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Last month we began an online presentation/discussion
on Appreciative Inquiry and how it can become a very positive force for
strategically designing and implementing change in our parishes, families
and communities. Excerpts from Dr. Christopher Anne Easley's keynote address
for the National Black Catholic Convocation Conference set the
stage for understanding some of the critical issues facing African Americans
and why alternative strategies for change are needed. Dr. Easley also
provided a brief overview of Appreciative Inquiry.
Many of you have already echoed our belief that AI can
be a powerful change lever for implementing the action imperatives set forth
by the National Black Catholic Congress as we work to develop change in our
parishes, families and communities, and as Dr. Easley pointed out in her
keynote address, it is time for us to challenge our assumptions regarding
past strategies. Therefore, the intent of this month's Appreciative Inquiry
follow-up is to provide you with more information on the theoretical and
practical premises of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). Through the next two months
Dr. Easley will present a summary of the work that she did with youth in
gangs, and begin a more practical discussion of the theory and practice of
AI. She, along with Dr. Terry Armstrong and some of their Organization
Development colleagues have agreed to serve as our "technical support" as we
begin the learning and implementation processes of Appreciative Inquiry.
However, as we all believe, to continue the momentum
from the conference means that we need to hear from you. We want to hear
about the work you are doing in your parishes and communities using AI. We
want to hear about the positive change that is occurring. So please, contact
the NBCC office with your success stories or volunteerism to write an
article for the AI forum. Articles must be in by the 10th of each month in
order to insure that the Webmaster has sufficient time for development. We
are also looking to develop a threaded discussion sometime in the near
future. But in the meantime, in addition to articles and success stories,
questions for Drs. Easley and Armstrong and other AI experts who will work
with them can also be posted on the web site.
(Note: The research from
this article is derived from the following publications/dissertation)
Easley, C.A. (1999). The Role of
Appreciative Inquiry in the fight to save our Youth. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, Benedictine University, Lisle, IL.)
Easley, C.A., Yaeger, T. F. & Sorensen, P.
F. (2002). "Appreciative Inquiry: Evoking New Ways of Understanding, Valuing and
Loving and Changing the Youth We Have Lost to Gangs", Abstract publication of
the conference proceedings, The Management Centre, Kings College, University of
London, July 24-26, 2002, Organizational Discourse: From Micro-Utterances to
Macro-Interferences. ISBN: 900089 05 X
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