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COURSE DESCRIPTION

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Our capacity to collaborate and innovate together has been undermined by the increase in incivility, toxic behaviour and divisiveness in our homes, schools, workplaces, and the public square. This erodes our sense of belonging, community, and well-being.

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We need each other to address the complex challenges facing our communities and our cities – from aging infrastructure to climate change, homelessness, mental health and addiction issues among many others.

 

To thrive, our communities depend on our ability to revive the art of living and working well together. In this thought-provoking and inspiring course, you’ll be taken on a journey from “Bullyville”, a broken, toxic and divided community to “Sustainaville”, a safe, inclusive, thriving and resilient community.

 

The successful journey includes a renewal of pro-social human values and practices rooted in compassion, secular ethics, civic education and systemic culture transformation. 

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Compassionate cities are made up of compassionate people. This course orients you and then provides you with practical tools to be the change.

 

This course includes:

• Four self-guided learning sessions, with instructor’s daily response to questions and comments

• Two optional live-chat sessions with the instructor

• Inspiring and thought-provoking videos

• Personal values assessment and worksheets

• Excerpts of the instructor’s book Save Your City: How Toxic Culture Kills Community & What To Do About It

• Access to like-minded people from around the world

 

Course Goals:

• Become intentional about fostering love-based cultures of compassion.

• Ability to discern where a community stands on the spectrum of culture.

• Gain understanding of how fear-based communities tear at the social fabric, diminishing human well-being and flourishing.

• Cultivate values-based, purpose-driven, servant leadership.

• Identify your sphere of influence and how you can best impact community culture.

• Consider the characteristics of community culture that can support human wellbeing, our democracy and our planet.

• Enhanced understanding of local government, civic leadership, citizen responsibilities and collaborative possibilities.

• Learn about the Compassionate Cities movement and supporting initiatives.

 

COURSE OUTLINE

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Part 1: Welcome to the City Gates

• Diagnosing community culture (spectrum)

• Root causes and triggers of incivility and toxic culture

• Impact of cultural poisoning

• Coping mechanisms for surviving uncivil society

 

Part 2: Join the Civic Renaissance

• Offering sanctuary, fostering psychological safety

• Past and present visions of human flourishing

• Science of well-being and compassion

• Tipping point for cultural transformation

 

Part 3 : One Ship, One Destiny

• Navigating turbulent waters and collective challenges facing communities

• The culture iceberg, appreciating interdependence and systems change

• Shared purpose, social unity and civic resilience

• Trust, inclusion, solidarity and The Golden Rule

 

Part 4: Compassionate Cities are made up of Compassionate People

• Be intentional about culture

• Global call for a values revolution

• Measure well-being

• Revival of civic education that includes social-emotional learning

• Declaring and building your Compassionate City​