Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about BELIEF curated and organized by Josiah Olson + Mina Ali and hosted by the GROUP THINK team at Front Street Taproom, 614 Main Avenue, Fargo, on Monday, March 2. Arrive at 5:15 pm to order smoked pistachios or pickled eggs, local beer, wine or soda. Conversation starts at 5:30 pm.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about BELIEF at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about DARKNESS hosted by the GROUP THINK team in the Sons of Norway’s Troll Lounge, 722 2nd Avenue N, Fargo, on Monday, December 2. Arrive at 5:15 pm to butter lefse, order a drink and settle in for the start of our conversation at 5:30 pm. Tickets required.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about DARKNESS at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Smita Garg, Barry Nelson, Karis Thompson + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about FEELINGS hosted by the GROUP THINK team in the Mezzanine at Front Street Taproom, 614 Main Avenue, Fargo, on Monday, November 4. Arrive at 5:15 pm to pick up some MN- or ND-produced beer, wine or soda and snacks – $1 off pints / cans / snacks until 6 pm. Conversation starts at 5:30 pm.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about FEELINGS at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

 *For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Amena Chaudhry, Karis Thompson, Laura Zeiher + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about REPARATION hosted by the GROUP THINK team at A&E Liberian, 524 N Broadway, Fargo, on Monday, October 7. Arrive at 5:15 pm to order fish or fried chicken, fufu or jollof rice or okra soup or other enticing menu offerings, and settle in for the start of our conversation at 5:30 pm.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about REPARATION at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Cali Anicha, Karis Thompson + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about GRATITUDE hosted by the GROUP THINK team near the gazebo in Island Park, 598 1st Ave S, Fargo, on Monday, August 5, 5:15 pm. *Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about GRATITUDE at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Cali Anicha, Josh Hoper, Karis Thompson + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation with and about KIDS on Monday, July 1, 5:15 pm in Elim Lutheran Church’s fellowship hall, 321 9th St N, Fargo. *Feel free to bring a photo of yourself as a (younger) kid! Park in the lot to the west of the church, enter the doors on the west side of the building and take the stairs or elevator to the lower level fellowship hall. Facilitated and hosted by YouthBank leaders, Afro American Development Association, South Sudan Lutheran Church + the GROUP THINK team. 

Or, organize and host your own conversation with and about KIDS at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Karis Thompson + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about WATER hosted by the GROUP THINK team at Heritage Garden and Amphitheater, located on the southwest corner of Woodlawn Park in Moorhead, on Monday, June 3. Parking available along 6th Avenue South. Conversation will begin at 5:15 pm with Bryan Leininger, professional landscape architect and owner, Contour Design Studio and immediate past president, River Keepers Board of Directors. The conversation will continue during a short walk to the Red River along a paved river front trail. 

Or, organize and host your own conversation about WATER at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Netha Cloeter + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about FORGIVENESS hosted by the GROUP THINK team at Ishtar Mediterranean Cuisine, 68 Broadway N, Fargo, on Monday, May 6. Arrive at 5:15 pm, order an appetizer or entree at the counter and join us at a reserved table.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about FORGIVENESS at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Pasteur Mudende with Alexandre Cyusa + the GROUP THINK team in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide perpetuated 100 years after Belgian arrival in 1894.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation exploring WHAT'S SO FUNNY? hosted by the GROUP THINK team in The Cellar* at Front Street Taproom on April Fools' Day - Monday, April 1. Arrive and settle into The Cellar with a drink at 5:15 pm. Conversation will begin at 5:30 pm with Aaron Templin, owner, Front Street, interviewing Zach Tooker, booker, The Cellar. We'll continue with conversation at tables and close with an open mic session. Thanks to Front Street Taproom for sponsoring our time together.

*Find your way to The Cellar via a flight of stairs at the south end of the building. Please contact info@groupthinkfargo.com if you anticipate any difficulty climbing stairs and would like to join the conversation through FaceTime or other video chat platform.

…..

Or, organize and host your own conversation at a time and place that works for you. Check out our hosting guide posted at http://www.groupthinkfargo.com/about. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want.

*For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Karis Thompson + the GROUP THINK team.

