Community Agreements or Community Touchstones are collective agreements and principles to follow for productive dialogue. Coming to the Table has a collection of touchstones that have been adapted from multiple sources and practices. You can use these as they are, choose the ones that best work for your group, or simply use them as a guide for helping your community come up with their own agreements or touchstones.

From Coming to the Table:

Touchstones are an established set of mutually agreed-upon principles that guide how participants will treat, and be with, each other in “deep dialogue” using the Coming to the Table Approach. They aim to address participants’ needs and expectations to feel safe and/or brave enough to speak openly and honestly and help us all make more space for each other. There shouldn’t be too many, nor should they be too rigid, lest they feel like a straitjacket.

From GLSEN:

“My Silence, My Story.

The GLSEN Day of Silence is a national student-led demonstration where LGBTQ students and allies all around the country—and the world—take a vow of silence to protest the harmful effects of harassment and discrimination of LGBTQ people in schools.

Started in the mid 90’s by two college students, the Day of Silence has expanded to reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. Every April, students go through the school day without speaking, ending the day with Breaking the Silence rallies and events to share their experiences during the protest and bring attention to ways their schools and communities can become more inclusive.”

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed every year on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid "pass laws" in 1960. The UN website has resources for upcoming campaigns to join others around the world in observing the day. You can use this observance to mobilize other students and initiate dialogue around racial discrimination.

Mix It Up Day encourages and creates a framework for students to meet and connect with others across identities to support positive cross-cultural interactions and reduce prejudice. Learn more at www.learningforjustice.org.

Advocates for Youth has incredible resources like the Youth Activist Toolkit, a detailed guide on organizing and implementing strategies for change. The toolkit covers creating a strategy, crafting a message, and building and using collective power.