is attached. If you are interested in testing these materials this fall, please contact SCRC.

1) Organize a study circle program on an issue of general concern to the community. Consider what will draw broad participation from all sectors and groups.
Examples:	Relevant resources:
In Long Beach, CA, the "Peace Among the People Initiative" is bringing together people from Hispanic, Anglo, and Cambodian backgrounds for study circles on violence. In these bilingual groups, many people will have their first opportunity to meet and share with fellow community members. In Syracuse, NY, the Interreligious Council of Central New York worked with other community organizations to sponsor community-wide "dialogue circles" on children's issues. The groups represented a broad cross-section of the community.	The Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC) has discussion guides on a variety of issues, including education, violence, and youth issues: Education: How Can Schools and Communities Work Together to Meet the Challenge? Confronting Violence in Our Communities: A Guide for Involving Citizens in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving Youth Issues, Youth Voices: A Guide for Engaging Youth and Adults in Public Dialogue and Problem Solving (about to be released). Spanish versions of some of these materials are also available
2) Organize a study circle program on race relations and racism. This issue provides natural opportunities for community members to discuss their ethnic backgrounds and immigration histories. It also provides a way for to people to hear about - and grapple with - tensions among ethnic groups and the forms of bias that different groups are facing.
Examples:	Relevant resources:
In Los Angeles, CA, the City Council has sponsored "Days of Dialogue" study circles to provide ways for residents of the city to address tensions surrounding racial and ethnic divides. The first Day of Dialogue followed the O.J. Simpson verdict. In Springfield, MA, the Springfield Council of Churches has sponsored a study circle program in the faith community, by pairing congregations for discussions of race relations that include a variety of ethnic and immigration backgrounds.	SCRC's"Can't We All Just Get Along?" A Manual for Discussion Programs on Racism and Race Relations. Also available are brief videotapes on study circle programs in Aurora, IL, and Lima, OH, that demonstrate the impact of study circles on race relations.
3) Organize study circles on "pluralism and identity" issues. This kind of program can expand community awareness of everyone's backgrounds and immigration history.
Examples:	Relevant resources:
In Somerville, MA, the Somerville Human Rights Commission and Tufts University sponsored a study circle program called "Somerville Conversations on Ethnic Identity, the Immigrant Experience, and What it Means to Be an American." Other sponsors included the Somerville Haitian Coalition, Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers, Centro Presente, the Disability Commission, and the Somerville Interfaith Group.	SCRC is partnering with A More Perfect Union (a media education project funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities' National Conversation on American Pluralism and Identity) to develop a study circle guide, which will be released in early 1997. Please contact SCRC if you are interested in receiving (and perhaps testing) a draft of this guide.
4) Organize study circles on immigration issues. In a growing number of places, tensions related to recent immigration and related policy issues are receiving widespread attention and concern, and could be the focus of a study circle program.
Relevant resources: SCRC is developing a discussion guide entitled, Immigrants, Immigration Policy, and Your Community, which will be available by early 1997. A draft outline of this guide is attached. If you are interested in testing these materials this fall, please contact SCRC.

Organizing strategies

In a community-wide program, a diverse coalition of sponsors creates a large-scale, broad-based discussion program involving dozens of study circles. If you want to create this kind of program, consider ways to bring together: those who have been in country for generations with those who are recent or new immigrants; people from various ethnic groups; people from various faith traditions; and people with various political and social views. Broad coalitions that represent many sectors, voices, points of view, concerns, and experiences lead to study circles that have tremendous vitality and appeal in the community. SCRC has a comprehensive "how-to" resource entitled, Planning and Implementing Community-wide Study Circle Programs: A Step-by-Step Guide.

Study circles in the faith community give participants an opportunity to explore how their faith informs their perspectives on the issue being discussed. When congregations from different faith traditions and ethnic backgrounds pair with each other for dialogue, they have a chance to form new relationships, grapple with public issues, and build community. In some communities, large-scale congregation-pairing programs have been the start for a community-wide study circle program. SCRC has a resource tailored to the faith community entitled, Study Circles in Paired Congregations: Enriching Your Community Through Shared Dialogue on Vital Issues.

Key issues to consider

Whether you are organizing a small-scale or large-scale program, consider:

What issue will you focus on?
What discussion materials will you use?
Who will sponsor the study circles? A diverse coalition of sponsors takes time to build, but offers the possibility of greater outreach and impact.
Who will lead the groups? Expertise on the issue being discussed is not necessary; a willingness and ability to be a neutral facilitator of dialogue is important. Recruit people who have group process skills, and plan a study circle training for them.
How will you recruit participants?
What opportunities will you provide for participants to connect their study circles to the larger community?

The Study Circles Resource Center (SCRC) is a project of the Topsfield Foundation, Inc., a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation dedicated to advancing deliberative democracy and improving the quality of public life in the United States. SCRC carries out this mission by promoting the use of small-group, democratic, highly participatory discussion known as study circles.

Please contact SCRC for advice on establishing study circles in your community:

Study Circles Resource Center
PO Box 203, 697 Pomfret St.
Pomfret, CT 06258
Phone: (860) 928-2616, Fax: (860) 928-3713
E-mail: scrc@neca.com