On Tuesday 12 May, The Alternative First Responder Team launched The Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit with The Law Reform and Justice (LRSJ) Program, ANU at the Food Co-op & Shop, in Canberra. A bowl of soup in hand, and a chai nearby, the campaign team met with over 70 members of the community to release the new advocacy resource and engage in meaningful discussions about alternatives to policing.
Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkits
Kitchen Table conversation toolkits have been used by many campaigns and are a tried-and-tested method to push for social change.
The Alternative First Responders Kitchen table conversation toolkit is a free resource available online, for anyone and everyone, interested in hosting discussions about alternative first responders and community safety.
Why this matters
Change can start in a living room, a cafe, in a classroom or over the kitchen table. Conversations can Challenge our thinking and help inspire others to take action. The more conversations we have the bigger the impact for change!
The team at AFR created this resource to nurture and encourage curious conversations to take place around the continent. By hosting a conversation, you are engaging in powerful advocacy for the Alternative First Responders campaign.
What’s inside?
Inside the toolkit you will find:
- A description of roles
- Community outreach ideas
- Guidelines to create a safe space
- How to host and navigate different opinions
- Frameworks and questions to guide discussions
- Quick Tips on how to run a successful session
- Links to resources, facts and information
Remember, meaningful conversations can happen between a few people coming together. The toolkit is intended to support simple and informal discussions.
What next?
For some, the conversation around why we need alternative first responders to police is a no-brainer. For others, it will be a challenging idea. Having conversations brings us closer to understanding each other and making meaningful change in our communities.
Pull up a chair
If you’re interested in hosting a conversation or finding out more, The Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit is available to download in our online resource library along with a Snapshot Fact Sheet. Please keep the Alternative First Responder Team in the conversation by sharing your notes with us at afr@justice.org.au and reaching out if you have any questions.
