From the Ground Up: A Workbook on Coalition Building and Community Development

Coalition building and community development are two powerful interventions to create healthy communities. This helpful workbook is a complete toolbox for effectively building these complex, community-wide processes. It shares field ideas, frameworks, and exercises that have evolved from the authors' work in communities across the country. Renowned authors in the field of community development wrote the chapters for this book, including: David Chavis, Stephen Fawcett, Vince Francisco, David Foster, Gillian Kaye, Beth Rosenthal, and Tom Wolff. Chapter titles include: Barriers to Coalition Building and Strategies to Overcome Them; Involving and Mobilizing the Grassroots; Dealing with Conflict in Coalitions; Community Assessment: A Key Tool for Mobilization and Involvement; Monitoring and Evaluation of Coalition Activities and Success. Includes hands-on worksheets.

Gillian Kaye is an international community development consultant in the areas of organizational and leadership development, coalition building, strategic planning, community organizing, and training. She has extensive experience providing training, consultation, and technical assistance to grassroots community organizations, coalitions, community organizers, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement personnel, and social service providers. Her more than 15 years experience in the field of community development and training include 6 years as Director of Neighborhood Services and Training for the Citizens Committee for New York City, a non-profit technical assistance organization serving over 15,000 grassroots neighborhood groups as an agency Chief of Staff for the New York City Mayor's Office.

Tom Wolff, PhD, is a nationally recognized authority on coalition building and community development with over 30 years experience training and consulting to organizations, foundations, grassroots community groups, and governments across the country. Dr. Wolff is presently Director of AHEC/Community Partners of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, a technical assistance and training program for those involved in coalition building and community development. Tom serves as Director of Community Development for the Office of Community Programs of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and holds an academic appointment in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.