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| • Aquidneck Island | |
| • Barrington | |
| • Block Island | |
| • Bristol | |
| • Burrillville | |
| • Central Falls | |
| • Chariho | |
| • Coventry | |
| • Cranston | |
| • East Providence | |
| • Jamestown | |
| • Lincoln/Cumberland | |
| • Pawtucket | |
| • Tiverton | |
| • Warren | |
| • Warwick | |
| • West Greenwich/Exeter | |
| • Woonsocket |
Through a series of town meetings and public forums, The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH) will bring Rhode Islanders together to talk about their issues and concerns as citizens of their communities. The Dialogues will take place over two years, visiting all 39 cities and towns and their associated places and villages.
Think of the Dialogues as a series of informal public conversations about the way you see your community. What delights, disappoints or surprises you about where you live? What are the issues and concerns that face you and your community? How do you define your ‘sense of place?’
Why is RICH doing this?
We know that programs in the humanities enrich peoples’ lives in very profound ways. Learning is not limited to the classroom, nor is it limited to traditional methods. People involved in life-long learning are among our most engaged citizens. Public humanities programs come in all kinds of shapes and sizes; offering everyone–no matter how they learn–opportunities to participate.
It is our job to serve all Rhode Islanders. To do this well, we need to make sure that we really understand the range of issues that face our state. We want to make sure that our programs and grants are really responding to the needs of our citizens.
We think Rhode Islanders have a lot to tell us and we have a lot to offer Rhode Islanders. This is an extraordinary opportunity for Rhode Islanders to guide our work in the years to come. The humanities offer countless tools for dealing with the issues that impact communities. We want to make sure that these tools are available to all Rhode Islanders.
What takes place at the Dialogues?
The dialogues are designed to be fun. We begin with a brief introduction and presentation. We ask you to reflect on some questions and topics to get us started, then open the floor to discussion. Although we will serve as facilitators, the issues you raise will structure the direction of the dialogue.
In the end, we offer...
Each community will be offered a small grant to be used towards a community project inspired by the issues raised during the dialogue. We will guide you through the grant process, and help you design your project. At the conclusion of the entire initiative, we will bring representatives from each community together to reflect on what we learned during the dialogues and to help us put this knowledge into action.
To learn more about Rhode Island Dialogues, please contact the Dialogues coordinator at programs@rihumanities.org or call RICH at 273-2250.
