The CSEPP Seal

CSEPP’s seal features a turtle in harmony with the human world. The turtle has strong origin myths about the world in both Eastern and Western cultures, and it represents the natural environment. The turtle floats below the name and rings so as not to be constrained by linear barriers. The …

Fostering social change

CSEPP’s approach to fostering social change is rooted in the principles of social ecology. By grounding every project and citizen interaction in the culture of a place, successful projects become more likely as citizens become partners with agencies in planning and delivering services. The following table highlights specific ways CSEPP …

The Discovery Process

The key to implementing successful change is to understand the social and cultural structure within a community of place. The “inside point of view” becomes clear by entering everyday routines, making observations, and engaging in conversation with community members. This is called “The Discovery Process.” Since 1967 our company has …

Seven Cultural Descriptors

Seven cultural descriptors are used to describe a community. The seven descriptors are geographic boundaries and natural features, networks (both formal and informal), publics, recreational activities, settlement patterns, supporting services and work routines. The figure above illustrates the seven cultural descriptors and their relationship to the community. Discussion of the …

Themes vs. Citizen Issues

The key to resolving issues through the issue management process is to distinguish between issues and themes and to ground these issues in real people. CSEPP refers to this process as a grounded response.Themes are the views or observations by people about their community. Themes do not carry a demand, …

Citizen Network Structures

Informal networks are made up of people who routinely support each other in predictable ways. They function as the means of survival, caretaking and maintaining culture at the grassroots level. They are the “98%-ers” who do not belong to organizations or attend public meetings. Informal networks represent a horizontal organizational …

Community Member Archetypes

Caretakers These individuals are the glue that holds the culture together. They are routinely accessible to people of the networks when people need assistance or advice. This assistance or advice is freely given; there is no chit or payback. The assistance is based on interest and predictability, i.e. that the …