Power: a practical guide for facilitating social change

Between 2008 and 2010 the Carnegie UK Trust and the Joseph Rountree Foundation jointly funded a programme of work on power, participation and social change.  Over two years the project worked with 20 different organisations to explore ways in which the analysis of power could support them to achieve the social change they were working towards. The work revealed that a good understanding of power is a missing link between how people envisage the change they want, and how they go about achieving that in practice.  This handbook – which supports the programmes report “Power and Making Change Happen” – is about taking action.  It is a practical guide drawing on the methods and tools used to build the capacity of others and achieve social change.  It is designed for people within organisations, networks or community groups who want to explore power as part of the process of change in their communities.  As such it provides background information on power and facilitation, and looks at how to explore power through workshops, one-to-one mentoring and self reflection.