Collaborative Values Make Inter-group Cooperation for Social Change Possible and Effective.

Collaborative values come from a number of sources including the religious community that embodies unconditional love expressed in the quest for justice, and humanist sources that embody the ideals of fairness, equality, and social solidarity. Collaborative values also draw on the American democratic experience of self-governance through many voluntary citizen associations operating under a constitution and legislative processes of legal order through which change can be achieved.

Collaborative values are rooted in the experience of understanding that all human life is interpersonal in nature. The collaborative values of trust, sharing, listening, loving, caring, cooperating, and acting for the common good are the mother’s milk that sustains and nurtures social life. These collaborative values build up the common good so that social life can flourish.

The foundation of long-lasting social cooperation is built on human interaction that produces collaborative values of trust, sharing, inclusiveness, listening, bonding, diversity of viewpoints, cultural pluralism, and willingness to act together over the long term for the public good. These collaborative values nourish social capital and human solidarity.

The book Journeys into Justice describes how ten religious collaborative organizations have successfully embodied the collaborative values that enabled the achievement of substantial gains for social justice. These collaborative value oriented organizations have created the conditions that empower people who have been oppressed and marginalized to thrive and gain opportunity for positive life, and participate in public policymaking for the common good. The ten case histories provide useful insight on how impoverished people working with others learn to collaborate, and to negotiate, advocate, secure legislation, and create positive outcomes for all stakeholders by recognizing collaborative values.

 

Want to read more about using collaborative values for social change? Get your copy of Journeys into Justice today!