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John McKnight

John McKnight is the founding father of the Philia idea. Several years ago, while consulting with the J W McConnell Family Foundation, he suggested convening a round table of individuals in Canada who were working in the ‘heartland’ – that is, nurturing communities and neighbourhoods where everyone is welcome. That gathering eventually led to the creation of the Philia Dialogue.

John is an inspiring speaker and gifted community developer. His analysis and work is now embodied in the work of the Asset Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) at Northwestern University in Chicago.

Two must read books of John’s are:

· Building Communities from the Inside Out, co-written with his colleague John P. Kretzmann

· The Careless Society - Community and its Counterfeits (Basic Books)

A three part CBC radio series exploring his ideas is available by clicking here.

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