The Foundation Collaborates on a Community Conversation Initiative
By Maura Teynor
December 5, 2023
The Richland County Foundation in partnership with the Mansfield Richland County Public Library, Renaissance Theatre, and Richland Source will present Kaleidoscope, a four-part speaker series to spark community conversations. Four nationally known authors will share their expertise during presentations in 2024 at the Renaissance Theatre around topics like urban revitalization, poverty and income inequality, conflict, and the news.
“We are excited about the opportunity to curate four community conversations, with nationally recognized authors and thought leaders, that will seek to expand the way we think about and interact with different groups of people in our community. Our hope is that through these convenings we will build greater social capital in our community through diverse and inclusive conversations among interested citizens, corporations, government, and nonprofit organizations,” said Richland County Foundation President Brady Groves.
Kaleidoscope is an opportunity to spark conversations among people from all over our community. A place where ideas take on life because we are challenging our thinking. Its where unexpected collaborations begin to form.
“We want those attending to leave the event with a stronger sense of enhanced civic engagement, leading to more active involvement in community decision-making, volunteering, and collective actions to address local challenges,” said Groves.
The true purpose of Kaleidoscope is really in what happens after the events. It’s in the conversations and idea-sharing that happen because of the speakers’ presentations.
Kaleidoscope only works if we are successful in bringing together as many people from every corner of our community as possible. We need the north-end residents, stay-at-home parents, bankers, church leaders, educators, rural residents, small business owners, and factory workers to all come together. Because we need everyone in these conversations if we want to make a stronger Richland County.
Majora Carter will open the series on January 30. She is the acclaimed author of “Reclaiming Your Community: You Don’t Have to Move out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One.” Participants will be challenged to reconsider and reexamine concepts of urban revitalization from a new perspective while sitting amongst neighbors and new friends.
Following Carter, the series will feature Matthew Desmond on May 7 to examine the topic of poverty, Amanda Ripley on August 29 to dive into the topic of conflict, and Andrew Ramsammey on October 15 to explore the news as seen through the eyes of the Black Press.
Anyone high school age or older is encouraged to attend. Tickets can be purchased at rentickets.org. The suggested price is $25, but people can pay more or less depending on their situation. The hope is to have everyone in the community come together to discover new perspectives, ideas, and connections that lead to a stronger, thriving community.
