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

"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

In a rare moment of agreement across party lines, parents from all political backgrounds share deep concern about the impact of social media and smartphones on their children. This is not a left issue or a right issue. This is a parent issue.

Why This Matters for Your Community

• For Parents: You are not alone in your concerns. Data showing overwhelming consensus across political lines

• For Schools: Evidence supporting phone-free policies that most parents actually want

• For Policy Makers: Rare bipartisan issue where Americans agree on the need for action

• For Tech Companies: Clear signal that parents want better protections for kids online

• For Communities: A unifying issue that can bring people together across differences

Core Principles:

• Strictly Nonpartisan: Tools and opportunities for all women regardless of party affiliation

• Inclusive: Special focus on underserved women, women of color, and young women

• Collaborative: "All in together" means partnering across sectors and organizations

• Action-Oriented: Moving beyond awareness to tangible civic participation

• Sustainable: Building lifelong commitment to democracy beyond election cycles

What makes AIT different:

• Only national nonpartisan organization focused exclusively on women's civic engagement

• Combines education, training, research, and media to create systemic change

• Reaches millions through media while training thousands on the ground

• Addresses gender-based violence survivors and marginalized communities

• Led by women with deep expertise in both civic life and business leadership

A German thinker named Friedrich Nietzsche had a word for this feeling: "nihilism" (say: NYE-ill-ism). It means believing nothing really matters. But this feeling is now so common among young Americans that experts call it "cultural nihilism."

Warning Signs

• Fewer young people trust democracy than ever before

• Young people don't trust big institutions like government

• Entire online groups are built around being super negative

• Young people have stopped believing things can get better

Why Church Safety Matters

Your church should be a safe place. Everyone should feel welcome and protected. But many churches don't know where to start with safety planning.

What churches deal with:

• More than 75% of churches don't have a safety team

• Many churches don't know what rules they need to follow

• Church leaders want to help but don't know what to do first

• Communities need safe places to gather and worship

This event will help you learn simple ways to make your church safer for everyone.

Why Belonging Matters

Families sign up their kids for swim lessons or sports not just to learn skills, but to make friends and feel like they belong. Seniors come for exercise classes and stay to talk over coffee. People walk through our doors for programs, but they stay because they feel seen and supported.

Recent research shows that feeling connected to others is more important for success than age, race, or income. The Y uses this information to create programs that bring different generations together and help people feel less alone.