Community Conversations

What are Community Conversations?

At the Association of Alaska School Boards, we host two main types of intentional, facilitated gatherings: Community Cafés and Dialogues. These conversations are designed to bring people together to share personal experiences, reflect on shared challenges, and envision solutions as a community. The purpose is to strengthen relationships, address local concerns, and foster collective action. Grounded in Indigenous and relational ways of knowing, these spaces prioritize respect, inclusivity, and the belief that every voice matters.

Why Are They Important?

In Alaska’s schools and communities, relationships are foundational. Dialogues help:

- Build trust between families, educators, and community members.
- Create a culture of listening, accountability, and partnership.
- Surface both barriers and strengths in school-family engagement.
- Empower everyone, elders, parents, teachers, and youth as leaders.

By gathering in conversation, whether using a full dialogue or a cafe, communities can co-create solutions that honor both tradition and current realities.

What Are the Benefits
of Community Conversations?

Community conversations are more than just discussions; they help create change by:

- Bridge the gaps between schools and families.
- Elevate local wisdom and cultural knowledge.
- Generate action plans grounded in shared values.
- Celebrate stories of resilience and collaboration.

Examples of outcomes include stronger family-school partnerships, new parent-led initiatives, and school climate shifts based on harvest insights (shared reflections and themes).

Different Types of Commnity Conversations

Community Cafes

Community Cafes are a powerful way to hear and share ideas. It uses three main facilitation techniques: pair and share, world cafe style questions, and a closing question. It follows a similar format each time. A comfortable space, chairs, markers, and chart paper are all you need to get started. This approach can be used in about 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

Find examples and resources to host your own Community Cafe here.

Start Here

Community Dialogues

Community Dialogues allow groups to dig even deeper into complex issues. We recommend working with a skilled facilator or receiving training yourself before hosting a Community Dialogue. Dialogues often require at least 2.5 hours to get into the deep and transformative conversations.

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