Register on Eventbrite to join a conversation about being ALONE hosted by the GROUP THINK team in the Moorhead Center Mall Atrium on Monday, March 4, 5:15 pm. Thanks to Neighborhood Services for generously sponsoring hors d'oeuvres from Moorhead Center Mall restaurants.

Or, organize and host your own conversation about being ALONE at a time and place that works for you. Set up a dinner and conversation at your favorite restaurant. Invite friends and their friends to your house for coffee or cocktails. Post an invitation on Facebook. Plan a conversation for or with your faith community or book club or coworkers. No obligation to follow a format – just get together and think and talk with a group in whatever way you want. *For a conversation kickstart, print / reference these questions and quotations curated by Dean Eggermont + Karis Thompson.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 3 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about being DEPENDENT with Rupak Gandhi, superintendent, Fargo Public Schools, and father, and Mary Jo Lewis, spiritual director, teacher, physician and new grandmother.

Who do you depend on for your emotional, mental, physical, relational and spiritual thriving? Who depends on you? Does depending on others reveal weakness or strength or both? Could you sustain a relationship with someone who you depend on more than that person depends on you or vice versa? Can you have a significant relationship and still be mostly independent? When, as an adult, have you felt the most dependent? How has age helped you recognize your dependence on others? Why do we use the word dependence to describe certain pathologies or problems – chemical dependency, co-dependency, dependence on foreign oil? How does wealth correlate with dependence? Which public or community resources have you depended on? Could you live your life and do your work in a country experiencing economic, political or social instability? How do we depend on each other within the United States? How do we, as a country, depend on people in other countries?

Organized + hosted by Smita Garg, Josh Hoper + Karis Thompson.

Sponsored by the Awesome Foundation, Agnès Mukantwali, Jeff Schwartz + community contributors.

*Tickets required for this last conversation. Free. Or, contribute any amount at Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of dialogue between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 1 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about DEATH with Mytch Dorvilier, pastor, St. John the Divine, and Omni Rogers-Mueller, a death midwife.

Talk about the last time you had a conversation about death not prompted by the death of someone you know. When did you first lose someone you loved? When did you realize you would die? Can you die any way but alone? Is death good or bad? Why do we talk about death as “losing a battle?” What does it mean to “cheat” death? When, where and how do you hope to die? Should you have the right to decide when to die? (How) have you prepared for your death? Have you discussed your death with anyone? Can you afford to die? Could you die without any impact – positive or negative – on the economy or environment? How have you experienced grief? (How) would your work and day-to-day life, our societal structure and cultural norms allow you to grieve for someone beloved? (How) have public consciousness and conversation about death – officer-involved shootings, school shootings, the opioid epidemic – changed how you and your family think and talk about death? (How) have you interacted with movements advocating for protection / preservation of life – Black Lives Matter, #MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, March For Our Lives? Whose deaths matter?

Organized + hosted by Amena Chaudhry + Jeff Holth.

Sponsored by Home Instead Senior Care + community contributors.

Free. Or, contribute any amount at Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of dialogue between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, AUGUST 6 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about our STUFF with Christine Hoper, senior project manager, Flint Group, and minimalist, and Linda Lammers, owner and operator, Change is Good!, and certified relocation and transition specialist.

What’s your most valuable possession? What could you live without and not ever replace? Which material things define you? What do you collect? What’s the most memorable gift you’ve unwrapped? What material possessions do you hope to give to someone else before or when you die? What would someone learn about you if they saw everything you own? How many of your possessions have you made or built? What did or do you aspire to own because of the family or community you grew up in? What do the most influential members of your social circle own? Who produces, transports, vends and maintains the things you need or want – groceries, clothes, household goods, vehicles, iPhones…? Who benefits (most) when we shop? How do we dispose of what we don’t need? What level of financial security does minimalism require? What do you give up when you own too much?

 Curated + organized by Netha Cloeter, Jeff Holth + Cortnee Jensen.

Sponsored by community contributors.

Free. Or, contribute any amount at Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, JUNE 4 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about what we’re ABLE to do + how we rely on others with DeAnna Pinnow, speech pathologist + founder, About You Rehabilitation Services, and Freedom Resource Center 2018 Advocate of the Year, and James Whirlwind Soldier, Sicangu Lakota, and business development director, Mind Shift.

