HB Community Café
The Huntington Beach Library will host a series of informative and exciting community engagement events starting in October 2022 called the HB Community Cafe!
The purpose of the Community Cafes are to bring neigHBors together to help build relationships and strengthen our community through conversation. Our community is wiser together than we are alone.
The vision of the HB Community Cafe series is to strengthen and unite the Huntington Beach Community using conversations that bridge divides and promote better understanding, relationships, and connections. By building our connections and understanding of one another, we can become a stronger and more compassionate Huntington Beach. We will build upon the many strengths already present within the City of HB so that we can meet future challenges together in a healthy, resilient, and compassionate way.
Hear what your neigHBors are saying about the HB Community Cafe:
- "The potential for change through the process is clearer to me. People want to connect."
- "Nice chance to meet other people."
- "My hope is we learn to be in community with each other."
- "I really enjoyed listening to different opinions on the topics discussed today. I think that events such as this one are instrumental in opening up people's minds, allowing for more conversations."
Café Themes and Questions (click on the date to view the Graphic Recording)
September 27 (Community Partners, Preview Café)
- What has been your experience living or working in Huntington Beach?
- What topics, if discussed in the Café series, could have the greatest impact on the HB community?
- What are the best ways we can welcome the community to the table for these Community Cafes?
October 26 (Theme: Let’s Talk About Community)
- When have you seen the HB community at its best? When has it not been at its best?
- What is our vision for the HB community?
- What would we need to do to bring this vision to fruition?
November 30 (Theme: Belonging)
- Think of a time when you felt that you belonged. Describe what that felt like, and what happened to make you feel that way.
- What places or people do you gravitate towards when you want to feel you belong and why?
- What is one step you will take to create an even greater sense of belonging for your fellow HB Community members?
December – no Cafe
January 25 (Theme: Curiosity - Listening to Understand)
- What does curiosity mean to you? What might prevent you from conveying your curiosity with/for another person?
- What is one assumption that someone has made about you (or your life)? How did that assumption affect you?
- What expressions of curiosity would you welcome from others who want to know more about you? Can you think of a time when your life has been enriched by telling your story? What happened?
February 22 (Theme: Kindness)
- What does kindness look or feel like for you? How do you like to express kindness to others?
- At times, we may not be kind because of fear, assumptions, or biases. We might choose not to show kindness because of strong differences in perspective, assumptions we make about one another, feeling triggered by someone’s current or past actions, etc. What holds you back from being kind to others? How can we address these challenges and build up the value of kindness in our lives?
- Let’s take our recognition of challenges in the last round and put them to action in thinking about the community – how can we work together to build more kindness in our community?
March 29 (Theme: Civic Engagement)
- When is a time that you felt engaged in civic life in your community? What did that look or feel like for you? Why was it important at that time?
- What is one need for civic engagement, if addressed, would have the greatest impact on the HB community?
- If success were guaranteed, what bold steps might we take to address the civic engagement needs we have identified? Answer with: "WE WILL....."
April 26 - Postponed due to power outage.
May 31 (Theme: A Neighborly Conversation about Homelessness)
- What experience have you, or someone you know, had with housing insecurity? What were some contributing factors?
- What assumptions do you find yourself making when thinking about homelessness (or encountering a person you believe is experiencing homelessness)?
- What could each of us do to challenge our assumptions and foster more empathy for people experiencing homelessness?
Upcoming Sessions
The HB Community Cafe is held at the HB Central Library (7111 Talbert Avenue) on the last Wednesday of each month (except December). Registration is now open for all sessions:
Did you know?
The City maintains 124 traffic signals. Report malfunctions to (714) 960-8861(City) or Caltrans (PCH & Beach Blvd) (949) 936-3600. You can also report a malfunction online.
