The Trust Factor in Community Change (Photo: Susan Corcoran)“I believe in Canada’s great role as a trustbuilder in a world that must deal with diversity as never before,” said Rob Corcoran, national director of Initiatives of Change USA, in his keynote address to the Annual General Meeting of Initiatives of Change Canada in Toronto.

One hundred and forty languages and dialects are spoken in Toronto, making it one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Thirty percent of all recent immigrants come to this city and half its population was born outside of Canada. This diversity was reflected at the May 22-23 event which drew people from across Canada and from many different racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds.

“We can all think of people whom we regard as being ‘inside’ our circle and others who are ‘outside,’ said Corcoran at the Canadian launch of his book, Trustbuilding. “Those we exclude may represent another culture or religion, or a different political viewpoint. They may be people who demand justice, or who hold economic or political power. Living as trustbuilders means going towards those whose worldview is different from our own and who challenge our assumptions, people who irritate us, even people whose very presence threatens our sense of comfort and security. Connecting fragmented communities demands the best of everyone….Trustbuilders have at least two things in common: a willingness to move beyond blame to personal responsibility for change and a leadership that encourages the highest qualities in those around them.”

Group from Hamilton with Rob Corcoran (Photo: Susan Corcoran)Susan and Rob Corcoran facilitated a workshop on The Trust Factor in Community Change. Forty-five participants explored skills in “listening, discerning hinge issues, discovering the team, and resourcing the vision.” One exercise asked: What group or people do I have trouble hearing? Are there some “hot buttons” that cause emotional responses in me? Are there some areas in my life that I need to listen to, pay attention to?

“I learned something special about myself and about the people at my table,” wrote one participant. “Asking those moral questions really can shed light where previously there was just darkness.” Another called the experience, “inspiring and deeply challenging.”

Dushaw Hockett, Center for Community Change (Photo: Karen Elliott Greisdorf)In Washington DC Search for Common Ground hosted a Trustbuilding book signing event. The event drew representatives from non-profit organizations and universities as well as young professionals. Welcoming the audience, Jana Carter, project director of the One America Project, said Search for Common Ground appreciated the growing collaboration with Initiatives of Change and noted that several SFCG staff had visited Richmond where they walked the historic Slave Trail.

Group from SFCG experiencing a walk through Richmond's history (Photo: Rob Corcoran)

In discussing Trustbuilding, Corcoran said it was significant that through the work of Hope in the Cities, Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives were taking equal responsibility for the work of racial healing. “There is much talk among the pundits about the trust deficit in Washington and across the country, but very little constructive thought about what to do about it, and even less real evidence that change can happen. So it is remarkable that in city like Richmond, a place where you would least expect it, trust is being built.”