Author: Jeff Merrell

Retired lecturer and administrator at Northwestern University's Master's Program in Learning & Organizational Change.

Monthly update (August): Be present and do stuff.

L train on tracks in Evanston. Black and white.
~ Jeff Merrell

What gets lost in my weekly thinking-out-loud routine here is the through-line of activity generated by Environmental Justice Evanston (EJE), the group with which I became associated earlier this year. A lot is happening behind the scenes and I want to honor that work. For what it accomplishes in environmental justice, and for what it … Continue reading Monthly update (August): Be present and do stuff.

Asset Based Community Development, design justice, and signals from the universe

Indoor and outdoor restaurant space at night.
~ Jeff Merrell ~ 2 Comments

Sometimes you just need to listen to what the universe is telling you. Stay with me on a short side trip before I get to the main point of this post. I recently was recommended a book by author Peter Block that opens by honoring the influence of John McKnight and the ideas behind Asset … Continue reading Asset Based Community Development, design justice, and signals from the universe

The limitation of relying on a single style of community meetings

Evanston tree-line street
~ Jeff Merrell ~ 3 Comments

Earlier this week I attended another open session of Evanston's Environmental Equity Investigation (EEI) project. It was unfortunately sparsely attended (my perception) by community members. Maybe 10-15 community folks, about 1/3rd the participation of a previous session. Unfortunate in part because the session was well designed and facilitated and could have easily accommodated 40-50 real … Continue reading The limitation of relying on a single style of community meetings

What are the citizen collaboration opportunities?

Fountain at night
~ Jeff Merrell ~ 4 Comments

That question was one of my notes in reading Peter Block's Activating the Common Good - Reclaiming Control of our Collective Well-being. This was a weirdly serendipitous read, recommended by a friend and occasional colleague with whom I share professional interests in learning and change. (More on the weird part, at the end of this … Continue reading What are the citizen collaboration opportunities?