For More Information: Study Circles Resource Center, www.studycircles.org
Purpose:
To help communities develop their ability to solve problems by exploring ways for all kinds of people to think, talk, and create change together.
Outcomes:
• Helps communities develop a more democratic public culture
• Demonstrates the whole community is needed
• Embraces diversity
• Shares knowledge, resources, power, and decision making
• Combines dialogue and deliberation; builds understanding and explores a range of solutions
• Connects deliberative dialogue to social, political, and policy change
When to Use:
• An issue concerns the daily lives of many different types of people
• An issue captures widespread public attention
• An issue is best addressed through multiple forms of social, political, and policy change
When Not to Use:
• On issues of personal transformation that do not include public and problem-solving dimensions
Number of Participants:
• 100 to 1,000s
Types of Participants:
• Reflects the diversity of the community—in organizing, facilitation, and participation
Typical Duration:
• Preparation: 2–4 months
• Process: 4–6 weeks
• Follow-up: Ongoing
Brief Example:
KCK Study Circles addressed neighborhood issues, as part of a public school reform initiative in Kansas City, Kansas. Since 1999, this United Way project has involved 1,800+ residents on neighborhood issues, education, and diversity. Study circles have led to: public housing residents starting a tenants’ association, setting up a youth sports camp, and getting rid of about ten drug houses; 100+ young people conducting a downtown cleanup; Spanish-speaking parents forming a parents’ association; young people doing minor home repairs and beautifying houses in their neighborhood to attract businesses where they can get jobs; a local church opening a food pantry.
Historical Context:
Created in 1989 by Paul J.Aicher, who founded the Study Circles Resource Center. Based in the deliberative traditions of town hall meetings, “study circles” were part of the Chautauqua movement in the U.S. Progressive Era (1870s–1920s). Swedish temperance and union movements brought them to Sweden where thousands are now government supported. They returned to the U.S. in the 1980s through National Issues Forums, unions, and the Study Circle Resource Center.
 Study Circles |
