How it works
Your town provides the material.
We help you design a personalized curriculum.
The basic model
01 · Choose a local issue.
Start with something people encounter in daily life: a school budget, empty storefronts, housing, traffic, public safety, parks, childcare, or how a local institution works.
02 · Surface major questions and concerns within the group.
Talk with your group and identify a few central questions, areas of factual dispute, or discussion points that will inform your conversation.
03 · Invite someone close to the issue who can give an informed perspective.
Invite a public official, practitioner, journalist, advocate, or community leader that can help you work through your group’s questions and concerns. Remind them that they are being invited to join a respectful, direct, off-the-record conversation with community members.
04 · Rinse, repeat.
Trust and civic knowledge build over time. Each conversation makes the next one more textured, more nuanced, and more fun!
What Salonette adds
We help you every step of the way.
A detailed primer explaining how your town works.
Help identifying and approaching useful guest speakers.
Planning and facilitation support when you need ideas, a sounding board, or materials.
A network of hosts in your community and elsewhere to compare notes with.
A full planning toolkit and practical resources for managing conversations.
Some common follow up questions
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No. The goal is not to win or force consensus. It is to understand the issue, surface tradeoffs, and make space for honest disagreement.
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No. Salonette is nonpartisan and non-issue-based. The host and members choose what to explore; Salonette supports the process.
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Groups focus on civic questions that affect local life. Those questions can involve government, schools, institutions, services, neighborhood change, or community life.
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Wonderful! Reach out to us at hello@salonette.org and we’ll get you started!