FOCUS: “On the Table” events to offer new way for community input

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Your voice matters.

That’s the simple message of an effort coming soon by the new Library Foundation of the Lowcountry to bring people together for a meal so they can talk about what’s important.  It’s a practical way to elevate civic conversations, build new relationships and inspire collaborative action across the region.

It’s called “On the Table Lowcountry.” It is modeled after a successful similar event in Chicago that has brought together tens of thousands of people on a single day to focus on community needs.

“This grassroots effort brings people together in dinner-table-sized gatherings to discuss what is good, what needs changing and what they as individuals can do to improve lives in the Tri-county, area,” said Janet Segal, chair of the foundation and former chair of the Charleston County Public Library Board of Trustees.

“The discussions are open-ended and not constrained by specific questions or topics,” she emphasized.  “Those around the table discuss what is important to them and how to create a stronger community.”

According to the event’s website, “This act of people coming together to discuss the issues that matter most to them has never been more important. Progress will only result when we collaborate to make contributions that add up to a greater solution. On the Table will connect individuals and communities of diverse perspectives and backgrounds to do just that.

Organizers are expecting to involve 100 hosts and up to 1,000 people from Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties on May 1 as a pilot project for the event.  But that’s only a learning prelude before the full day of On The Table discussions scheduled for September 27.  They hope as many as 10,000 people will participate in talks over meals whenever and wherever hosts decide to have them – in homes, at local restaurants, during a brown bag lunch in parks, in libraries or in places of worship.

What’s really cool about the foundation’s project is how it will collect and share data on the hundreds of community discussions.  Data gathered is expected to be used to help shape funding priorities of the foundation and, perhaps more importantly, provide information to various groups around the area that may influence regional policy and planning.

The community discussions during the pilot phase of the project on May 1 will help organizers learn how to make the project become better and work out the kinks.  When the official On the Table day officially launches, “all of the discussions will occur on a single day (Thursday, September 27) and the results will be captured on social media by the participants,” Segal said.

Participants also will receive a follow-up survey, which will be crunched into a formal printed report by the Library Foundation of the Lowcountry to be made available to nonprofits, governments and other groups at no charge.

“The model of hundreds of small-scale listening sessions has been tested in more than a dozen cities in the U.S. since first started in Chicago in 2014,” Segal added.

MORE INFORMATION

• WHO can host: Anyone – individuals, groups or organizations.
• WHERE to host: Anywhere from a backyard or coffeehouse to your office or dining room table.
• WHAT TOPICS should be discussed: What you and your group thinks is important to you and your community.
• THEN WHAT: First, take the survey that you’ll get by email.  Then when all of the data is collected, you can use any ideas from the hundreds of community discussions to make a difference.
• LEARN MORE: lowcountryonthetable.org.
• Have a comment? Send to:  editor@charlestoncurrents.com