Family Re-Union 8: Family and Community

Selected Links for Family and Community

Web resources on civic participation and democracy

National Civic League is a non-partisan civic renewal organization that advocates and promotes community programs based on the principles of collaborative problem-solving and consensus-based decision making. The League assists with community projects, building civic leadership, and fosters municipal campaign finance reform. The website hosts information about the League's programs, publications and membership.

Minnesota e-democracy is a nonpartisan citizen-based on-line project designed to improve participation in democracy in Minnesota. The website contains links to on-line election information, a media archive as well as on-line activities such as political forums and debates.

The Democracy Network (DNet) provides an on-line opportunity for citizens, public officials and candidates for public office an opportunity to debate and interact by e-mail on issues of local, state and national importance.

Web White & Blue is an online public service campaign that provides voter tools and information that can help web users to become more involved in the democratic process.

Institute for the Study of Civic Values contains on-line information related to neighborhood development and civic participation. The Institute develops programs for neighborhood revitalization and empowerment such as Neighborhood Social Contracts.

The Center for Civic Networking fosters public use of Internet for community and economic development, social service delivery and participation in governance. The Center's research includes studies on the Internet and the poor, and how information technology affects group households, family farms, single parents and home-based businesses.

Building Community in the American Tradition is an online manual and discussion guide that uses the Preamble to the Constitution as a framework for neighborhood and community planning. It is a project of the Institute for the Study of Civic Values.

The Communitarian Network is a coalition dedicated to bolstering the foundations of a civil society: families, schools and neighborhoods. The communitarian philosophy recognizes that through these institutions we acquire a sense of personal and civic responsibility, an appreciation of our own and others' rights, and a commitment to the welfare of the community and its members. Founder: Amitai Etzioni, George Washington University.

Center for the Study of Community is an educational organization that fosters research, thought and action in support of healthy communities. Areas of study include personal, interpersonal, institutional, and ecological dimensions of community.

The Value of Citizen Work is a project of several Minnesota community education programs that investigates the role and importance of citizen work done by a mix of people for the common good.

Alliance for National Renewal is a coalition of over 200 national and local organizations dedicated to the principles of community renewal.

American News Service specializes in the coverage of innovative approaches by individuals, groups, businesses, communities and institutions to solving the problems of contemporary America.

National Neighborhood Coalition promotes public policies that strengthen the role of community and neighborhood-based nonprofits as problem solvers and community builders.

Community Development Links to sites related to best practices, community change, data, economic development among others.

Center for Democracy and Citizenship is a research center at the University of Minnesota which promotes the idea of citizenship as public work to renew the promise of democracy.

Civic Practices Network is a collaborative and nonpartisan project dedicated to bringing practical methods for public problem solving into every community in America thereby providing citizens the opportunity to learn from what others are doing to renew their communities.

Pew Partnerships is a civic research organization whose mission is to document and disseminate cutting-edge community solutions.