Community Building

As a response to the increasing violence in our culture, the widening ideological divides, and the growing gap in economic well-being, there is greater awareness that a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. But even as we acknowledge the need to build community, the dominant on-the-ground practices about how to engage people, civically and organizationally, remain essentially unchanged. We still believe community is built with better messaging, more persuasion, and social events for people to get to know each other better. All of which is naïve.

Do you have a Third Place? Your first place is home, your second place is work, and your third place is where you go to socialize. As more of our lives are spent online and in digital spaces, these often overlooked "Third Places" play a crucial role in keeping our communities vibrant.

An authentic brand community is more than just people buying your product or working alongside one another. This audiobook articulates the critical roles of mutual concern, common values, and shared experiences in creating fiercely loyal customer and collaborator relationships. Carrie Melissa Jones and Charles Vogl argue that in an authentic and enriching community, members have mutual concern for one another, share personal values, and join together in meaningful shared experiences, whether online or off. On the deepest level, brands must help members grow into who they want to be.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE ECPA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD The author of Get Out of Your Head offers practical solutions for creating true community, the kind that’s crucial to our mental and spiritual health. “My dear friend Jennie Allen shows us how to make true emotional...

A science-based, practical blueprint for cultivating a life—at work and at home—full of belonging, joy, and vitality, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code What is a meaningful life, and how do we make one? How do certain communities foster closeness, fulfillment...

Beyond Fan Followers: The Journey from Social Influence to Lasting Impact In a world where social media followers are often equated with success, Beyond Fan Followers offers a powerful roadmap for transforming fleeting digital attention into authentic, meaningful influence. This book challenges the traditional concept of fame and gives listeners the tools they need to cultivate true connection and impact that goes far beyond the surface level of likes and shares.

Safe Communities by Sage Ellison offers a comprehensive approach to transforming neighborhoods into safe, supportive environments. The book addresses pressing issues such as crime, substance use, and mental health crises, emphasizing that positive change begins within the community. Ellison provides practical strategies for enhancing public safety, developing harm reduction plans, and fostering active participation among residents. Listeners will learn how to create effective communication networks that address local concerns and leverage crime reduction techniques to foster peace of mind.

299 Days: The Community, the third book in the 299 Days series, reunites Grant Matson with his family after his wife, children, and in-laws accept that the only way to survive the Collapse is to flee the comfort of their suburban lives and join him at his isolated cabin in the woods. With riots becoming more violent, power outages more widespread, and the military crumbling, Grant and others throughout Washington State realize they must organize if they want to endure.

​In times of isolation, heartbreak, and brokenness, reaching out to each other, being in conversation, finding ways to connect with compassion and openness can help us heal and thrive. This powerful, positive guide coaxes us to go beyond our individual and collective grief and courageously re-enter and reclaim our sense of community—which then further strengthens our spiritual practice.

Ten years ago, Bell Hooks astonished readers/listeners with Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom. Now comes Teaching Community: A Pedagogy of Hope - a powerful, visionary work that will enrich our teaching and our lives. Combining critical thinking about education with autobiographical narratives, hooks invites listeners to extend the discourse of race, gender, class and nationality beyond the classroom into everyday situations of learning. Bell Hooks writes candidly about her own experiences.

From a renowned psychiatrist comes the first book to explore the otrovert personality—someone who feels like an outsider in any group, regardless of its members—revealing all the advantages of being an otrovert and ways they contribute to the world. Were you the kid who never wanted to join...

We may be living longer, but people are more socially isolated than ever before. As a result, we are hindered both mentally and physically, and many of us are looking for something concrete we can do to address problems like poverty, racism, and climate change. What if solutions could be found on your very doorstep or just two door knocks away? Cormac Russell and John McKnight offer a wealth of illustrative examples from around the world that will inspire you to explore your own community and discover its hidden treasures.

Small Groups That Succeed. Small groups are the key to impacting lives in your church. But a healthy small-group environment—one that fosters meaningful, lasting connections—doesn’t just happen. So pull up a chair. Let’s talk about how to make it happen. Bill Willits and bestselling author Andy Stanley share their successful approach, which has resulted in nearly eight thousand adults becoming involved in small groups at North Point Community Church in Atlanta. Simply put, the five principles clearly described here have passed the test.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER From the founder of Wikipedia, a sweeping reflection on the global crisis of credibility and knowledge, revealing “the rules of trust” that transformed Wikipedia from a scrappy experiment into a global utility used by billions of people—and how those rules can help...

Quick Influencer and Community Management provides essential insights and actionable tips for effectively engaging with influencers and fostering vibrant online communities. This guide covers the fundamentals of building authentic relationships, driving meaningful interactions, and amplifying brand presence through strategic partnerships and community engagement. Ideal for those looking to make a swift impact in the digital space.

A practical and irreverent guide to Burning Man, its philosophy, why people do this to themselves, and how it matters to the world Over 30 years Burning Man has gone from two families on a San Francisco beach to a global movement in which hundreds of thousands of people around the world create...

When your work is inextricable from your identity, your community, and your own liberation, you need a unique praxis of care to sustain it—and for mission-driven activists, organizers, and changemakers working under oppressive systems, making space to center vital needs like rest, self-care, and healthy boundaries isn’t as simple as clocking out. Practicing Liberation reorients collective justice work toward a model that transforms the effects of injustice, harm, and oppressive systems into resilience, joy, and community care.

2020 Audie Awards Winner – Business/Personal Development A comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating a hit show, So You Want to Start a Podcast covers everything from hosting and guest booking to editing and marketing - while offering plenty of encouragement and insider stories along the...

In Building Community Food Webs, Ken Meter shows how grassroots food and farming leaders across the US are tackling these challenges by constructing civic networks. Overturning extractive economic structures, these inspired leaders are engaging low-income residents, farmers, and local organizations in their quest to build stronger communities.

How can we solve the problem of persistent poverty in low-status communities? Majora Carter argues that these areas need a talent-retention strategy, just like the ones companies have. Retaining homegrown talent is a critical part of creating a strong local economy that can resist gentrification. But, too many people born in low-status communities measure their success by how far away from them they can get.