Open Table

A monthly community-based gathering. Meet good people, connect to the networks.

What they are building

Open Table is a 20 year running event. People meet monthly to chat, connect, and link into other activities and groups. It’s low pressure, no agenda, always same time and place so you can drop in. A low committment way to step into the real world and experience this this thing we call the Mirror Network.

What caught our attention

I experienced the first open table when a friend invited me to meet some friends at a restaurant. I walked in to a standing invitation to join the table hosted by one community leader. There was no purpose other than a standing gathering where people who shared interests could connect. When it ended, and I had need to build community, I replicated the format. 20 years, two languages, and many many people later, Open Table or 集い（つどい）is a long standing node into various communities.

A culture of care and perception, sustainability and social consciousness is emerging. It already exists in many many semi-linked nodes. Finding the entry points to one is easy. Connecting across to others is surprisingly difficult. But that’s why Open Table exists. It is intimidating to meet new people and to step into an unknown situation. But a short hello in a cafe at a table run by a familiar face lowers that barrier. It isn’t a truly public event. You have to know someone to get invited. This keeps is safe and curated. But that network is growing. And once there, who knows who you’ll meet!