Strengthening Collaboration Skills and Advancing Community Engagement in West Philadelphia is a series of workshops designed for community members, University of Pennsylvania students, and staff from the Free Library (specifically, Walnut Street West Library). 

Hosted as a collaboration between Urban Rural Action, SNF Paideia, and the Free Library of Philadelphia, these workshops are designed to: 

• Build essential skills among community members, library staff, and University of Pennsylvania students for collaborating across differences and advancing community engagement in West Philadelphia
• Strengthen relationships among community members, including University of Pennsylvania students, and with the Free Library
• Advance the Free Library’s ethos of creating a community of lifelong learners

Food and refreshments will be provided at each workshop! Registration is required for each session.

The ABCs of Constructive Conversation: Tuesday, September 16, at 4:00 p.m.

Learn and apply a framework, the ABCs of Constructive Conversation, to achieve a mutual understanding of different views on challenging topics.

Media Manipulation and Polarization: Tuesday, October 14, at 4:00 p.m.

Discuss how we can spot the types of biases and manipulation strategies common in online content, and learn and apply proven strategies for countering these manipulation tactics to prevent and reduce harm to ourselves, our communities, and our country.

Stakeholder and Influence Mapping: Tuesday, November 18, at 4:00 p.m.

Determine how best to effect a positive change in your community by analyzing your sphere of influence and strategizing on who to engage and how.