Words by Rachel

Dialogue is essential to the success of community collaborations, relationships, networking, systems change, and understanding.

Let's start a conversation - today, tomorrow, next week - about questions that matter. Conversation Week seeks to do just this. It is a global effort, both offline and online, to build a culture of conversation and get people talking. During the week, people will gather in small groups to discuss the Top 10 Questions of Our Time (see below).

I'm really excited about Conversation Week for a couple of reasons, aside from the obvious - I believe great change can start from simple conversations. Firstly, a few weeks ago, Louise Kearney forwarded me a link that offered people the opportunity to contribute their top three burning questions. I submitted mine and I can see it resonate throughout the Top 10 Questions to be considered next week. I'm also really excited about this because Paul Born's first book Community Conversations has really started to take shape and is in the process of being published. This has been such a phenomenal journey I've been privileged to be part of with Paul and Tamarack, and is so relevant to this topic.

If you aren't convening a conversation (or Conversation Cafe) in your organization, neighbourhood or home, consider joining an online discussion group, sponsored by Global MindShift.

For more information, visit Conversation Week 2008!

Top 10 Questions of Our Time

1. How can we best prepare our children for the future?
2. What does sustainability look like to you? How do we get there?
3. How do humans need to adapt to survive the changes predicted for this century?
4. How do we shift from "Me" to "We" on both local and global levels? ( Click here to read Louise's "Me to We" article in this past issue of Engage.)
5. How can you, as Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in this world"?
6. What kind of economic structures can best support a shift to sustainable living?
7. How should we re-invent the political process so people feel they have a voice?
8. What kind of ladership does the world need now?
9. How can we balance personal needs with the most pressing needs of our community and the larger world?
10. WHat can we do to reduce or eliminate violence in the world?

Please, join the conversation - with me, with your peers or with others considering these same questions!