Conversation Project: Everyone Can Be a Leader: Exploring Nontraditional Community Leadership

Please join us.... CONVERSATION PROJECT: EVERYONE CAN BE A LEADER: EXPLORING NONTRADITIONAL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP Popular understandings of leadership tell us that leaders look a certain way: they are in charge. They possess outward strength. They are extroverted and act pragmatically rather than emotionally. Perhaps most important, leaders are people in positions of authority and power. Join facilitator Pepe Moscoso for a conversation that explores an alternative view of leadership and asks, When are we leaders in our communities? How can our unique senses of self contribute to our roles as leaders? What do we have to offer that is needed? Participants will have the chance to ask these questions of themselves and to explore with their friends and neighbors what makes a great leader in their communities. ABOUT THE CONVERSATION LEADER: Pepe Moscoso | Portland Pepe Moscoso is a Portland-based community arts producer and visual artist. His work explores inclusion, personal narrative, identity, diversity, and storytelling in a variety of forms. His interest in visual art is born of a desire to transmit and show his way of seeing the world. He coordinates Lente Móvil, a multimedia art project that interweaves art and storytelling to examine the importance of cultural identity as it affects personal growth and collective strength for the Latino community in the US. THE EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION DEPARTMENT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OREGON HUMANITIES PRESENTS: 2018 CONVERSATION PROJECTS The Conversation Project brings Oregonians together to talk—across differences, beliefs, and backgrounds—about important issues and ideas. It works like this: a local nonprofit, community group, or business applies to host a Conversation Project program on a topic relevant to their community. An Oregon Humanities facilitator comes to that community to lead the conversation, which typically lasts an hour and a half. The CONVERSATION PROJECT HAS ALMOST sixty topics to choose from [https://oregonhumanities.org/programs/conversation-project/catalog/], including race, place, freedom, sports, climate change, and many others. Our facilitators are trained to connect their topic to the local community and to challenge participants to think in new ways. Our goal is to connect people to ideas and to each other, not to push an agenda or arrive at consensus. We believe that conversation is a powerful medium to invite diverse perspectives, explore challenging questions, and strive for just communities.