What’s your super power? Who do you rely on to overcome your limitations? How have you been able to take care of your community? How has your community taken care of you? How do our dis/abilities determine how we think about and introduce ourselves? Describe a favorite family member or friend without referencing their abilities or disabilities. Can confidence substitute for ability? Who do we not allow to fully realize or use their abilities? How would an addiction, a mental health diagnosis or a criminal conviction dis-able you? As we age, what changes more – our abilities or expectations about our abilities? How has (a lack of) money facilitated or limited the development or use of your abilities? What abilities do you have because of your race or gender? What abilities do other people assume you have because of your race or gender? How do different contexts augment or diminish your abilities? Would the three places you spend the most time in be accessible and feel empowering to everyone in your network?

Curated + organized by Veronica Michael + Pasteur Mudende.

Sponsored by the Awesome Foundation and community contributors.

Free. Or, contribute any amount at Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, APRIL 2 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about SIGNIFICANT OTHERS with Howard Barlow, a Midwestern community activist and great grandpa, and Amena Chaudhry, a resident of Moorhead and native of Toronto.

Who do you consider a significant other? How did that person or those people become significant to you? How did you become significant to someone else? What does or do your significant other/s offer you? What do you offer your significant other/s? What do you most need from your significant other/s? What and how much do you need to have in common with a significant other? Do you have a significant relationship with anyone much older or younger than you? How does proximity correlate with significance? Is your list of significant others fixed, flexible or in flux? (How) have you experience the loss of a significant other? What qualifies a relationship as significant? When and how did marriage become the default social contract and unit?

Curated + organized by Barry Nelson + Karis Thompson.

Sponsored by the Awesome Foundation and community contributors.

Free. Or, contribute any amount at Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about belonging, estrangement, kinship, loneliness and relatedness with Nikki Anderson, long-time art educator and therapeutic arts facilitator, teaching artist, Plains Art Museum, founder, The Art of Hope and Healing, and Josh Hoper, executive advisor, Torchlight AE, director consultant, BNI of Minnesota & Northern Wisconsin, past president, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors.

Who do you feel loyal to and how do you exhibit loyalty? Who can you always count on? How many people can you talk to honestly? When and where do you experience an unconditional sense of belonging? Which TV show captures your relationships at work? The Office? Parks & Recreation? Roseanne? Game of Thrones? How much time do you spend with people whose political views, religious beliefs or life choices unsettle you? Can you disagree with other members of your faith community or political party and maintain your membership? Do you have family members who have stopped talking to you or to other family members? What’s easier – finding new friends or ending a friendship? At what stage in your life did you have the most fulfilling friendships? Talk about a time you felt lonely. Who should be eligible for citizenship or protected residency in this country? Which place do you claim as home?

Organized + hosted by Cali Anicha + Anita Bender.

Generously sponsored by community contributors.

Free. Or, contribute any amount to sustain this volunteer-organized, community-building platform via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6 @ 5:15 PM

MSUM COMSTOCK MEMORIAL UNION BALLROOM

615 14TH STREET SOUTH, MOORHEAD

A public conversation about what and who we see as CRIMINAL with Dr. Mallary Allen, assistant professor, sociology, and co-director, women’s and gender studies, Concordia College, and Heather Brandt, program director, Centre, Inc. – Fargo.

Have you ever broken a law? Do you think of yourself or do other people think of you as a criminal? Who do you think of as criminal? When does / should a person designated a criminal lose that label? What debt does a criminal owe? To whom? How do you know when you have paid your debt? Who benefits from crime and the prosecution of crime? How do different contexts require or inspire criminality? (How) do you think we should hold governments / corporations accountable for crimes we prosecute individuals for committing?

Organized by Amena Chaudhry + Jeff Holth.

Generously sponsored by MSUM’s Sociology + Criminal Justice Department + Center for Diversity + Social Justice and community contributors.

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q+A and discussion as a whole group.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about what we find VERY FUNNY with Laura Egland, founder, the Tell, and incorrigible user of humor, and Rat, a.k.a. Terry Hinnenkamp, co-host, Y94 Morning Playhouse, and dad.

When did you last LOL (not politely)? What’s your favorite joke? Puns – yes or never? What or who do you find most hilarious? How does (this) context inform, sanction or constrain humor? What makes humor appropriate? (How) does humor translate across cultural or generational differences or political divides? Do you deploy humor as a shield / defense or sword / offense?  Do you prefer humor that creates discomfort or eases tension? When does hilarity trump earnest conversation or serious debate? What’s the most critical role of comedy within our society – to disarm, to provoke, to unsettle certainties, to help us contend with tragedy, to illuminate truth or to connect us with each other?

