Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough urges residents to keep the conversation going

At a time when members of society are becoming more and more polarized in their opinions, the simple art of conversation is under pressure.

The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough (CFGP) wants to get people talking again with its Vital Conversations program. The topic of conversation is the foundation’s Vital Signs report, a snapshot of Peterborough that identifies needs, strengths and trends.

John Good, executive director of the CFGP, says volunteer hosts can gather six or eight friends and neighbours together to start the conversation

“It could be getting together at a coffee shop with a group of friends, it could be inviting, rather than the usual suspects, invite the unusual suspects,” said Good.

To get the conversation going, the foundation has developed a simple card game. Participants will be dealt a series of cards, some that lay out facts about the community, and some that call on the cardholder to ask questions about the facts as presented and others still that suggest solutions.

Hannah McFarlane will be hosting a Vital Conversation and looks forward to the discussion that will result.

“We do have different approaches and we are not always going to agree on the best strategy for change but I think the more that we understand each other the easier that gets,” said McFarlane.

Residents of Peterborough city and county can get involved at the CFGP website.