Fostering mutual aid among civic innovators
Atlanta History Center, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights spearhead the creation of the locally-based Atlanta Civic Collaboratory. It follows the national model developed by Citizens University, a nonprofit organization equipping Americans to be civic catalysts.
73
ATL Civic Collab Members
213
Member Commitments
9
Projects Shared
Background
The Collaboratory takes as a given that building trust and common purpose – and creating an ecosystem of mutual aid – can help us go further faster.
This project has resonated with Atlanta civic leaders as our community faces extraordinary challenges, made more intense by disconnection and polarization, resource scarcity, competition, and silos. The ATL Civic Collab model allows us to tackle these current challenges by building a sense of common purpose and collective power.
Our Approach
Collaboratory meetings take place every four months. They consist of a welcome dinner the night before and a lively meeting the next day.
The dinner and day-long meeting are core to building trust: when a group breaks bread and cultivates bonds of affection, we strengthen the fabric of local partnerships which allow us to respond more effectively to community needs.
The Welcome Dinner
A time to find community — the joy of meeting new people and the pleasure of catching up with old friends. The dinner allows members to break bread and build bonds of trust and affection.
The Meeting
The heart of the day-long gathering is a Rotating Credit Club. This is a time where members take turns presenting a project they are working on, and the rest of the Collaboratory offers specific commitments to move their project forward – in the form of funding, introductions, expertise or elbow grease.
Deeper Dialogues
A time for group discussions where everyone is invited to be open about their perspectives on big questions facing Atlanta and to practice curiosity as they hear from others.