Curated + hosted by Alexandre Cyusa + Karl Warner.

Generously sponsored by community contributors. 

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation and joke telling at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q&A and open mic.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about CLUBS with Alexandre Cyusa, member / teammate, Concordia College National Alumni Board, Emerging Prairie, Folkways, Global Shapers and GROUP THINK, and former member, Concordia College African Student Union and International Student Organization, and Daniel Haglund, public relations director + past president, Sons of Norway Kringen Lodge 25, and former 4-H Club member. Moderated by Veronica Michael.

Which clubs did you join at birth? Who do you now choose to affiliate with? Why? (How) do clubs benefit their members and non-members? Have clubs introduced you to people different from you, or cemented ties with people similar to you? Does exclusivity – or inclusivity – increase a club's value to its members? Have you ever been denied membership in a club? Which clubs have you left? In Fargo /Moorhead, do formal clubs or informal networks have more impact and influence? (How) does our country function as a club – who would you list as its members?

Curated + hosted by Cali Anicha, Anita Bender, Smita Garg, Veronica Michael + Karis Thompson.

Generously sponsored by the GROUP THINK team + community contributors. 

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables and

20 MINUTES of Q&A and whole group conversation.

MONDAY, AUGUST 7 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about WORK with Fowzia Adde, executive director, Immigrant Development Center, and Anita Bender, CNA, social worker and sommelier-in-training. Moderated by Veronica Michael.

When did you first start working? Have you, as an adult, always had opportunities to work? Why do you do the work you do? Does your work = your identity or community or security? Do you live to work or work to live? How many hours do you work each week? Does the compensation – $ or not – you receive reflect the value of your work and time? If you didn’t need to earn money, would you keep working? Whose work do you most respect? Whose work do you rely on to live day to day? What work do you hope to do before you die?

Curated + hosted by Veronica Michael + Karis Thompson.

Generously sponsored by PH Construction + community contributors. 

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, JUNE 5 @ 6 PM

EDGEWOOD VISTA DINING ROOM

4420 37TH AVENUE SOUTH, FARGO

A public conversation about the GOOD LIFE with Dr. Anne Mocko, assistant professor, religion, Concordia College, Dr. Dan Rice, professor, educational leadership, and dean emeritus, College of Education & Human Development, UND, and Willard Yellow Bird, Jr., enrolled member, Three Affiliated Tribes, Fort Berthold, and cultural planner, City of Fargo. Moderated by Veronica Michael.

From your lived experience, what do you think constitutes a good life? How does your definition of a good life align or conflict with what (other) Americans see as a good life? Are you living a good life? How do you know? Are you entitled to a good life? Do you, should you define the good life for anyone else? Are you responsible for ensuring others have what they need to live a good life? How does your community facilitate the good life for every member? Who has made your life good?

Curated + hosted by Anita Bender + Lorilee Bergin.

Generously sponsored by a Thrivent Action Team + community contributors. 

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, MAY 1 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about UBUNTU with Ruth Buffalo, citizen, Three Affiliated Tribes – Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, consultant, Honor the Earth and Sacred Pipe Resource Center, faculty, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College and board member, ND Human Rights Coalition, and C. Munene Mugi, faculty, psychology, MN State University Moorhead. Moderated by Veronica Michael.

(How) have you witnessed or experienced ubuntu – the recognition that “a person is a person through other people?” Who are the people who make you who you are? Who do you depend on for your daily existence? Who would be incapacitated if you died? Who do you feel accountable to – your nuclear family, your extended family, your friends, your local community, your state, your country, people with the same religious or political convictions? How do you share the benefits and burdens of your community? Is ubuntu possible if one person or group or country resists?

Curated + hosted by Cali Anicha + Pasteur Mudende.

Generously sponsored by Concordia College + community contributors. Learn more about Concordia's STEM Scholarship for prospective first-year students entering Concordia in the fall of 2017 or 2018 with a strong interest in a STEM major and a STEM-related career.

