Individual registration in full swing for Cleveland Foundation’s Common Ground 2018

Upwards of 70 host locations already confirmed for day of community conversation June 24

 Release Date: 6.5.2018

CLEVELAND – With just under three weeks remaining until Common Ground 2018, there’s no lacking for options as nearly 70 organizations and individuals are on board to host conversations across Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties. This marks the second year the Cleveland Foundation has put on the community gathering, with last year’s event attracting more than 2,000 participants across 42 locations.

Centered around the question “Why does place matter?”, the 2018 edition of Common Ground will bring thousands of Greater Clevelanders together around tables to share a free meal and dialogue throughout one day – Sunday, June 24. Visit www.ClevelandFoundation.org/CommonGround for more information, to register to host or to attend a conversation.

“We’re expecting somewhere between 80 and 90 locations to be on board by the time June 24 rolls around,” said Stephanie Hicks Thompson, Cleveland Foundation marketing & communications officer. “We’re thrilled by the interest level in the community and would love to see each conversation filled to capacity.”

A new addition this year is a partnership with Neighborhood Connections and ioby to amplify resident ideas emerging from the Common Ground conversations, starting with a series of action clinics to be scheduled after the completion of this year’s events. Additionally, one-on-one and group project guidance will be available free of charge through Neighborhood Connections, while crowdfunding trainings will be conducted through ioby. The collaboration will provide match funding that will effectively double donations to ioby crowdfunding campaigns that help bring these ideas to life this summer. Follow-up materials and next steps will be provided at the conclusion of each Common Ground conversation.

This partnership also provides pre-event facilitation training. Neighborhood Connections, in conjunction with the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, is offering free two-hour facilitation trainings for hosts, participants and volunteers who want to ensure productive conversations. These sessions will be focused on the Common Ground conversation structure and will teach best practices for encouraging inclusive, civil discussion among small groups. The trainings will be offered on the following days:

  • Wednesday, June 6, 10 a.m. – Noon (at Urban Community School, 4909 Lorain Ave.)
  • Tuesday, June 19, 6 – 8 p.m. (at Neighborhood Connections, 5000 Euclid Ave., Suite 310)

Registration for the trainings is available at bit.ly/CG2018_Events.

For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Foundation is partnering with The City Club of Cleveland to present For the Love of Cleveland, a month-long series of free forums leading up to, and following, Common Ground. Held every Tuesday at noon on Public Square, the discussions will focus on placemaking: the places we use, the impact they have on our lives, and the people who work to build them.

The schedule for the series is as follows (all begin at noon):

  • Tuesday, June 5 – Streets: Achieving Connection, Not Competition
  • Tuesday, June 12 – Architecture: Balancing Form and Function
  • Tuesday, June 19 – Public Health: Why Parks Matter
  • Tuesday, June 26 – Narrative: If These Spaces Could Talk

Visit www.CityClub.org for more information.