06 Feb Trust in Community: A Proven Strategy of Community Engagement
InflexionPoint Podcast
Episode 79 | February 5, 2025
The Power of Listening in Political Conversations to Understand the Needs and Human Rights of the Community and Its Citizens.
Tune in to the latest episode of InflexionPoint Podcast where we are dedicated to the art of listening in authentic conversation.
The core question of this episode is this: What can happen when active listening is absent from political conversations? Here’s an even deeper question: Is it possible to build trust in community-police relations?
You might be thinking: Why does it even matter? The truth is active listening builds trust. And trust is the foundation of meaningful community conversations and engagement. Without it, efforts to bring people together, solve problems, or drive change often fall flat. Here’s an even more profound question: What if we were to consider what it would look like to build trust in community-police relations?
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash
2025 Theme: Community Engagement and the Grassroots of Change
Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids (OCCK) is an innovative police–community relations model program run by ASP in partnership with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Newark Police Division (NPD). This award-winning program uses performance, improvisation and conversation to help inner-city teenagers and police officers build trust and improve their relationship. In 2015, ASP and the NYPD were awarded the 2015 IACP and Cisco Community Policing Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) for OCCK.
From the Desk of the CEO:
“As I look to the future, I am filled with optimism. The potential of our “community of development” is limitless, and with your steadfast support, I know that All Stars will be a beacon of hope and transformation for years to come.”
— Chris Street President and CEO, All Stars Project Annual Report 2023
Call to Action
#StayWOKE – Well-informed. Open-minded. Kind. Empathetic.
#VOTE – Voices Organized To Empower.
In this episode we take a look at the All Start Project (ASP) founded in 1981 as a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help inner-city youths and their families create success in their lives. Their Operation Conversation approach reflects a deeper question: What could happen if you bring two seemingly disparate communities together (e.g., cops and kids) through the power of conversation?
Segment 1 - The Power of Listening in Political Conversations Contributes to Understanding Community Needs
The importance of active listening – what can happen when active listening is absent from political conversations?
Polarization deepens – people become more entrenched in their views, reinforcing echo chambers, and reducing opportunities for mutual understanding.
Miscommunication Increases – people misunderstand or misinterpret each other’s positions, leading to unnecessary conflict and hostility.
Distrust grows – people misunderstand or misinterpret one another’s positions, leading to unnecessary conflict and hostility.
Collaboration becomes difficult – productive problem-solving requires engagement and compromise. Without listening, political discussions turn into shouting matches rather than opportunities for progress.
Marginalized voices get overlooked – those with less power in the conversation may find their concerns dismissed, further exacerbating inequality and frustration.
Emotional reactions replace rational discourse – people may react defensively or aggressively instead of responding thoughtfully, making it harder to find common ground.
Community engagement declines – if political discussions become too toxic, people may disengage altogether, leading to apathy and lower participation in civic life.
Segment 2 - Building Trust in the Community
Q: Why does it even matter?
Trust is the foundation of meaningful community conversations and engagement. Without it, efforts to bring people together, solve problems, or drive change often fall flat.
Segment 3 - Case Study: The All Stars Project (ASP) & Operation Conversation
Founded in 1981, All Stars Project (ASP) is a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that uses a performance-based approach to help tens of thousands of inner-city youths and their families create success in their lives. “Through our innovative performance approach, ASP’s award-winning afterschool development programs bring people from all racial, economic, and social walks of life together to create something positive, new, and transformative for all involved.”
Mission: Through the developmental power of performance, we transform the lives of youth from poor and underserved communities in partnership with caring adults, giving everyone the opportunity to grow.
Vision: All Stars Project is on the forefront of building community by bridging racial, economic and social divisions to develop a caring 21st Century America.
Operation Conversation: A bridge-building initiative created to address the social and racial divides in America. In virtual and in-person workshops, adults aged 21 and above from diverse communities learn and perform with new tools that develop empathy, appreciation, active listening and curiosity skills. Using the power of performance, these workshops engage racism and promote healing in everyday life.
Segment 4 - Operation Conversation: Cops & Kids
Discover more from FEARLESS GROWTH INCUBATOR: THE PLACE TO SOAR
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