Have your say
A Kitchen Table Conversation (KTC) is an effective process in which people can express their interests, concerns and ideas in a safe and respected space.
Our aim is to find out what connects us in the electorate, to understand what it is we love and what it is we need to flourish as a vibrant and diverse community. By collating the records of these conversations, on an anonymous basis, we will have a document representing the views of those who participated from across the electorate.
The final document that we will create from these conversations will be freely available to all and can help those currently in political office and potential candidates understand the many concerns of their constituents and broaden everyone’s view of the electorate.
- What do you feel are the best things about living here?
- What do you think makes for a vibrant and resilient community?
- What are some of the local or regional issues that you feel strongly about, and
- what suggestions, if any, do you have about how these issues could be addressed?
- What do you think makes for a really good political representative, and
- how can we strengthen the relationship between people and their representatives?
- What specific things would you like to see achieved in the next term of the Federal Government?
- Is there anything else you’d like to add about making our democracy better?
We ask only that participants answer the questions as thoughtfully as possible and that people do not comment on the opinions of others. We are not seeking to debate, we are hoping to understand, the many and varied views of our wide electorate.
There are a few simple guidelines for the conversations to ensure that people feel both heard and respected. We ask that participants:
- Agree to participate for up to two hours at the scheduled time
- Answer the questions as thoughtfully as possible
- Not comment on the opinions of others, nor interrupt those who are speaking
- Attend only one KTC as a participant, although all are welcome and encouraged to consider being a Host, Facilitator or Scribe for another KTC.
Do you want to host a KTC?
We need people to host, facilitate & scribe for Kitchen Table Conversations (KTC) in your area. We will provide you with a resource kit and support to help you do this.
We need hosts, who play a vital role in the creation of a safe and comfortable space in which to hold these conversations. Hosting is a great way to learn how the process works and to see if you’d like to engage with one of the other support roles.
The conversations may be around the Host’s kitchen table, a community space or outdoors. A Host brings together up to eight friends, workmates, neighbours, family members, or anyone they know that lives within the electorate. Participants will be joined by a facilitator and scribe from the Voices of New England membership.
The Facilitator and Scribe don’t participate in the discussion, they are simply there to ensure that all participants’ voices are heard.
The Facilitator leads an 80 minute conversation using the 8 questions above. Participants’ ideas and thoughts will be recorded by the Scribe, collated, and added to the growing set of responses from across the community.
The hosts will record some basic details about the participants, without names attached, which will help us to ensure that the diversity of our electorate is reflected in the range of people who have participated in Kitchen Table Conversations. Additional conversations will be scheduled, if needed, to include voices from segments of the community not yet represented.