Citizen Initiatives

The need for change often is what drives the decision process in a community. The question is what kind of change and who has the sense of ownership for the change that happens. Is the change driven from the top down, or does the change come from the bottom up? What is the best kind of process for bringing about change?

The Antioch New England Institute has as a core value that the most effective change happens when the persons, organizations and groups most directly impacted by contemplated change are a central component of the process for determining what must change and what the outcome should be like.

There are two short videos that are meant to provide the viewer with examples of processes or outcomes driven by bottom-up change processes.

This first video provides a brief overview of a citizen driven solution to address community recycling needs with the creation of an "Un-shopping Center". Click here to see a second video on an education program implemented at a community recycling center.