EARTH COMMUNITY DIALOGUES

There are many ways to initiate and engage in conversation that cultivate the creation of Earth Community, from personal spontaneous encounters, ongoing study sessions and regularly scheduled salons, to large public events planned well in advance. Many discussion groups are sprouting up all around the world, to feed our hunger for connection and respectful dialogue about our current reality and the possibilities for our future.

Each of the following featured dialogue/study group initiatives weaves together design and substance and provides a model for deep, meaningful conversation that can, in fact, change the world.

World Café

The World Café, co-founded in 1995 by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs for business and social value, is viewed "as a conversational process based on a set of integrated design principles that reveal a deeper living network pattern through which we co-evolve our collective future." The website has an abundance of guidelines for hosts, ideas for getting involved and an on-line community, with places for personal stories, which are "the currency of conversation, the lifeblood of relationship."

Conversation Café

Founded in 2001 by Vicki Robin and Susan Partnow, the Conversation Café initiative creates a culture of intelligence, peace, and political awareness by "promoting community, democracy and wisdom world-wide through generating millions of open, respectful public conversations."

Conversation Cafés are changing the way we talk with and listen to each other and share our stories - in coffee shops, libraries and other public places around the world. A Café relies on a lightly-facilitated Process and a set of Agreements to set the tone of the conversation. The Process provides a structure that ensures equitable "air time," and the Agreements emphasize a spirit of open-mindedness, discovery and sincerity in the telling of stories that have personal heart and meaning.

Find a Café to particiate in, start a new Café or learn about plans for the third annual Conversation Week 2009.

Living Earth

Living Earth gathered activists from two dozen social change organizations in Portland to meet with Korten in May 2006. The goal was to stimulate a fresh perspective on the issues and projects we all work on to heal the myriad wounds of our world.

Notes from the Activist Allies Gathering
Second Activist Allies Gathering (Includes great convening questions)

More Dialogue Resources

Explore our list of additional resources and guidelines for convening, facilitating and participating in meaningful, world changing conversations.