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Next System in Practice: World Cafe (3:30 - 5:00 PM)

In our closing session, we invite you to join a collective dialogue on local issues and organizing priorities in Humboldt County, using innovative models for democratic participation recently pioneered by social movements.

World Cafe

The World Cafe is a democratic facilitation method that creates a living network of collaborative dialogue and knowledge sharing around questions that matter in ways that can shift people's conceptions and encourage collective action. 

The basic World Cafe model is based on five components:

  1. Setting:  Just like in a cafe, spaces for close conversation (such as tables) are set up for small groups to learn about and discuss a particular topic, with materials for note-taking and other types of input from participants.

  2. Context:  The World Cafe begins with a warm welcome to put participants at ease, set context for the discussions, and explain the World Cafe etiquette.

  3. Small-Group Rounds:  Sort of like 'speed-dating,' small groups engage in discussion for a limited time, after which each participant moves to a different table or space, forming a new discussion group.

  4. Questions:  Participants discuss questions relevant to the larger purpose or topic at hand and pose new questions, moving the dialogue forward.

  5. Harvest:  After a number of rounds, participants are invited to share insights from their conversations with the larger group. A note-taker records the input, drawing out patterns and connections between the conversations.

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