For Immediate Releaseruth Vernon, Social Media Manager

P.O. Box 355 Salina, KS 67402-0355 785.827.1312 Phone 785.827.1882 Fax www.unitedwaysalina.org

Media Contact: For Immediate Release Ruth Vernon, Social Media Manager [email protected]

Salina Are United Way Begins Hosting Community Conversations

March 13, 2014 (Salina, KS) – The Salina Area United Way continues to work with both agencies and citizens to evolve to be a community change organization. To enhance this process, the United Way is turning outward with Community Conversations. Brenda Gutierrez, Program Director for Salina Area United Way, attended training in December 2013 facilitated by the Harwood Institute for Public Innovation. There she learned and practiced the skills needed to facilitate, engage, conduct, and report on a Community Conversation. Salina Area United Way hosted the first Community Conversation on February 20 at the Salina Family YMCA. The purpose of hosting these conversations is to provide an environment where community members can gather and authentically engage in discussion with each other. This generates Public Knowledge that can then be used to inform decision making of all kinds.

“These conversations have already been so informative and very energizing. We simply wish be a repository for public information.” Executive Director Amanda Michaelis said. “The United Way should be able to respond at any time to anyone with information regarding the public’s aspirations and concerns…that is our goal.” The process for Community Conversations is not complex. A location is chosen, and citizens within a 10-minute radius are invited to participate. Broad, open ended questions are asked and a note-taker records the conversation. These dialogues are meant to be comfortable, kitchen table conversations, not forums with flip-charts and hundreds of participants. Folks from all walks of life are invited to participate, and no particular agenda is pursued. Themes from each conversation are sent back to the participants, and at the end of the year a report to the community will be produced with cumulative results.

The United Way will conduct at least 24 conversations in Salina in 2014. The next scheduled Community Conversations will be on March 20 at the Salina Public Library, and April 17 at Blue Skye Brewery & Eats. Watch for further dates of conversations to come in 2014. Contact Salina Area United Way to get involved.

The Salina Area United Way strengthens our community by improving lives through leadership, partnership and investment.