The Harwood Institute philosophy defends the idea that the work should be driving the people to look outward toward the communities they serve. But instead they focus inward, on organizational and administrative matters. In order to create authentic hope and change the Harwood Institute believes that everyone must turn outward and start with the community first. This idea is clarified in the text below, posted originality on Harwood Institute website and brought to you as the result of the partnership between Harwood Institute and Odebrecht Foundation.

Enjoy!

Turn Outward

Many of us have become inwardly focused, concerned more with our own activities and initiatives than with those that actually strengthen our communities. To be effective, we need to shift our focus outward and reorient ourselves toward the community.

Many Americans have retreated from public life and politics. They no longer feel that their reality is accurately reflected or that they can have a real impact. But many people long to engage and to reconnect.

At the same time, many of the groups and organizations committed to building healthier communities and engaging the public have become captive to their own internal operations. They have turned their attention to rebranding, strategic planning, best practices, and other organizational matters instead of focusing on the community itself. Worse, they measure their effectiveness by the health of their own organizations and initiatives rather than the impact they’re having on the community.

The more we combat this inwardness with business-as-usual tactics, the more inward we become. What’s needed is a shift of focus. We have to turn outward and face the communities we want to build and strengthen.

How do we make the shift and turn outward?

The 3 A’s of Public Life

In a world where people have retreated from public life, the 3A’s are touchstones that help you to make choices so you can stay true to your aspirations and at the same time be effective in creating hope and change.

The 3 A’s help you turn your attention outward and define what it means to truly hold authority, to speak with authenticity, and to demonstrate accountability.