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The Soul of San Diego
Roundtable

Online via Zoom video | 4-6pm PT, January 12-15, 2021

Why attend?

What you get from participating:
  • A community of diverse San Diegans committed to a more fulfilling, caring and prosperous future
  • A deeper understanding of who are as a culture, city and county
  • A co-created vision of what want we want this city and county to become
What you give when you participate:
  • Your time - 4 evenings, 4-6pm PT on Zoom
  • Your generous listening and curiosity
  • Your leadership... this is a community generated event... you decide the topics and lead the conversations

Why is now the time to explore the soul of San Diego?

In a time when we've all been deeply impacted by COVID-19, sequester, business closures, an economic recession, climate change, income inequality and escalating polarization and political animosity, its time to regroup and ask ourselves who we are as San Diegans. It's time to connect with our diverse community, explore the soul of San Diego, share about what matters most to us and how we can collaborate on to emerge from our multiple crises. 

Politicians and business leaders certainly play a role in our experience of San Diego, but so do we. It is on us to discover who we are and what we want for our community.

This gathering is about the personal, relational and community experience. While economic, political, environmental and social issues will arise, the underlying theme of this gathering is about who we are as San Diegans, what we care about and what kind of neighborhood and city we want to live in. This gathering welcomes all San Diegans from all walks of life and beliefs to share with each other and listen to each other in a kind and respectful manner.


This is a unique opportunity to relate to and connect with diverse San Diegans about what matters most to us. And best of all, its FREE.

What you'll experience:

Utilizing an Open Space format, YOU and your fellow, diverse San Diegans will create the guest list and set the agenda, and...
  • Engage in deep, respectful conversation exploring what it means to be a San Diegan,
  • Explore the divisions that prevent us from realizing true community and solidarity, and
  • Generate solutions needed to empower all of us to realize greater empathy, connection and trust.

On the first day, we'll set the intention, review the Open Space ground rules and generate the session topics.

In each of the next two days, you'll get to choose which sessions you want to attend. Each session will have a note-taker to capture the group's wisdom.

On the fourth day, we'll share out our "harvest" from each session and celebrate our shared effort.

You'll also have the opportunity to connect with your fellow San Diegans and collaborate on what we can do more deeply express ourselves in our lives, careers and community.

But here's the catch - you have to create it. When you register you must also invite three other San Diegans who are not like you in some meaningful way, such as from a different ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, income bracket, age group or political perspective. But don't worry, we'll give you a script (below) to invite your friends so they see the value and can join you in this experience.

The Soul of San Diego Roundtable Outline

Day One (Tuesday, Jan 12, 4-6pm PT)
  • 3:30-4:00 Room opens for optional informal greeting and discussion
  • 4:00-4:20 Opening Keynote and Intentions by Brandon Peele, Founder, Unity Lab
  • 4:20- 4:40 Open Space Agreements and Q&A
  • 4:40-5:10 Meet your fellow San Diegans and generate topic for days two and three (in a small group / breakout room of 4 ppl)
  • 5:00-5:50 Virtual Happy Hour + sharing session topics and voting on them in the main room
  • 5:50-6:00 Day One Closing with Brandon Peele
  • 6:00-6:30 Optional Q+A with Brandon Peele
​
  • 6:30-7:30 Organizers aggregate voting / sessions, generate the program, and email out the session topics for days two and three

Day Two (Wednesday, Jan 13, 4-6pm PT)
  • 3:30-4:00 Room opens for optional informal greeting and discussion
  • 4:00-4:50 Session 1 (your choice of 2-3 sessions to join - TBD)
  • 5:00-5:50 Session 2 (your choice of 2-3 sessions to join - TBD)
  • 5:50-6:00 Close​

Day Three (Thursday, Jan 14, 4-6pm PT)
  • 3:30-4:00 Room opens for optional informal greeting and discussion
  • 4:00-4:50 Session 3 (your choice of 2-3 sessions to join - TBD)
  • 5:00-5:50 Session 4 (your choice of 2-3 sessions to join - TBD)
  • 5:50-6:00 Close

Day Four (Friday, Jan 15, 4-6pm PT)
  • 3:30-4:00 Room opens for optional informal greeting and discussion
  • 4:00-4:30 Harvest from Day Two sessions
  • 4:40-5:10 Harvest from Day Three sessions
  • 5:20-5:50 Next steps + Virtual Happy Hour
  • 5:50-6:00 Close and invitation to join the San Diego Unity Lab Community

To register,  complete the application form, and then invite 3 diverse San Diegans to join you - invite script below.

How to invite your 3 diverse family members, friends, colleagues and community members.

First, think about people in your life (and who live here in San Diego) who want San Diego to be a better place to live, connect and work AND who are different from you, in some meaningful way, such as from a different ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, income bracket, age group or political perspective. Write down the 1st 3 people that come to mind.

Connect. It's old-fashioned, but in a time when we are craving connection, you are encouraged to pick up the phone and call these 3 people. If necessary, schedule 20 minutes to talk via text.

A loose format for the call:
  1. Opening. Share that you're calling them because you think they would really resonate with The Soul of San Diego Roundtable, and that you'd like to share about it with them, but first you want to check in with them and catch up. (1 min)
  2. Check in / catch up.  Share what's going on in your life and ask them how they are and what they are dealing with. (10 mins)
  3. Share what The Soul of San Diego Roundtable is, a 4-day virtual gathering of San Diegans to respectfully explore what it means to be an American living in San Diego. The event is from 4-6pm PT January 12-15, and is entirely generated by the diverse participants. No agenda is offered in advance. Feel free to share other details from this page. (3 mins)
  4. Share why you're excited to participate, e.g., tired of the division, fear, isolation, political gridlock, etc. (3 mins)
  5. Ask them if they have questions and do your best to answer them (3 mins)
  6. Thank them for speaking with you, invite them to learn more, join you and register by sharing with them this webpage. (1 min)
Roundtable Format and Ground Rules
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Mission: Unity Lab is a non-partisan social learning experience that restores empathy, trust and solidarity in our communities, empowers civil discourse, and strengthens the social fabric of the United States, in service of a functioning democracy, a safe, diverse and dynamic society, and a thriving, inclusive and sustainable economy. We deliver on this mission by bringing together diverse Americans to learn new skills and develop high-trust relationships.
 

Vision: The words "United States" render purpose, empathy and dignity redundant.  A WWII-scale mobilization has transformed the nation into a prosperous, sustainable, just and inclusive society with a functioning democracy. We empathize with all of our fellow citizens, have a connection to our own purpose and stand for the dignity and purposeful expression of all people in the United States.
 
​Values:
Integrity, Purpose, Empathy, Solidarity


All material on this site exists in the public domain under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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