Dialogue in America is Broken
We’ve Created a Way to Change It
My Neighbor’s Voice was started in 2016 when two great friends had a conversation. They were worried that the lack of civil dialogue was tearing America apart and they agreed to work together to find a solution.
Today My Neighbor's Voice is a structured and moderated conversation where all interested members of our community can share a meal and listen to one another speak about our civic concerns.
How it works:
My Neighbor’s Voice has created a deck of Listening Cards in four different categories. These categories are Political Thought, Our Society, Environment and Health, and Civic Rights and Responsibilities.
Each participant draws a card and then has three minutes to share his/her perspective on the topic. During that time, no one is allowed to respond, comment, or interrupt. When the time is up, the next person draws a fresh card on a different topic and the process repeats.
Whether you use the cards with a friend over coffee or at a formal dinner, the point of My Neighbor's Voice is to simply allow our neighbors to share their stories and for us to hear them with generosity. With participants having the freedom to speak openly about the things that matter most, we can all discover deep truths in one another’s perspectives.
Founders Mary Anne Inglis and Victoria Chance
Interestingly, My Neighbor’s Voice is not designed to educate, or to change minds. While these can certainly happen, our events are designed to bring us together simply to be heard, to speak of our thoughts, and share our experiences about how best to live together in our Democracy.
Because these conversations are moderated, participants feel safe to share their stories without fear of a challenge or backlash. And because everybody is allowed to express his/her truths without interruption, participants consistently discover many shared values across ideological lines. It’s that discovery that brings hope and inspires confidence in our American democracy.
We cannot continue to rip apart our society through polarizing rhetoric.
Come join us in weaving our communities back together through meaningful conversation.
“My Neighbor’s Voice has changed how I think about conversations in America. I was dubious this discussion could be constructive. The experience proved me wrong.”
— Randall Smith, My Neighbor’s Voice Participant
In the News:
Recently, My Neighbor’s Voice was featured in TOWN Magazine. Victoria, MaryAnne and Russell were all interviewed with the question, “How is your organization an example of Southern Hospitality?” We certainly had fun with the interview and love the article.
Let’s Get Together
My Neighbor’s Voice works because it brings us face to face to hear one another’s perspective. In addition to hosting dinners, we are available for presentations to groups, clubs, classes and congregations. We create and facilitate My Neighbor’s Voice workshops for all organizations, and we are happy to introduce our Cafe Listening model over a cup of coffee anytime.
We believe that breaking bread is the most important thing we can do as neighbors. At our Dinner Events, volunteer hosts and moderators bring up to 10 participants together for a shared meal. While we eat, we take turns answering the Listening Cards. Over the course of two and a half hours, My Neighbor’s Voice offers a kind of generosity that is so rare in our culture: We create a space where people can share their truth.
To date, we have held more than 80 dinners in 4 States. Our model is sustainable and rapidly replicating. To attend a dinner or get more information about hosting or becoming a moderator click here.