Frequently Asked Questions

You and your chosen small group of people (family unit, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc.) will schedule a day to come together once per quarter (every three months) to have a meal and discuss one of the topics in the TAC Better Together Guidebook. We also ask that you share your experiences by checking in with a teen from the Teen Advisory Council or completing a short survey after each meal. TAC hopes to finish printing the Guidebook for distribution at the end of March/early April. 

The goal is to practice speaking and listening techniques outlined in the Guidebook around issues our community (through our Better Together Survey) deemed challenging to discuss. The goal is to have conversations in a respectful manner NOT to change people’s perspectives, opinions, or ideas. The Teen Advisory Council hopes to allow everyone to share their point of view and to feel heard and valued, even around issues that sometimes cause friction or division.

You get to choose who forms your small group, when and where you all meet, how often you meet (once every three months minimum), and what topic to discuss. Some examples of topics include: politics, religion, identity/gender, etc. There isn’t a set template to follow for these discussions, the goal is to get people talking, listening, and connecting. Your small group could consist of people you speak to every day and whom you share many values or people whom you don’t know very well who may have opposing views.

In our grant, the TAC teens were extremely passionate about making these conversations accessible. If participating in a Guidebook dinner is a burden (time, work-life balance, finances, inviting extra people over, etc.), meal gift cards will be provided to local restaurants every three months. 

After practicing communication skills in small groups using the Guidebook for a year, the goal of the Better Together Project is to have large-scale community dinners. At this time, we can use the speaking and listening skills practiced over the year with small-scale dinner groups to meet more people from the community and discuss these topics together.