1. UCI Garden Project
Taking Action: Tools and Techniques Used to Build Community with the Urban Gardens at UCI
Fer Introduction
Manny Introduction
Fer- GSRC Pathways Overview
Fer- Campus as a Living Lab Pathway Purpose and Desired Outcomes
Manny- UCI Garden Project
Fer- Today we are going to be presenting some of the tools and techniques that we use to build community around the gardens at UCI. 7

2. Mind Mapping
Mind mapping great way to quickly record your ideas, associations and connections. Brainstorm tool.
Example for CLL pathway: We used mind maps to identify the different community gardens that exist at UCI. We found that there are a total of six groups that produce food within the University campus.
Used SWOT, a very common tool to identify patterns and the “current status”of each of the gardens. This analysis helped us to identify identify patterns and the “current status”and deficits of each of the gardens.
salient pattern that came out of this analysis was the need to create community among the different gardens at UCI.
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3. Community Visioning and Action Planning
Process that brings out that the solutions to challenges from present individuals and communities.
Requires deep listening and asking powerful questions.
Used in New Zealand, Australia, India and most recently in Central America
UCI students are being trained through the GSRC Student Institute for Sustainability Leadership (SISL) and applying them in our campus and neighboring communities
Some of the tool’s we will present today were used to create the UCI Garden Project.
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4. POP Model
Purpose: What is the purpose? Why are we undertaking this? Why?
Outcome: What are the specific outcomes we want to accomplish?
Process: What steps will it take to achieve the outcomes and fulfill the purpose?
Tool for focusing actions on creating results
Make sure to note that this tool can be used for meetings, events, workshops trainings, agenda, telephone calls, organizational initiative or programs
Exercise: Make sure to explain that outcomes or desired outcomes are things we want to accomplish, ideally it starts with words like: be knowledgeable, understand, become familiar, develop. This can be things we could measure.
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5. POP example
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6. Appreciative Inquiry
Think of a person. A person in your life who is really good at creating community, or a sense of belonging, through food, Sharing food, growing food, cooking food. A person in your life, or if needed, someone you know from history or a story you heard. What does this person creates community through food? How does this person do this? More importantly for today’s purpose, how do you feel when you are around this person, what’s this person effect on others? Through what eyes does this person look upon the world, and their work in it?
Diads, listener writes, 1.5 min each way
Question: Think of a person. A person in your life who is really good at creating community, or a sense of belonging, through food. Sharing food, growing food, cooking food. A person in your life, or if needed, someone you know from history or a story. In a minute, I’ll ask you to tell your partner about this person. What does she do to create community through food? How does she do it? More importantly for today’s purpose, how do you feel when you are around her, what’s her effect on others? Through what eyes does she look upon the world, and her work in it?
Harvest: essential shares / Scribe in Do-Have-Be
Reflection: this list reflects qualities/ways of being that we value in the quest to create community through food.
Tool used at the beginning of the CVAP to be able to deeply gather the values, desires and knowledge that are within a group.
What does she do to create community through food? How does she do it? More importantly for today’s purpose, how do you feel when you are around her, what’s her effect on others? Through what eyes does she look upon the world, and her work in it?
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7. Harvest
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8. Strategic Questioning
Focus: What are you most concerned about? How has this affected you personally? Give me an example? How do you feel about this?
Vision: What would you like to see happen?
Change: How do you think this can happen? What needs to change? (brainstorm ideas)
Action: What can you see yourself doing? Who can help?
This is a technique that we have found to be very effective in allowing people to see a given situation, think in a creative way and develop appropriate strategies, priorities and action plans to address it. Changes, both personal, interpersonal and systemic (communities)
Premise that the solution to any problem can be found within the same people or community that is experiencing the challenge. The wisdom, experience and desire for change, is in every one of us.
Strategic Questions are: forward looking and visionary, uncovers deep desires of the heart, builds active participation, builds rational, emotional and spiritual intelligence
Where in the CLL pathway: We used this for the Community Visioning and Action Planning workshop of the UCI Garden Project.
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9. DARCI accountability grid
Decider
Accountable
Responsible
Consulted
Informed
CVAP example
This tool helps establish clear accountability for a team or an organization in the areas of Delegation, Accountability, Responsibility, and who needs to be Consulted and Informed
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10. Toolkit Tools/techniques used today: Mind Mapping Fabulous POP model
SWOT analysis.
Strategic Questioning
Appreciative Inquiry
DARCI
Other Tools:
SOAR: Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results
Feedback: Well? Challenging? Better?
Time MGT (Eisenhower matrix, getting things done, Wheel of Life)
Resources: This are the tools that we use to train students at the GSRC. SQ comes from Fran Peavey. AI from Sherry. POP and DARCI from Social Transformation Project. SWOT. CV from
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11. Questions ??? Fernando Maldonado: fernando.m@uci.edu
Manny Preciado: