These four webinars from the Constructive Dialogue Institute give college leaders, educators, and student organizers practical tools for building campus cultures where people can talk across differences. Learn from real examples at leading universities.

What This Series Offers

• Research-backed strategies from leading universities

• Practical tools you can use right away

• Real examples from campus dialogue programs

• Expert guidance from university leaders

• Free recordings you can watch anytime

One Small Step

Let's Talk For A Change

Have a real conversation with someone who sees the world differently than you do. No debates. No arguing. Just two people getting to know each other as human beings.

A StoryCorps initiative bringing together people with different political views for 50-minute conversations that remind us of our shared humanity.

Campus speaker events can be flashpoints for division—or opportunities for real learning. This playbook gives organizers practical tools to design events that bring people together across differences, even when discussing tough topics.

What You'll Learn

• How to design events that encourage dialogue instead of debates

• Ways to set the right tone before, during, and after controversial speakers

• Practical steps for choosing speakers who model good conversation

• Tools for creating safe spaces where all students can participate

• Methods for turning disagreement into learning opportunities

Who gets to tell the story of your community? For too long, outside voices have shaped narratives about Black and Brown neighborhoods. But a new wave of grassroots organizations is taking back the pen—and the camera, the podcast mic, and the social media account—to tell their own stories and drive real change.

Why This Matters for Organizers

• Stories Drive Change: Narrative power is as important as economic or political power

• Tools Are Accessible: You do not need Hollywood budgets—TikTok, podcasts, and community theater work

• Community Expertise: Those closest to the problems are best positioned to tell the stories

• Proven Strategies: Case studies show what works across different communities

• Funder Interest: Philanthropy is increasingly supporting narrative change work

Want to track a bill? Research how a law came to be? Find out who your state representative is? The Texas Legislative Reference Library gives you free access to all of this and more. It is your window into how state government works.

Why This Resource Matters

• Track Legislation: Follow bills from filing to becoming law

• Research History: Access bill files dating back to 1907

• Understand Process: Learn how the Texas Legislature works

• Free for Everyone: No subscription or special access needed

• Authoritative Source: Official legislative records and documents

Three hundred Fresnans came together with a big vision—to build an economy that creates opportunity for everyone. Five years later, the results speak for themselves. Fresno DRIVE shows what is possible when communities lead, when neighbors organize, and when everyone has a seat at the table.

Why This Matters for Organizers

• Proof of Concept: Community-led initiatives can move the needle on national rankings

• Replicable Model: Multi-billion dollar community-led investment plan created by residents

• Infrastructure Focus: Neighborhood Hubs build relationships, trust, and collective power

• Long-Term Vision: Five-year timeline shows sustained commitment produces results

• Systems Change: Addressing root causes of poverty, not just symptoms

When parents have good child care, they can go to work. When they can go to work, Houston's businesses run better. That's why child care is part of how our city works.

But many home-based child care providers struggle. They don't have money saved for emergencies. They don't know how to run the business side of child care. They can't get loans like other small businesses can.

What the Pilot Program Did

• Gave money to 30 home child care businesses

• Taught owners how to run their businesses better

• Helped them prepare for storms and emergencies

• Tracked what worked and what didn't

• Learned lessons to help more providers

New information about America's veterans was just released this month. It tells us who they are, how they're doing, and what help they need. This matters for everyone who wants to support the people who served our country.

Why Houston Should Care

• For Helpers: Learn what veterans really need, not what we guess they need

• For City Leaders: Get facts about veteran health, jobs, and housing problems

• For Business Owners: Understand the skills veterans have and the help they need

• For Community Groups: See where veterans need more support

• For Veterans and Families: Know you're not alone and find help

In times of uncertainty and challenge, human connection becomes our greatest strength. StoryCorps brings together heartwarming stories that remind us of our shared humanity, resilience, and capacity for love and kindness.

StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and preserved more than 75,000 interviews from people of all backgrounds and beliefs. These conversations celebrate the power of listening and remind us what matters most in life.

"I've experienced a number of times where I found myself thinking, 'Oh I never thought of it that way' or I recognized that someone else's experience opened me up to a new way of seeing that topic. I found myself seeing something for the first time."

— Conversation Participant

The Beacon Project launches its first podcast with Eric Liu, CEO of Citizen University. This conversation explores why citizenship matters now, what civic culture really means, and how communities can rebuild connection in times of division.

"Avoiding difficult conversations won't bring us any closer, but treating others with respect will. Learning to discuss and disagree without being mean is the only way to rebuild our communities."

— Disagree Better Initiative