Conversation Project: Can We Parent Together?
Like many aspects of life in the United States, parenting is increasingly done in isolation. American adults report spending 30 percent less time doing face-to-face socializing than they did twenty years ago. (Teenagers report spending almost 50 percent less time.) This conversation provides an opportunity for parents and caregivers to reflect on how we engage with friends and community and how social connectedness and community support affect parenting and caregiving. How does the presence or absence of extended family affect how we raise children? Can there be nontraditional extended families? Join Catherine Feeny to explore the conventions and norms that prevent us from building intimacy and experiencing mutual support and consider strategies for building connections to support families and others in our communities.
Conversation Project: A Bunch of Animals
Between twenty-five and one hundred fifty species of life on earth are lost to extinction every day. As human animals, we are implicated in the lives—and deaths—of many other animals besides members of our own species. Conversations with and about other animals are crucial to our shared planetary future. And animals are also just plain interesting. Many of us have relationships with animals. We rely on them economically, physically, and interpersonally. We may have had profound experiences with (nonhuman) animals. There is no one right way to be in relationship with animals, much less to approach the topic of animals. The goal of this conversation is to spend time together “thinking with animals,” to share ideas, and reflect together on what we can learn from “a bunch of animals.”
Conversation Project: Are You Doing Community Wrong?
We all belong to many communities—that is, groups of people with common interests—depending on where we live, the work we do, how we spend our leisure time, political and religious beliefs, and so on. In some communities, finding agreement is easy; in others, especially those that represent many different experiences and points of view, members must work harder to find commonality. It may be easier to find a location for your next book-club meeting than to achieve consensus about a road project at your neighborhood association. In such contexts, are we “doing” community wrong? Are we celebrating diverse points of view and our common effort to find solutions together? If not, why not? What stops us from engaging in more diverse communities?
What Matters at Life’s End? Exploring Your End-of-life Wishes
Many of us know we should talk about what matters at the end of our lives, but we don’t always know where or how to start these conversations. Once people start exploring death and dying, they often realize it’s not so scary to talk about after all. It can be comforting and empowering to know more about your options and consider what would be helpful for those who may be making decisions on your behalf. Who do you want with you when you are dying? What environments feel most comfortable? Do you have a preference for what happens to your body and your possessions after you die? How do you want to be remembered? This conversation provides a space and dedicated time for reflecting and exploring your end-of-life wishes.
Does Nature Have a Purpose in Our Lives? Exploring Our Relationships to the Land
Oregonians have long struggled to balance cultural, political, and values-based differences tied to our use of land and resources. As we enter an age of accelerating environmental change and scarcity, it is important to understand what drives these differences. In this conversation we will explore our attitudes and assumptions about the purpose of the environment in our lives and consider how those attitudes and assumptions shape our perception of environmental issues and policies.
Conversation Project: Talking About Values Across Political Divides
“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?
Conversation Project: Talking About Values Across Political Divides
“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?
Housing and Belonging
Bringing Oregonians together to talk about home and housing in our communities
Resources for Conversation Project Hosts
Tips, timelines, and materials for organizations hosting Conversation Project events
The Conversation Project
The Conversation Project is an opportunity for organizations to partner with Oregon Humanities and host a conversation for your community.
Community Conversations
Oregon Humanities' community conversation programs provide opportunities for participants to reflect on their own experiences and beliefs, learn about the experiences and beliefs of others, and cultivate a stronger sense of agency in their communities.
Engaging as Fellow Humans
Tyler White creates conversations for social change.
Read. Talk. Think.
Things that make you say O. Hm.
Making Woodburn History
Gustavo Gutierrez-Gomez makes it his mission to get people together.