Stick Your Neck Out - A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond

Informationen zum Autor John Graham Klappentext As President of the Giraffe Heroes Project! which since 1982 has been recognizing people who "stick their necks out for the common good!" John Graham has seen what hundreds of average citizens around the world have done to bring about constructive change. He's drawn on their experiences! his own as a veteran environmental activist! and that of a hand-picked group of seasoned activists to produce an accessible! eminently practical! inspiring guide on how to work effectively for change in any environment. Stick Your Neck Out covers every aspect of working for change! from choosing an issue to mapping out a strategy! getting a team together! building alliances! working with the media! and more. Each chapter contains a series of practical tips as well as inspiring examples of real people--artists! truck drivers! doctors! waitresses! and others--who have made a difference on issues like poverty! racism! gang violence! environmental pollution! and many more. Everything in this book has been honed and practiced; nothing is untested theory. This is a comprehensive guide to the skills! qualities! and strategies you need to make a difference on any issue. But it's also about becoming fully alive--about the meaning and passion you can add to your own life by getting involved. Active citizenship and personal growth are linked. The information in this book can change your world--and it can change your life. Zusammenfassung An accessible, comprehensive handbook to achieving change in any environment, featuring time-tested methods and practical tips from real activists. As President of the Giraffe Heroes Project, which since 1982 has been recognizing people who “stick their necks out for the common good,” John Graham has seen what hundreds of average citizens around the world have done to bring about constructive change. He’s drawn on their experiences, his own as a veteran environmental activist, and that of a hand-picked group of seasoned activists to produce an accessible, eminently practical, inspiring guide on how to work effectively for change in any environment. Stick Your Neck Out covers every aspect of working for change, from choosing an issue to mapping out a strategy, getting a team together, building alliances, working with the media, and more. Each chapter contains a series of practical tips as well as inspiring examples of real people—artists, truck drivers, doctors, waitresses, and others—who have made a difference on issues like poverty, racism, gang violence, environmental pollution, and many more. Everything in this book has been honed and practiced; nothing is untested theory. This is a comprehensive guide to the skills, qualities, and strategies you need to make a difference on any issue. But it’s also about becoming fully alive—about the meaning and passion you can add to your own life by getting involved. Active citizenship and personal growth are linked. The information in this book can change your world—and it can change your life. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface Who Should Read This Book Hard and Soft How to Use This Book What’s Not in This Book Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT? What Problem Do You Take On? Giraffe Stories CHAPTER ONE WHY DO IT? What’s the Path to a Meaningful Life? Going for It Giraffe Stories CHAPTER TWO START HERE Research Decide the Form of Your Participation Create a Specific Project Create a Vision for Your Project’s Success Add Details to Your Project Giraffe Stories CHAPTER THREE TRUST THEM? ARE YOU KIDDING? The Importance of Building Trust How to Build Trust Efforts to Build Trust Are Risky Giraffe Stories CHAPTER FOUR BUILDING A TEAM AND KEEPING IT TOGETHER How to Build a Team from Scratch Team Structure

List of contents

Preface
Who Should Read This Book
Hard and Soft
How to Use This Book
What s Not in This Book
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT?
What Problem Do You Take On?
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER ONE WHY DO IT?
What s the Path to a Meaningful Life?
Going for It
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER TWO START HERE
Research
Decide the Form of Your Participation
Create a Specific Project
Create a Vision for Your Project s Success
Add Details to Your Project
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER THREE TRUST THEM? ARE YOU KIDDING?
The Importance of Building Trust
How to Build Trust
Efforts to Build Trust Are Risky
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER FOUR BUILDING A TEAM AND KEEPING IT TOGETHER
How to Build a Team from Scratch
Team Structure
Team Management
Create and Communicate a Team Vision of Success
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER FIVE MAKING A PLAN
Steps for Visionary Planning
What to Do When Your Plan Succeeds
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER SIX RISK TAKING AND COURAGE
An Ostrich Nation
Turning It Around the Giraffe Heroes Project
Turning It Around Why You Should Take Risks for the Common Good
Tips for Taking Risks as an Active Citizen
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER SEVEN FINDING COMMON GROUND: NEGOTIATING AND RESOLVING CONFLICTS
General Principles for Negotiating and Resolving Conflicts
Ten Steps to Common Ground
It Doesn t Work Every Time
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER EIGHT PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATIONS: SPEECHES, FUND-RAISING, AND MORE
Persuasive Communications Style, Attitude, Heart, and Vision
How to Give a Great Speech
Tips for Raising Money
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER NINE DEALING WITH THE MEDIA: THE SECRETS OF GOOD PR
Why Should You Tell People What You re Doing?
Creating a Media Strategy
How to Get the Media Results You Want
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER TEN GETTING INSTITUTIONS TO DO WHAT YOU WANT
Developing the Public Will
Working with the System
Lobbying
Giraffe Stories
CHAPTER ELEVEN PUBLIC TESTIMONY AND LEGAL ACTION
Public Testimony
Legal Action
Giraffe Stories
EPILOGUE A PERSONAL JOURNEY
Connectedness A Spiritual Concept with Political Power
Lightening Up
Being Responsible for Our World and for Ourselves
Resources
Index

Product details

• Authors: Graham, John Graham
• Publisher: Berrett Koehler Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.05.2005
• EAN: 9781576753040
• ISBN: 978-1-57675-304-0
• No. of pages: 240
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 216 mm x 15 mm
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Stadt- und Gemeindeplanung, Politische Strukturen und Prozesse, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Advocacy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Civics & Citizenship, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / City Planning & Urban Development, Politics / Current Events