The Rhode Island Foundation is inviting Warwick residents to share their thoughts about the issues that are important to them at a community dinner April 23. The get-together is at the heart “TogetherRI,” a new initiative from the Foundation designed to get people talking face-to-face again in a time when interactions over social media are becoming increasingly coarse and divisive. 

“We’re giving you the opportunity to listen, reconnect and inspire civil dialogue at a time when people are more ‘connected’ via social media, yet more disconnected from each other personally than ever,” said Neil D. Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “Our hope is you will meet someone new and will leave knowing that your voice was heard.” 

The community dinner will be held at the Pilgrim Senior Center, 27 Pilgrim Parkway, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and the doors will open at 5:45 p.m. People can register to attend at togetherri.org, but RSVPs are not required. 

“This is an opportunity for everyone – no matter what neighborhood they live in or what they care about – to come together to strengthen social connections, to be heard, to discuss opportunities and challenges and to strengthen the foundation of their community,” said Steinberg. 

For people who cannot attend the Warwick dinner, a get-together is also scheduled in East Greenwich at the Varnum Memorial Armory, 6 Main St., May 1 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The full schedule of events is posted on togetherri.org.

 The statewide TogetherRI initiative originally was scheduled to kick-off in Warwick March 21, but was re-scheduled due to snow. Since then, the Foundation has staged more than 10 of these community meet-ups across Rhode Island.

“We have been very encouraged and excited about the TogetherRI events so far. Participants of all ages have been very engaged having productive civic and civil dialogues at the dinner table and the feedback has been positive. There is definitely a role and a desire for the opportunity for people to talk with each other and listen to each other. And almost every attendee meets someone new,” said Steinberg.

“Each and every person who has attended is playing a role in ensuring our collective success. These conversations are a neutral place for dialogue on topics that are critical to our common future, and a place where the recent tendency toward divisiveness and polarization is being left at the door,” he said.

Independent, professional facilitators will guide the session. The University of Rhode Island’s Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy will analyze the information shared at the TogetherRI conversations and from brief, anonymous, participant surveys. The Foundation expects to announce the top line results at its annual meeting May 24 and to release a complete report this summer. 

 “We are compiling all of the so far very constructive feedback. The questions discussed around the table at these events are focused on Rhode Island’s strengths, Rhode Island’s opportunities and top issues in the community,” Steinberg said.

“So far, one of the most common responses is that many people believe that the size of Rhode Island is both a strength and an opportunity for us all to get more done together,” he said.