THIS IS ONE way to deal with challenging topics.
MELROSE — The pilot program of Melrose Community Conversations, sponsored by MelroseKind, was a tremendous success, exposing close to 100 Melrosians to a new way of discussing challenging topics.
Over the course of several months, we hosted five gatherings. Each gathering began with “breaking bread” together. Studies have shown that eating a meal together develops strong bonds.
The second half of each gathering included a facilitated conversation where participants got to know each other through prompts about building community in Melrose. With this non-confrontational topic, participants could better connect with each other. The facilitated conversation model allowed everyone to be heard, without cross-talk or interruptions.
The evening ended with participants sharing what connection in community means to them. Responses varied widely, from “meeting people where they are,” to “supporting each other through our differences.”
The hope is to continue to develop this facilitated communication model so that in the future, we can use it with more challenging conversations in Melrose, such as multi-unit housing, property tax overrides, and school issues.
Melrose Community Conversations grew from an ARPA-funded training session offered to Melrose residents in June 2023. Over a two day period, twenty Melrosians were taught the Reflective Structured Dialogue (RSD) conversation model by Essential Partners, a leader in the field of constructive dialogue solutions.
What people are saying about Community Conversations:
“That was fun”
“I felt connected to my community”
“I got to know people in a new way.”
