Thank you for contacting us. We will respond to your inquiry shortly.

DIVERSE
GROUPS

When is our next discussion? Follow us on Facebook

GROUP DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ISSUES OF DIVERSITY WITH NEIGHBORS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS

People tend to clump together in groups of similar backgrounds. So much of our lives are spent with people that look like us, think like us, are generally the same age as us and usually they agree with us. Even in the cultural mashup that is Atlanta, it's possible to live your life in a completely homogeneous environment. As a result, some people never get the opportunity to learn from other cultures and perspectives. Diverse Groups wants to change all that. We want to see people from all backgrounds making friends, sharing perspectives, and learning each other’s stories. We want older people to share their wisdom with the younger generation.

We want people to share their experiences, their current situations and their goals with those that are not in the same economic class as themselves.

We want people that grew up in the suburbs to make friends with people that grew up in the city.

If you are new to your neighborhood, joining Diverse Groups is an opportunity to meet people that have lived there for a lifetime. We believe that if our community can replace our stereotypes with real names, faces and stories, we will create a better place to live.

We believe that we can create a better Atlanta by replacing our stereotypes with real names, faces, and stories. We believe that this change starts with honest conversations: the kind of conversations where we admit that sometimes we put each other in a box without knowing enough. We believe that admitting that we don’t understand each other but striving to understand each other

through honest conversations can be the beginning of something amazing in our city, our neighborhoods, and our lives.

Diverse Groups facilitates these kinds of conversations. We create an environment where people can ask honest questions and listen to honest answers. Diverse groups consist of people from various backgrounds. Each group is a 90-minute event and has a specific discussion topic and a moderator. Scroll down to learn more about our goals and how it all works. If you would like to participate in an event, fill out the form below to get involved.

Our Goals

Invest in Our Neighborhoods

To personally invest in the history and future of our neighborhood by replacing categories and stereotypes with REAL names and REAL faces.

Evaluate Gentrification

To seriously evaluate both the dangers and advantages of gentrification.

Make a Better Place

To intentionally make our neighborhoods a better place to live for all people regardless of race or class.

Make New Friends

To deliberately make new friends with people of all different backgrounds that live in our same communities.

Encourage Healthy Dialog

To thoughtfully encourage people who have never discussed issues of diversity to begin discussing it.

Realize the Dream

To actively make Dr. King's dream a reality in his own city and neighborhood.

HOW IT WORKS

What to expect during a Diverse Groups meeting

MEETING FORMAT

  • The Discussions have a moderator
  • The moderator facilitates the discussion, but avoids guiding opinions
  • The discussion topic is chosen before the meeting and the moderator keeps the discussion from going off topic.
  • Discussion topics typically center around issues where people from differing backgrounds often have conflicting opinions.
  • Diversity does not just mean black and white. However, some topics will be most applicable to particular cultures.
  • Meetings are scheduled to last 90 minutes
  • Participants can come to multiple meetings, but discussions are not intended to continue across multiple meetings
  • Meetings occur once per month per neighborhood

GROUND RULES

  • Be honest about your opinions even if you think others in the room might not share those opinions
  • Be open to seeing issues from someone else's point of view
  • Don't play devil’s advocate
  • Have respect for each other's right to opposing opinions
  • Try not to leave angry. Talk through the disagreements instead of stewing over them later.
  • Do not talk over one another
  • Make the moderator's job easy
  • Allow yourself and others to make mistakes. People don't always word things correctly and it gets offensive. If that happens, give them the benefit of the doubt and move on.

MEETING TIMELINE

  • Introductions 10 minutes - Allow each participant to introduce themselves including name, neighborhood and how long they have lived there.
  • Review the Ground Rules 10 minutes
  • Introduce the topic 5 minutes - The moderator will Provide a few quotes from various sources and ask the first question
  • Discuss 45 minutes - The moderator will lead with the predetermined questions associated with the topic. However, all relevant questions and comments are welcome.
  • Identify the Take-Aways 15 minutes - Participants will have the opportunity to share what they learned from the discussion.
  • Closing announcements 5 minutes - Announce the location and time for the next meeting. Collect suggestions for discussion topics.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION!

Are you interested in joining a Diverse Groups discussion? Your perspective is important and we'd love to hear it. Enter your name and contact information and we will add you to our mailing list. To find out where/when our next event will be, follow us on Facebook.

TO DONATE

Grant Park
Atlanta, GA
30312.

Tel. 470-313-5396
@diversegroups

All photos are obtained and used in accordance with the Creative Commons License.

* indicates required