Joining the dots
Supporting communities in becoming fully alive to the interconnections which lead to a meaningful, sustainable life for the earth and its inhabitants.
joiningthedots initiated The Welcome Dinner Project, bringing together newly arrived and established Australians in local homes, sharing food and rediscovering our common humanity.
2014 Pitch
Funds raised: $15,131
joiningthedots presented in Sydney on 5 November 2014 raising funds to support the delivery of 14 Welcome Dinners in private homes across Greater Sydney and fund video footage to amplify and extend the invitation to an even wider circle of invitees.
The impact...
“We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.” – Epicurus
No matter where we live or how we make our living, there is something civilised about the combination of tasty food and good company that is universally appealing. Sharing a meal is an ancient and global human convention – and it is this common humanity which drives the Welcome Dinner Project, delivered by joiningthedots (JTD).
JTD presented in Sydney on 5 November 2014 and raised $15131, which was used to support the delivery of 14 Welcome Dinners in private homes across Greater Sydney and fund video footage to amplify and extend the invitation to an even wider circle of invitees.
Over the past 12 months, JTD has refined key metrics around the input and outcomes of their service delivery, trialled two new prototypes of the Welcome Dinner model and begun offering cultural awareness workshops for Welcome Dinner facilitators and other community groups. There are Welcome Dinners underway in every state's capital city in Australia with local coordinators in 5 states, 8 area coordinators in Sydney and 150 trained facilitators available to welcome dinner guests across Australia. Guest and host feedback enthuses about personal connections that would otherwise be challenging to create, greater understanding and curiosity about different cultures and confidence to engage in new ways (with many new friendships continuing in a range of activities beyond the initial dinner).
It has been said that if you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with them. The Welcome Dinner takes the glass half empty and fills it up – creating opportunities for established Australians and new arrivals to meet and make friends, and replacing fear, social isolation and emptiness with trust, inclusion ... and snacks!
Catch up with The Welcome Dinner Project featured below on The Project...
Read their Impact Report
Learn more about joiningthedots
Supporting Sustainable Development Goal:
