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WINDHAM — A Make Shift Coffee House, dedicated to people getting together to help understand each other’s difference and socialize, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Windham Veteran’s Center, 35 Veterans Memorial Drive, Windham.
The theme for the event is “Exploring the Political Divide.” A Make Shift Coffee House is an event where people have an opportunity for good old-fashioned civic dialogue while enjoying good food and great music. The occasion provides a chance to ask questions and to hear another’s perspective in a safe and fun environment. It’s not about persuading each other; it’s about coming together with the desire to understand and the willingness to listen and learn.
Make Shift Coffee Houses have been popping up in various communities across Maine for the past 18 months and is the concept of Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions Inc. Freshley, a professional facilitator, says on his website he was troubled by the growing political divide and the growing lack of civility in political conversations. As a result, he hosted the first Makes Shift Coffee House in January 2017 in Brunswick. The event was so successful, volunteer members of other Maine communities have joined Freshley to provide a positive opportunity for conversations with others who have different perceptions.
Seven local community individuals from various political and philosophical perspectives have been working together for the past five months to give Raymond, Windham and other Lake Region residents the same chance to seek understanding with the hope of bridging the gap and returning to civil discourse.
The event will begin with music provided by Gary Wittner of Raymond and food donated by area businesses with an opportunity to meet and greet one another. This will be followed by a group discussion, led by Freshley, who will manage a civil exchange of ideas as a neutral third party.
Questions that may be considered include:
How does the political divide affect your everyday life?
What are the political differences that divide us?
If you affiliate with a particular political party, why?
If you feel strongly about a political issue, why?
Individuals in attendance will get a chance to voice topics that they deem important for discussion. Topics will be selected and discussed at individual tables, of which attendees will choose to participate in the issue of their choice. Freshley will bring the smaller groups back together for a large group dialogue to capture a larger viewpoint and to end another successful Coffee House discussion.
Gary Plummer of Windham who is a retired teacher and former elected official, is one of the volunteers who worked to host the event. Being positive and giving back is important to him. “My nearly four decades serving as a local, county and state elected official was a hobby that provided me a chance to give back to a society that has given me so much,” he stated. “I signed on to the Makeshift Coffee House because I see this as a way to help spread and continue a positive outlook on life.”
Mary-Therese Duffy of Raymond who is a founding member of Raymond Arts Alliance and is a practicing clinical counselor as well as an adjunct faculty member at Central Maine Community College has also volunteered to help create the event. She believes civil, face-to-face discussion is important.
“Civil dialogue takes the print and visual media, their need for simplification (and to sell their product) right out of the equation,” she said. “I see this [event] as needed more than ever. Our challenges seem more complicated than ever, and we can cocoon in our own likeminded communities and get nowhere forever. We really need to be more interconnected; everybody knows different things that contribute to the whole.”
In addition to Plummer and Duffy, other volunteer members of the organizing committee are Frank Pecoraro of Raymond, owner of Mulberry Farm; Nancy Foran of Raymond, pastor of the Raymond Village Community Church; Marie Guerin of West Kennebunk, friend of the Raymond Village Community Church; Lorraine Glowczak of Windham, writer, editor and member of the League of Women Voters; Sheila Bourque of Raymond, president of the Raymond Village Library.
For more information, visit www.makeshiftcoffeehouse.com or call 207-729-5607.
