The MelroseKind Community Conversations (MKCC) initiative gathers individuals together to have conversations about things that matter. The hope is that everyone leaves the room knowing each other a bit better than when the evening began. To sign up to attend a Community Conversation, follow this link. For a fascinating discussion about the power of facilitated conversation, read this.

In 2023, close to thirty Melrosians were trained in the Reflective Structured Dialogue model of conversation by Essential Partners.

Essential Partners is an organization that helps people build relationships across differences to address their communities’ most pressing challenges.

The group of trained facilitators joined forces with MelroseKind to become MelroseKind Community Conversations (MKCC). Together as one, MKCC sponsors evenings for groups of Melrosians to meet and get to know one another. Read more background on the initial project here.

The evenings begin with an ice breaker. In some cases, the ice breaker includes food preparation and “breaking bread” together. Studies have shown that preparing a meal and eating together develops strong bonds among people.

The portion of the evening that includes facilitated conversation lasts for about an hour.

Each participant has the opportunity to speak about their experiences and stories. Through the tales told, participants will learn the unique perspectives held by those around the table.

MKCC hosts groups of unique individuals throughout our community. After each conversation, participants are encouraged to complete a post-event survey. MelroseKind uses feedback from participants to fine-tune the initiative. Our hope is to continue to tweak the process, providing more value to our community with each iteration.