The
Community Walks Program is an adaptable, straightforward curriculum that helps groups of people develop informative and entertaining stories, which taken together make an engaging walking tour that showcases a neighborhood. Developed by
Jane’s Walk in Toronto, and stewarded in the U.S. by
Jane Jacobs Walk, the curriculum can help a wide range of individuals and groups who want to lead walks draw out the stories of their neighborhood and residents.
On April 22, CultureBrokers® Foundation and other partners are holding a joint workshop in which we will introduce the Community Walks curriculum to the Twin Cities as one strategy for furthering intercultural literacy at the neighborhood level. We think the Community Walks Program is a useful mechanism for conducting "Convening in the Streets" activities - bringing together people who are interested in a place to learn more, connect to each other, discuss with others what they see and how they think about those things, and even inspire collective action right in that place. Click here for more workshop information.
We are particularly interested in connecting with practicing and emerging "storytellers" and "story keepers" in the belief that they would be amazing resources for both leading tours and for helping train others as tour leaders. In that vein, we are working with
Saint Paul Alamanc,
ASANDC, and Storyteller Workshops convened by
Rose McGee and
InCommons. Imagine the shared solutions a hundred storytellers could catalyze as they lead community walks all year round - along streets, alleys, trails, streams, and brownfields; in ethnic enclaves, commercial centers, and industrial parks - sharing their points of view about those places in ways that spark others to share, care and act!
