Center for Community Renewal

CRI Training Programs are designed to deploy a new national work force of paid “community renewers” with skills needed to replicate and customize the CRI model in other communities of the U.S. and around the world. Training programs for unpaid volunteers are also included. Estimates for number of volunteers based on the demonstration model city are approximately 100 volunteers per paid staff. Immersive educational experiences in field and classroom settings prepare both staff and volunteer workforce with skills and tools to transform their communities. Engaging students with the CRI working model in Shreveport / Bossier, Louisiana provides first hand exposure to all facets of the working model. Three educational tracks include:

• CRI Nurturing Workforce educational programs include:
  • Introduction to the CRI theory of change and actualized model – joining the “We Care Team”;
  • Workshops for becoming Haven House Leaders;
  • Organizing Civic Leader Core Teams to launch and sustain the CRI program in replication communities;
  • Director Certification for Renewal Team and Haven House programs;
  • Neighborhood Community Coordinator Certification (Friendship House / ICU program);
  • CRI Program Coordinator Certification

• Connecting Elements of the Village Structure – Existing Careers Enhancement – educational programs of institutional intervention that include:
  • Introduction to the CRI theory of change and actualized model
  • Filtering existing careers through the CRI relational foundation filter. Activating feed-back loops to better connect work with positive community outcomes.
  • Creating an environment of trust to find new opportunities discovered by crossing boundaries.
  • Strategic Doing workshops

• Comprehensive Caring Community Systems educational programs:
  • Collaborative seminars in the work of reinventing the systems of community to more intentionally build physical contexts, ownership frameworks, governance structures and policies that strengthen the relational foundation. Partners in Caring teaching workshops for planners, builders and leaders of ever-renewing communities.
  • These seminars and /or workshops will be developed as outcomes of Think Tank Charrettes ^TM (TTC) and other collaborative initiatives as tools of change are developed through the institute.

The Institute for Community Renewal (ICR) is organized to:

• Grow the body of knowledge and tools for ever-renewing communities.
• Organize and facilitate periodic Think Tank Charrettes (TTC) to connect the work of individuals / organizations that are pursuing transformative work in one or more of the village structure elements.
• Produce publications and other content development to improve the capability and impact of the CRI model as a relational foundation filtering system for ever-renewing communities.
• Develop or assist development of new tools that emerge from TTC’s with potential to advance the work of CRI toward ever-renewing communities. For example, emerging from the first TTC in 2008 is Agile Planning, a new co-created planning process that is based on 3 innovations: the relational strategies of CRI including the “village structure” framework; the discipline of “strategic doing” to guide open loosely joined networks; and physical planning methodologies that better connect planning to implementation with link and leverage design strategies.

The CRI Resource Support Center will provide the following support services to replication communities:

• Field Resource Teams for supporting CRI model start-up communities, assessing communities for customizing strategies and for quality assurance of replication programs.
• Marketing and communications to create a brand experience that include: CRI online communities, kit of tools that shows how the CRI approach works, sharing CRI experiences of communities and individuals across the country.
• Publishing for curriculum, top shelf journal in “social technology,” monthly “Renewal News” magazine, as well as books and videos.
• CR Foundation for seed funding of site start-ups, sustained home support and “scholarships”.
• Strategic gatherings that include forums, retreats, and yearly “conventions” to grow the community of all CR personnel and partners.