People love stories, and everyone has a story to tell. 

Community Conversations is a local storytelling project where diverse neighbors speak about what matters to them and their families in this moment of American history. The project is designed to find common ground, foster trust and respect, and bridge social divides.  

We invite you to read the 16 short profiles that emerged from 1-on-1 local citizen-led conversations. The accompanying portrait of each interviewee reflects each person’s unique background and story. Participants range in ages, genders, and ethnicities.  First generation Americans to recent immigrants, left-leaning, independents, and right-leaning. Plus, significant diversity across educational, religious, socioeconomic backgrounds, and cultural traditions.

Discover the diversity and beauty of the people of the Grand Traverse Region.  We hope you continue the conversations personally and learn how we are more alike than not.  And we hope you will join us as we work together to bridge the divide and build stronger and healthier communities where everyone has a chance to thrive.

For an in-depth look at the Community Conversations project, please read this recent news article entitled, “Can Storytelling Heal a ‘National Divorce’ Between Neighbors?”