Do you wish there was a place that you could express your opinion, explore the views of others face to face without the shortcomings of internet comment sections? Then Conversation Club is a monthly event for you.

A small group of citizens in West Grey have been running a monthly group they call "Conversation Club" as a way to foster face to face civil discourse and try to bridge the gap that has developed as an unforeseen side effect of the social media revolution.

"It just occurred to me that this was something that people really wanted," says West Grey resident Nathan Carey who is one of the initiators of the group. "There's this tension with the internet where you get to explore new ideas and challenge your assumptions but it turns out that social media is often a terrible place to discuss these things!" Carey observes that "when they're online people are quick to assume the worst but in Conversation Club, when you're sitting right across from someone, there's room for empathy and charity. It's amazing what a little good will brings to an exchange."

Jenny Parsons who regularly attends Conversation Club said, "I'm thankful to be able to find a place where people want to get together and talk openly about what's on their mind. The structure of the evening really helps encourage both speaking and listening." Parsons explained that the group begins with two short presentations on topics chosen from the previous meeting. These presentations help to start the conversations but are not meant to limit where conversations can go. The participants are split into groups of 4 or 5 people. Each person in a group is allotted three minutes to speak while the other participants listen. The next person then has 3 minutes to speak and so on.

"I'm really hoping that many different sorts of people with a variety of views will come out," says Carey. "This project will not be a success for me until it is a place where anyone feels free to truly share what it is on their mind and be willing to listen to others do the same."

The Conversation Club is a free event, open to all. It is being hosted at The Garafraxa Cafe in Durham and runs on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. The next date is July 6th. For more information the club has a Facebook page titled "Conversation Club" found at http://fb.me/ConversationClubDurham

source: media release, Durham Conservation Club