Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) is an organization of institutions, established in 1990 to provide a vehicle for citizens to impact the decisions that affect their daily lives. Since its beginning, DAI's advocacy and organizing work has resulted in an estimated 15,200 children in North Texas becoming eligible for CHIP in 2007, DISD's adoption of after school programs, affordable homes in South Dallas, parent-led school improvements, prevention of a 15% statewide sales tax to pay for School Finance Reform, and provision for 400 additional police officers in the City of Dallas budget, while also helping organize the 2006 Mega March in support of comprehensive immigration reform. All of these results, and more, have come about because of DAI's process of training and developing citizens and residents as leaders to organize their communities.
DAI trains leaders to conduct individual (one-to-one) meetings and house (small group) meetings, in order to hear the concerns of people in their congregations and other civic institutions. DAI then teachs leaders how to build on the relationships coming out of those meetings. DAI connects the members of each institution to people in other institutions for the purpose of building allies and the constituency necessary to initiate broad based-change. While most organizations begin with an issue or a plan and try to get members to support it, DAI begins with hundreds of individual and group conversations that surface leaders and create an agenda that is owned by the whole organization. This has enabled DAI to have an outstanding track record in delivering action on the issues that its leaders have identified as important to them.
This website has been designed as both a way for you to get to know more about Dallas Area Interfaith and as a resource for DAI leaders, organizers and member institutions to share resources and remain connected. Much of the content is available only to registered users, so if you would like to delve further into DAI's history or work, we invite you to register.
