Do you really know your neighbour? Oxford Conversation Meals aim to get the city talking to each other

Tuesday 30 May, 2006

What do a teacher, a lawyer, a Polish builder and a domestic violence outreach worker have in common?

As participants in the first Oxford Unmasked 'Conversation Meal' on 7 June 2006, they're waiting to find out themselves.

The event, run by The Oxford Muse, invites people to put aside the mask of small-talk and engage in meaningful conversation. The menu items at the 'meals' are topics for discussion, where individuals from Oxford's diverse communities have the chance to converse with people they would not normally meet.

Organiser Roman Krznaric from The Oxford Muse has had great success with similar events all over the world. "The Menu of Conversation provides a creative approach to building community trust and mutual understanding in the city" he said.

Representatives from a wide range of community organisations, government sectors, businesses and other citizens will be seated in pairs and 'unmask' themselves by discussing topics such as friendship, family, compassion, aspiration and inspiration.

Oxford Unmasked is part of Oxfordshire 2007, a year of festivals and special events celebrating 1000 years of Oxfordshire, which is being coordinated by the cultural development agency Oxford Inspires. In the lead up to 2007, three Conversation Meals are planned for June, August and October 2006 in partnership with local employer and the home of MINI production, BMW Group Plant Oxford.

Alexandra Brooks, corporate communications manager, BMW Group Plant Oxford, says: "As of one of Oxford's major companies, we employ a wide range of people from diverse communities, so we are delighted to be supporting new ways of bringing people together within the city."

For further details about Oxford Unmasked please contact Roman Krznaric at roman@oxfordmuse.com or 01865 791421, or Cath Nightingale at Oxford Inspires on 01865 816392.

Back to news archive...