About the Community Tool Box


Young black girl taking sip of water from an outdoor faucet.

Our Community Tool Box is a free, online resource for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change. The tool box is developed and maintained by our center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS (U.S.A.), and other national and global partners. With over 7,000 pages of information, it includes step-by-step guides for key skill areas, real-life examples, and supports for problem solving. Under continuous development since 1994, the Community Tool Box is widely used in teaching, training, and technical support. Currently available in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Farsi, and with millions of user sessions annually, it has reached those working in over 230 countries around the world.

The vision behind the Community Tool Box is that people — locally and globally — are better prepared to work together to change conditions that affect their lives. Our mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources.

Overview of the Community Tool Box features:

Visit Learn a Skill to view the Table of Contents for detailed guidance in community-building skills. Or, visit the Toolkits for a quick start on core competencies in community work. 

Under Help Taking Action, visit the Troubleshooting Guide to see common problems faced by those doing community work, and supports for addressing them. Or, visit Get Started for a simple model for taking action. Access  Databases of Best Practices for community health and development, or take Online Courses to learn more about community health assessment and community health improvement planning. Lastly, Ask an Advisor allows you to seek guidance from experienced community members and experts about issues relevant to your community work.

If your work involves teaching, we recommend using the Table of Contents (and related Search feature at the top of each page) to locate reading materials for your students. If you provide training, the PowerPoint presentations at the end of each educational module can save you lots of time in training. If you provide technical support and consultation, we recommend using the Toolkits to offer guidance on core competencies, as well as the Troubleshooting Guide to help groups assess the situation and get support for addressing common problems in community work.

We are grateful to serve people working to improve conditions throughout the world. Our hope is that the Community Tool Box makes your good work a little easier.

Learn about the Tool Box

 

KCUR Radio Interview

Stephen Fawcett and Christina Holt speak with Steve Kraske about the Community Tool Box on KCUR’s "Up to Date."

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