News
How we work | 13 September 2024
How we work: Tea & Chats
Tea & Chats is our programme of listening and learning about what matters most to people who call Dublin home.
Tea & Chats is an ongoing programme of informal and open conversations over a cup of tea with people about what matters to them. By listening and connecting, we build relationships, collaborate and suggest ways for people to explore the city’s culture.
Our team of Engagement Coordinators facilitate conversations in communities, either in groups or with individuals, all over the city. The main purpose of these conversations is to listen and learn about what matters most to people who call Dublin home. We apply what we learn from these conversations throughout our projects, with our cultural partners, and with Dublin City Council.
In a Tea & Chat, people come together in a casual and informal setting to share their thoughts and ideas about the city, their local area and communities, and culture. They have an opportunity to tell us their thoughts and opinions about the place they live and their local neighbourhood and they are listened to about what matters to them as individuals and as a group. They usually take place in the spaces and venues where the groups normally come together to meet. They happen at times that suit the people taking part, and they revolve around the thoughts, ideas and concerns that the group wish to share.
Sessions typically last around an hour but we are flexible based on what suits the group and the time they are willing to share with us. We are there to listen, and to come away with a better understanding of what matters to the group or individuals we have chatted with.
The groups participating connect and build relationships with one of our Engagement Coordinators who is their point of contact for ongoing discussions about the cultural opportunities available for them. Through this, they find out more about the Culture Company and the broad range of cultural activities, workshops and events available for people to participate in across the city. We have listened to people tell us about their interests, why they come together as a group, their locality, the challenges for them in their daily lives and how they feel about living in Dublin.
The information gathered through Tea & Chats helps us to learn what is important to the people of Dublin so that our work across the Culture Company is relevant and responsive to what we hear. This enables us to understand the cultural choices that people make both locally and citywide. We share what we learn with our cultural partners and Dublin City Council to help improve access to and participation in culture for all, across the city.
We are interested in having conversations with all types of groups and have previously met men’s sheds, groups who do activities together, parent’s groups, youth groups, college students, language groups, community organisations and many more.
If you, or a group you belong to, are interested in participating in a Tea & Chat and being part of ongoing city-wide conversation we would love to hear from you.