The response to UnSectored’s new event series, UnSectored Talks, has been pleasantly surprising. We had over 15 people at the first installment last month (with many more expressing interest but unable to attend) and the announcement of the series is one of the most read posts on the site.

For those of you who didn’t attend or don’t know what UnSectored Talks is, it is our attempt to bring the conversations on the site offline and build up the community of the UnSectored network.

The last event focused on what “UnSectored” means to the attendees and what challenges result from the division of sectors. I wrote up a quick summary of the main points discussed, which you can read here. (Please share!) The conversation was lively and interesting, and although many left with more conversations than answers, I think a lot came out of the discussion.

Moving forward, we’ve decided to continue hosting these events each month to continue to build community among those who are interested in working for change between and beyond sectors. On top of this, we hope the conversations can also help us get a better sense of what UnSectored and the UnSectored community can do to break down the divisions and barriers to social change that exist. Should we support individuals working to break down barriers with fellowships? Should we fund cross-sector collaborations? Should we develop a geo-spatial map of all organizations working for social change in the NCR? Come to an UnSectored Talk and let us know what you think.

The response to this site and the individual blog posts so far has been quite energizing, and I do not want to lose that energy, or let it stop online. These monthly UnSectored Talks will be a sort of “landscaping” to see what we can do to make a more connected system for social change. Right now, I’m thinking we will do these for about six months, but that all depends on the response and what feedback you give at the Talks. Also, these will continue to be held at the houses of UnSectored community members, as we decided that is a better space for conversation than a bar or restaurant, so don’t feel sketchy when you follow the directions and end up at a random house.

These will be monthly because we understand schedules are busy and not everyone will be able to make each event. By having more, we hope to surface as many ideas from as many people as possible. After each event, we’ll produce a short summary, so you can see what you missed. Each Talk will be advertised on the sidebar of the site, or at the bottom of each post if you use a RSS reader or our email subscription service. Since we are unfunded, any beer, snacks, other drinks, or whatever you can contribute would be much appreciated by all attendees.

So, here’s the logistics for the next one:

When: Thursday, January 19th

Where: 1507 Marion St NW, Washington, DC (between 6th and 7th, on P Street. It’s right off the Shaw/Howard metro and the 70 bus lines. If you have any questions about getting there, please contact us.)

Time: 6-8 PM

Why: To meet others interested in creating change between and beyond sectors, and to learn more about how the UnSectored community can strengthen these connections.

Please RSVP to the event here, and tweet about the events using the #UnSectoredTalks hashtag.

Hope to see you there and hear your ideas!