• 1

    Getting Started

    Plan and assemble the resources you need using the Toolkit Roadmap

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  • 2

    Launch
    Initiative

    Explore the role information can play in addressing local needs and opportunities

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  • 3

    Gather Data

    Assess your Community’s Info Ecosystem using the Scavenger Hunt and Community Info Checklist

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  • 4

    Synthesize Results

    Visualize your results by creating your Information Scorecard

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  • 5

    Planning for Action

    Use the insights you’ve gathered to move to action

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The Community Information Toolkit will help community leaders like you harness the power of information to advance their goals for a better community.

It offers a process and a simple, easy-to-use set of tools to help you take stock of your community’s news and information flow and take action to improve it.

Building Stronger Communities Through Information Exchange

In our dynamic and increasingly digital world, the availability and use of credible news and information is one of the most powerful elements of community change. It underpins our ability to build strong communities and to achieve results we want to see in education, public safety, environmental protection and other important areas. Yet, how do we assess the health of our local news and media environments and the impact it has on our work? This toolkit is designed to do just that – to help you assess your local information system and take action to strengthen it.

With everything from a scavenger hunt to community discussions focused on news topics, this Toolkit Version 1.0 offers ways to take stock of your local media environment and advance your priorities through the lens of information. We invite you to take up this issue and innovate with us. We hope you will be inspired to test the tools in your community and share your experience to create improved Toolkits 2.0 and beyond…

—Alberto Ibargüen