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, APRIL 3 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about OPPORTUNITY with Scott Holdman, director, Operations and Innovation, Impact Foundation, and co-creator, Funding Logic, and Dr. Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, director, Lorentzsen Center for Faith and Work, and associate professor, Leadership and Ethics, Concordia College. 

How do you define opportunity? How have your opportunities defined you? Have you received or earned opportunities? When have you intentionally rejected an opportunity? What have you given up in order to engage an opportunity? What barriers have you navigated to arrive at or accept opportunities?

Moderated by Veronica Michael.

Curated + hosted by Josh Hoper + Cortnee Jensen.

Sponsored by Mind Shift.

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, MARCH 6 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about WALLS with Rachel Asleson, co-owner, Reach Partners, Inc., and committee chair, Women’s Fund, FM Area Foundation, and Dr. Fauzia Haider, board of directors, Center for Interfaith Projects. “Borders are set up to define the places that are safe and unsafe, to distinguish us from them. A border is a dividing line, a narrow strip along a steep edge.” - Gloria E. Anzaldúa -

What walls – physical or psychological – have you experienced and how have they affected you? What walls have you created? Why? How do walls protect you? What walls define our community? Who do these walls benefit? Who do they harm? Which walls should we dismantle? Which walls should we maintain? Who has responsibility for bridging divisions?

Moderated by Veronica Michael.

Hosted by Netha Cloeter + Dean Eggermont.

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about when, why and how we PAUSE with Andrea Baumgardner, chef + owner, BernBaum’s, and John Lamb, Variety reporter, Forum Communications.

If you had no day-to-day distractions or obligations, what would you pay attention to or pursue? What would you explore or reflect on or (not) do if you could mute your e-mail, social media accounts, cell phone and TV for a day or a week or a month or a year? What global developments and local stories have been trumped by 24-hour candidate coverage this campaign season? As a country, what percentage of our public conversations do we dedicate to reflecting on our common history or planning for our collective future?

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room and blurring the roles of speaker / audience –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about ALLEGIANCE with Michael Yellow Bird, professor of sociology and director, indigenous tribal studies, NDSU, and citizen, Three Affiliated Tribes, and Josh Zeis, veteran, Iraq war, and artist. Moderated by Christina Weber Knopp, associate professor of sociology, NDSU, and principal investigator, Project Unpack: Telling Stories, Creating Community: Understanding the Legacies of War at Home.

Who or what do you pledge allegiance to? (How) do your allegiances align or conflict with each other? How do you prioritize your allegiances? How do your allegiances influence your choices? What have you sacrificed because of your allegiances? Can you be both critical and loyal at the same time? How do you negotiate a sense of allegiance with a state of disenfranchisement? What do your allegiances require you to stand for or against?

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

A fast-paced format eliciting the insight, experience and curiosity of everyone in the room and blurring the roles of speaker / audience –

20 MINUTES of conversation between two speakers followed by

20 MINUTES of Q&A and group conversation and

20 MINUTES of conversation at tables.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about who we know and who we are.

How does the composition of your street or neighborhood compare or contrast with the demographics of your city? Which eight people outside of your immediate family and coworkers do you spend the most time with each month? How many of those people share your race? What do you have in common with a majority of the people whose social media posts you see each day? Do you have close friends whose fundamental convictions clash with yours? How many times each week do you have meaningful conversations with someone of a different race who has comparable professional or socioeconomic status? When did you last comment on power or privilege in your social circles? How many groups do you interact with each month in which a majority of members have a racial identity different from yours? 

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

Our September format will feature –

60 MINUTES of facilitated caucus group conversations at tables.

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 @ 5:15 PM

SONS OF NORWAY TROLL LOUNGE

A public conversation about racial IDENTITY. When and how did you first learn about your racial identity? How often do you reflect on your identity and racialized experience each month, week or day? Do you live in a community that mostly shares your race? Do you work with or for or on behalf of people who share your race? How often do you have to intuit and defer to the preferences, priorities and proclivities of people who do not share your race to maintain financial stability or social inclusion? How do (social) media-disseminated images and reports represent people who share your race? How does your racial identity inform how you see other people and how you interpret and interact with the world around you?

Reserve your seat at the table via Eventbrite.

RSVP on Facebook.

Our August format will feature –

40 MINUTES of facilitated caucus group conversations at tables followed by

20 MINUTES of conversation within the room.