Hope in the Cities (a program of Initiatives of Change) offers Richmond, Virginia, as a Center for Community Trusbuilding. This national resources is a center of excellence and a model where processes for trustbuilding, reconciliation, and community change are regularly learned and effectively practiced.

The Center for Community Trustbuilding serves as a national resource to increase the capacity of community leaders to acknowledge and heal the wounds of racial history and its legacy and to sustain initiatives that build strong, inclusive communities.

Using a distinctive methodology for honest conversation, Hope in the Cities creates safe spaces where people from diverse and/or polarized factions come together to wrestle with the realities of their divisions and find steps toward collaboration and respect.

Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility

Hope in the Cities will facilitate dialogues on "Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility" for community groups. Ideal for groups of 12-15 people from paired churches, civic associations, PTAs, or youth groups.

Highly trained facilitators lead the group through a series of six two-hour dialogues. 

A Call to Community Dialogue Guide

Building Trust Across Divides of Race, Class and Jurisdaction

This second phase curriculum is based on both an academic and experiential learning model. The focus is on enhanced regional cooperation with an emphasis on understanding historical events that have led to present realities. The goal is to increase participants' capacity to build relationships of trust across divides of race, class, and jurisdiction in order to benefit the entire region. Ultimately participants learn to build collaborative strategies to take our region into the future.

This is important learning for corporations, local businesses, non-profit organization boards and staff, educators and civic groups.

For more information and to schedule a dialogue please email us.

Unpacking the 2010 Census: The New Realities of Race, Class and Jurisdiction

A multi-media DVD presentation "Unpacking the 2010 Census: New Realities of Race, Class, and Jurisdiction" narrated by Dr. John Moeser, a Senior Fellow at the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Richmond and a member of the HIC Council has been completed. Hope in the Cities, in partnership with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, has trained facilitators who are ready to bring this presentation to any Richmond area jurisdiction, and to ensure a safe space and constructive atmosphere for these important discussions. Please sign up to schedule a presentation

Muslim-Christian Dialogue

Since 2004, a group of Muslims and evangelical Christians has been meeting regularly in Richmond, VA for honest conversation. The purpose has been to build bridges of trust and to discover opportunities to work together to build a healthy, inclusive and hopeful Richmond

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