Building the civic tools we needed
DanielStevenKleinman
Founder of Activate. A neighborhood organizer and education advocate in Chicago. The product grew out of the work, and the work keeps sharpening it.
Essential work / The manual
The New Neighborhood Block Club Manual
Shared among block club organizers across the country, Daniel’s practical guide turns neighbors into durable local institutions. It remains the work people most often recognize him for.
01 / Writing
Notes from the work.
Essays, guides, typewriter thoughts, and observations from showing up.
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02 / From civic work to product
Activate began before it had a name.
School councils, campaigns, housing advocacy, legislation, and neighborhood organizing all exposed the same gap: committed people needed tools that fit how the work actually happens. Activate is my answer to that gap — refined over four years against the real work.
Meet ActivateSee the civic recordAll writing
More from the archive.
Latest first. Essays, notes, guides, and the historical record of the work.