On the Table

On The Table Logo 2014

On The Table is a social media amplified community listening program that is loosely organized, but not led, by community-based grant-making organizations in the United States.^[1] The core activity is the encouragement of individual hosts to invite a small group of people (6-12) to a conversation over food. All these conversations take place in any one community on a single day. Social media posts on that day create broad community awareness of the conversations and the topics discussed. Anyone can register to host and who they invite to their table is entirely up to them. Ideally those invited do not know each other well except for their connection to the host. There is no agenda or pre-determined outcome of the conversation except to catalog what was discussed and what actions were suggested to address the concerns of participants.^[2] The results of the conversations are summarized and reported back to the community in a formal document.

The Chicago Community Trust created and organized the first On The Table event in 2014 and thus far fourteen US cities have held or will soon hold On The Table events. More than 200,000 people have sat down at a table to join a conversation.^[1]

Goals

The goal of On The Table is to have people of diverse backgrounds participate in small groups and on social media and discuss issues affecting their community. Motivating individuals to take action as individuals, to volunteer or partner with others to create change, is one measure of the success of On The Table but success metrics vary with location.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]}

Methods

The entity launching the community-wide discussions takes responsibility for organizing an advisory community that recruits table hosts from all regions, neighborhoods, and demographics. In addition, they create survey instruments and social media tracking tools to capture the topics discussed.^[10] In some instances the grant-making entity distributes small awards to individuals building on the ideas generated during On The Table discussions and creates new programs to address community needs.^[1] The Chicago Community Trust continues to be involved and has a National Learning Network (funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation) for communities that are looking to replicate or who have replicated On The Table.

Origin

The first On The Table event was held in Chicago, IL in 2014.^[1] That year 10,000 people participated. In the following year 25,000 participated, then 50,000 in 2016, and 100,000 in 2017 roughly doubling every year.^[1] The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation provided $2 million in new funding to expand the program to a dozen other cities.^[2]

Events

Impact

Typically participants in the On The Table discussions report they are “Very Satisfied” with the discussions, a majority exchange contact information and plan on following up with an additional conversation with someone they met at event, many report they shared a new idea and many report they learned from the discussion. The formal reports and the social media exposure are topics of discussion throughout the community. Grants made as a result of the process generate a disproportionate impact as measured by community involvement and awareness of the new initiatives.^[1]

References