The Little Book of Transformative Community Conferencing: A Hopeful, Practical Approach to Dialogue

by David Anderson Hooker

When conflicts become ingrained in communities, people lose hope. Dialogue is necessary but never sufficient, and often actions prove inadequate to produce substantial change. Even worse, chosen actions create more conflict because people have different lived experiences, priorities, and approaches to transformation. So what’s the story?In The Little Book of Transformative Community Conferencing, David Anderson Hooker offers a hopeful, accessible approach to dialogue Integrates several practice approaches including restorative justice, peacebuilding, and artsCreates welcoming, non-divisive spaces for dialogueNames and maps complex conflicts, such as racial tensions, religious divisions, environmental issues, and community development as it narrates simple storiesBuilds relationships and foundations for trust needed to support long-term community transformation projectsAnd results in the crafting of hopeful, future-oriented visions of community that can transform relationships, resource allocation, and structures in service of communities’ preferred narratives.The Little Book Transformative Community Conferencing will prove valuable and timely to mediators, restorative justice practitioners, community organizers, as well as leaders of peacebuilding and change efforts. It presents an important, stand-alone process, an excellent addition to the study and practice of strategic peacebuilding, restorative justice, conflict transformation, trauma healing, and community organizing.This book recognizes the complexity of conflict, choosing long-term solutions over inadequate quick fixes. The Transformative Community Conferencing model emerges from the author’s thirty years of practice in contexts as diverse as South Sudan; Mississippi; Greensboro, North Carolina; Oakland, California; and Nassau, Bahamas.

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 5, 2016

Reviews

[Bob Marcacci · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thought this book might help me think more broadly about reconciling differences in a classroom with those little communities; however, I found it somewhat difficult to apply to my own context. One positive takeaway: “The people are not the problem; the problem is the problem.”

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting concepts and I can see where this might be applicable but I’m not sure how feasible it is to implement in my work. Something to think about.