The Bite- News You Can Chew On from ARC Civic Dinners

“I think that the ARC Civic Dinner is a very skillful tool to get people who otherwise would not be sitting around the same table to connect. And it’s simple! It’s not exclusive; it’s participatory.”

-Christina Cummings, Assistant Director, Economic Development, City of Atlanta, on the Affordable Housing Dinner she attended

8 conversations, 15 active dinners, 138 past dinners, 938 total attendees

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Two New Blockbuster Conversations for Fall

Grab your pumpkin-spiced beverage of choice; we’re gearing up for a busy fall here in ARC Civic-Dinnerland…beginning with two new conversations.

Arts and Culture

From live music to community murals, the arts are critical to our lives. This conversation explores not only the pleasure that arts and culture bring us, but the role they play in improving our communities.

Join this conversation

Sustainability

As metro Atlanta’s population continues to grow, it’s imperative that we protect our most valuable natural resources. This conversation explores what sustainability means to each of us and looks at how we can ensure the health of our environment for generations to come.

Join this conversation

Reimagine Aging: Breakout Star of the Summer!

Stories told around the table at civic dinners can be personal and revelatory. This is especially true with our Reimagine Aging conversation, which has seen 37 dinners and 278 total participants this summer — exchanging experiences and ideas as they dispel myths about what it means to grow older.

Why this is a critical conversation

One in four of us in metro Atlanta will be 60 or older in just 12 years—which means that not only is our aging population growing in unprecedented ways; in many cases, it’s us. “And that’s why the Reimagine Aging Civic Dinners conversation has been such a revelation,” says Becky Kurtz, Manager of ARC’s Center for Aging & Independence Services. “You see these light-bulbs go off in terms of people connecting their own personal experience with needs and opportunities in the greater community.”

Inman Park resident Sandy Hoke talks about a Reimagine Aging conversation in his neighborhood.

Sandy Hoke at Reimagine Aging Civic Lunch

Civic Dinners with a side of mac 'n cheese... at the Atlanta History Center

On Sunday, September 30, ARC Civic Dinners partnered with the Atlanta History Center for a night of delicious eats and community conversation. About 45 guests talked Arts & Culture and explored the "Barbecue Nation" exhibit at this free event celebrating National Barbecue Month.

Some photos from this delicious event...

ARC Civic Dinners are an easy, out-of-the-box strategy to ensure engaged, thoughtful dialogue at your organization’s next big event. Get in touch with us about your partnership ideas.

Calling all dignitaries and high-schoolers! Anyone
can host

This summer, a one-week span saw two notable dinners that demonstrated the true scope of Civic Dinners to make a difference.

One was a Prosperity dinner hosted by Atlanta’s Consul General of Japan, Takashi Shinozuka, and attended by some of the region’s foremost leaders. The second was a set of civic dinners on six different topics, hosted by the passionate high-schoolers of the Model ARC (MARC), which convenes students from across metro Atlanta to learn about the top issues facing the region.

Both events got participants thinking. One guest of the Consul General said that the evening's conversation “brought up…our greatest hopes and some really interesting ideas for how we take advantage of this special moment in Atlanta’s history. I feel more hopeful and empowered about the future of Atlanta than ever before.” She also enjoyed the seven-course(!) meal.

Meanwhile, MARC students generated dynamic ideas for addressing key problems, from improving walkability by developing more housing near amenities, to developing new technologies to address educational gaps.

Check out photos from both events.