Hello!
Well, summer is almost over (who knew Montreal had a rainy season!?) and the University of the Streets Café is gearing up for the fall semester. As we are still several weeks away from the first public conversations of the 2008-2009 year let’s take a few moments to get caught up on what has been happening…
During the 2007-2008 year alone close to 1000 people participated in 39 public conversations held in a dozen cafés and community spaces across the city. A wide range of topics were discussed, such as: fashion and ethics; the role of the university in today’s society; whether small actions reduce our environmental footprint; the nature of happiness; the role of art; and the commons. In May 2008 the University of the Streets Café turned five (!) and celebrated its anniversary with two discussions that explored the role conversations play in our lives and in building community.
This past year was also remarkable for the support the program received: dozens of volunteers, moderators and guests enthusiastically contributed to ensure the University of the Streets Café conversations happened and were so interesting. The beginnings of our fundraising campaign saw many small and not-so-small donations from participants, and generous contributions from Ira Salman and from the Hay Foundation, which will allow for the continued development of public conversations in the Montreal community, expanding our outreach, switching to environmentally friendly printing options, and documenting the experience of the University of the Streets Café, so that it may be made available to others in our community and beyond.
The 2008 fall season of the University of the Streets Café will comprise of about 12 public conversations on topics ranging from personal sustainability to the role of science in our society. The first conversations are slated for early October and the complete schedule will be available at the end of next month.
As we are always looking for interesting new venues, we would love to receive your suggestions of good cafés or other community spaces that would be suitable for hosting University of the Streets Café public conversations. Locations should easily accommodate groups of 20 to 50 people, be accessible by public transportation, free to use and preferably community-minded spaces. Send us a list of your favourite cafés and there might just be a public conversation in your neighbourhood!
If you have comments, questions or suggestions about the program, or if you would like to volunteer for the fall season please do not hesitate to be in touch.
Looking forward to conversing with you soon!
Elizabeth Hunt
Coordinator, University of the Streets Café
Concordia University
514 848-2424 #3968
univcafe@yahoo.ca
www.univcafe.org