Community Conversations
The aim of the Community Conversations project is to bring "far apart" groups in the community together to talk and have a "conversation" in a safe and supported way.
We are entering the last couple of months of this 2 year pilot but are expecting the funding to be renewed for a further 18 months. We have run 25 workshops with very diverse people looking at getting along together, what we have in common, what the differences are. All the facilitators are trained mediators. The main aim of the work is to bring people together across a difference to enable them to build connections and relationships by the sharing of stories, drawing out the commonalities and allowing differences to be aired and explored. However another stated aim which has not yet arisen is to facilitate a dialogue between people on a contentious issue that is dividing them.
We are grateful to the City Parochial Foundation for funding this project from April 2006 to March 2008.
