A historic year behind us.
Big elections coming up.
Now is the time
for Boston’s historically underheard to have a real voice.
Listen to the powerful testimonies of your neighbors
Leading up to the local elections in November, Real Talk hosted small group conversations with folks across the city that are too often underheard by current civic processes. These conversations were grounded in the rich practice of sharing experiences, initiated by two questions:
What is your question about the future of Boston and your place in it? And...What experience led you to that question?
This portal features a growing number of deeply personal answers to those questions, which you can explore by theme, neighborhood, and key demographics.
In the news
BNN: Watch mayoral candidates Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George respond to clips from Real Talk conversations with Boston residents.
Real Talk for Change featured in the Boston Globe
How it works
1
You join one of many conversations around the city.
Trained facilitators will host 100+ small group, recorded conversations with Bostonians in neighborhoods across the city.
2
Real Talk highlights and summarizes the conversations.
Real Talk fellows and facilitators will use online tools to highlight and summarize the conversations in a publicly viewable conversation portal.
3
Your voices will be shared on the live conversation portal with...
BOSTON’S MAYORAL AND CITY COUNCILOR CANDIDATES
Boston’s mayoral and city councilor candidates will be invited to use the conversation portal to better understand the hopes, concerns, and experiences of the city’s voters
DEBATE MODERATORS AND JOURNALISTS
The fellows will also use conversations to inform recommended questions for debate moderators and media interviewers.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC
Finally, the portal will be made available to the public to listen and learn from one another.
This is your chance to be heard.
We are giving the mic to folks who are experiencing the most urgent issues of our time: poverty, racism, housing instability, immigration, and mass incarceration.
Our Collaborators
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