* What: Community Conversation Focus Group (feat. **food** and beverages)
* When: Monday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 pm
* Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron
If you attended our Sept. 8, 2025, event, “[Discomfort Is the Door to Freedom](https://indivisibleakron.substack.com/i/172480281/join-us-monday-sept-8-for-an-important-discussion-and-food),” with the Freedom Bloc and Indivisible Akron, and you’re wondering, “what’s next”… This is what’s next!
Using the MLK Community Conversation framework, facilitators will guide participants through a grounding welcome, a brief icebreaker, and small‑ or full‑group dialogue. We’ll focus on themes such as **mental health, community safety, and economic stability** — areas Dr. King spoke about with honesty and urgency, and which continue to influence daily life in our communities.
Together, we’ll establish shared conversation agreements that support respect, openness, and confidentiality. Participants will practice active listening, share personal experiences, and consider how community patterns, assumptions, and resources shape our sense of connection and possibility. The goal is not debate, but understanding—meeting one another where we are and imagining what becomes possible when we prioritize care and belonging.
We’ll close with a collective reflection, inviting insights, takeaways, and ideas for strengthening our community moving forward. Whether you’re new to these conversations or returning, your voice and presence matter. This event is an opportunity to slow down, listen deeply, and help build a more connected, compassionate Akron.
* 5:30 p.m. doors open and food is served
* 6:00 p.m. program starts
* 8:00 p.m. program ends