Table 1. Description of the functions, activity, and outputs of each script employed in the group model building process.

Script name	Functions	Activity	Outputs
1. Hopes and fears	• To establish a set of values about embracing diverse perspectives and transparency of the process • Used for check-ins and informal evaluation throughout and after the session	Participants completed this activity individually, and then shared their contributions with the entire group.	List of participants’ hopes and fears
2. Behavior over time graphs	• To initiate mapping by generating multiple factors as potential drivers of the problem • To begin to generate rich narratives explaining the current community conditions, based on historical trends • To elicit hoped and feared trends for future system behavior	Participants completed this script in pairs, followed by discussion with the entire group.	Candidate factors for the causal loop diagram
3. Dots	• To sort through many possible choices and select those that are most important to the group	Each participant received 4 sticker dots to place next to any of the behavior graphs over time; participants completed this script individually, followed by discussion with the entire group.	Prioritized factors
4. Connection circles	• To introduce the concepts of causal connections and feedback relationships in a system • To make linkages between variables explicit	Factors discussed in Scripts #2–3 were used to develop connection circles. Participants completed this step in three groups, followed by discussion with the entire group.	1 connection circle per group
5. Causal loop diagrams	• To synthesize multiple perspectives of a problem and reveal new insights	Connections identified in Script #4 were expanded upon by including feedback loops and the identification of sub-systems and themes. Participants completed this step in the same groups as in Script #4, followed by discussion with the entire group.	1 causal loop diagram per group
6. Action ideas	• To identify action ideas and prioritize them along a matrix according to whether they are easy or hard to achieve (y-axis) and whether they would create low or high impact (x-axis)	Participants completed this step in the same groups as in Script #4 and 5, followed by discussion with the entire group.	Prioritized list of potential actions