Our Mission is to promote understanding and acceptance of human diversity through education, oral history, and the arts.

As our communities become increasingly diverse, it is imperative that we find meaningful ways to respect and understand the rich and complex cultures among us.

Listening for a Change works to dispel “otherness.” This is achieved through programs in schools, communities, businesses, and nonprofits bringing community together through story.

Programs for Students

Neighborhood Listening Project

Students are trained in oral history interviewing and active listening to hear experiences, advice, and wisdom from people in their community. Through the process of story, questioning, and reflection, students dispel notions of otherness in their community and gain skills to counteract bullying and violence in their schools.

Essence of Acceptance

A comprehensive, standards-based curriculum for secondary Social Studies and Language Arts classes exploring the intersection of human rights, oral history, and community. The program offers students the opportunity to take oral histories from community members who have lost their human or civil rights and gain empathic listening skills.

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General Public Participation

Community Listening Project

Trains community members in the art of oral history and encourages them to interview their neighbors. The process of interviewing people from different backgrounds helps to forge a more cohesive community identity by healing fractures and misunderstandings caused by socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and generational barriers.

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