Table Talk aims to boost civic engagement
Foundation invites residents to discuss what they like, don’t like about communities
It’s a bold idea in these divisive times — getting strangers to come together for a civil conversation — especially in a place where people are notoriously uninvolved.
But on Thursday, the Central Florida Foundation hopes to have thousands of local residents join in what it’s calling Table Talk — mostly small groups discussing what they like about the community, what they want to change and what they’re willing to take responsibility for changing.
The idea may sound academic, but it’s modeled after an annual “On The Table” forum in Chicago that began in 2014 and drew over 100,000 people in 2017. It also has been copied in more than 30 cities and is often the basis for changing public policy and getting micro grants for community projects.
“This Table Talk is the first of what will happen annually over the next several years,” said Mark Brewer, the foundation’s president and CEO. “Instead of this all being done by people in boardrooms with flip charts, we want input from just normal people who have a point of view they’re passionate about.”
The foundation, home to hundreds of charitable funds by and for Central Floridians, has enlisted 300 Table Talk hosts for Thursday’s events, each inviting six to 10 people for conversation at whatever location is convenient — coffee shops, work places, living rooms, community centers, even local bars. The talks take place
throughout the day and include a few “super sites” that are open to anyone wanting to attend.
There’s no charge — or compensation — and refreshments are up to the host.
“This is a great opportunity for our community to come together to talk about not only our favorite things but also issues that matter,” said Kay Rawlins, founder and president of Orlando City Foundation, the soccer team’s charitable arm. “Our hope is that Table Talk will inspire projects, highlight issues to be solved and encourage more civic engagement.”
In fact, it was the region’s lousy scorecard on civic engagement that prompted the idea, Brewer said. According to research from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Orlando ranks considerably below the national average when it comes to joining neighborhood groups or local councils, trusting neighbors, contacting local politicians, joining faith organizations and volunteering.
Florida as a whole typically ranks 49th or 50th in the nations on such measures.
Research shows that communities with higher civic engagement tend to be more resilient in the face of natural disasters, recover more quickly from economic downturns, have lower crime rates and have improved public health indicators.
“Our most marginalized communities often don’t have time to be involved,” said Jennifer Foster, executive director of the One Orlando Alliance, a coalition of Central Florida LGBTQ groups, who is working on the Table Talk organizing committee. “They’re working two and three jobs. … So I was excited for the opportunity to have people at the table whose voices are not usually elevated.”
Fifteen of the 35 groups that form the alliance volunteered to host talks.
At the end of each event, participants will fill out a survey that will be collected by the Central Florida Foundation. Brewer said results will be compiled over the coming months and will likely direct decisions on how to spend charitable funds in the community.
In Chicago, for instance, the Chicago Community Trust began by awarding $1,000 grants for community projects initiated by the On The Table forums. Those have since grown to $2,500 and $5,000.
“One initiative I’m really proud of is ‘Hate Has No Home Here,’ ” said Daniel Ash, associate vice president for community impact at the trust and cocreator of On The Table. “It was a public information campaign that came out of Chicago’s North Park, which is very diverse, around the time of the 2016 election… There are over 40 languages spoken by students at one of the elementary schools there, and people were aghast at the vitriol and Islamophobia that they worried would make students feel unwelcome. So they started putting these posters up as a huge statement to their neighbors — and the campaign ended up going international.”
Though On The Table began largely among people who were already civically involved, Ash said, it has grown tremendously.
“The residents have taken the process very seriously,” he said.
To find out more about Central Florida Table Talk or to sign up, go to cffound.org/tabletalk/.