Programs, Workshops & Trainings
Education Workshops and Trainings posted here ———- Can also be included in the Events Calendar but not necessary.
Applied Civics Lab:
This half-day workshop focuses on real case studies of community engagement with local government and institutions to create collaborative solutions and policies. The civics lab case studies are offered in both a stand-alone workshop and also included in our full training, the Civic Academy.
Human Rights Education:
All people have a right to know our rights and to have human rights education and training. DCI offers interactive trainings on the international human rights framework of treaties and declarations that articulate the rights and responsibilities of all people. We have designed and customized workshops for students, educators, youth workers and activists of all ages, from introductory sessions to full days involving application to next steps for teams, lesson planning, and more. Read more about human rights:
Walking Our Talk:
This workshop guides people through the 4 Building Bridges Principles and how to use those in your organization’s planning and programs. Read more
Civic Academy:
This workshop includes case studies of local public issues that involved effective community engagement with government and education decision-makers, and also provides an understanding of how to engage with local and county boards, government systems and officials to influence resolutions, policies, ordinances and laws. How does one engage, be part of a task force or working group? How does one have an impact from outside of a system ? What is “civics” and why should we care? Read more:
Circles and Better Conversations:
Facilitated gatherings where we make brave space for speaking our own truth and listening for understanding of one another. This program grew from a partnership with Better Conversations and our long history of leading talking circles across identity differences.
Facilitating Circles & Better Conversations:
Training for people who want to lead or engage in better conversations and facilitate circles that support bridging differences toward peace. The training includes understanding group process, and is led by people skilled in the art of encouraging meaningful communication in the presence of conflict, mistrust, and polarization.
Citizenship Education Program for the 21st Century (CEP):
This intensive workshop weaves together the idea of citizenship as action, full participation in democracy and creating the change we want to see. This program evolved from the taproot of Dorothy Cotton’s CEP in the 1960’s: citizenship schools that equipped thousands struggling under Jim Crow laws and racial terror to use their constitutional rights to transform the US. Today, so many things call us to action: we see our civil and human rights being eroded and ignored, and our will to work for social justice suppressed and threatened. The CEP for the 21st Century supports people to know their rights, see themselves as collaborative leaders and change-makers with strategies for nonviolent activism and organizing, and to forge trusted alliances to influence decisions and create things that lift up our lives and protect our planet. “Think of yourself as someone who can change a situation!” Dorothy F. Cotton Read more about the CEP background This program will be offered in early spring, 2025
Contact DCI at info@dorothycottoninstitute.org if you are interested in attending a DCI training workshop or offering one for your organization or group.