Bringing Conversation Café to Hostelling International-Seattle and hopefully Hostels nationwide and beyond, soon!

By Susan Partnow, co-founder, Conversation Café and Executive Director, Global Citizen Journey

What if hostels all over the world engaged in Conversation Cafés? We are excited to be partnering with Hostelling International USA , a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1934 to promote international understanding of the world and its people through hostelling. Conversation Café is working with HI-Seattle in a pilot to see how Conversation Cafés at the Hostel can help manifest their mission - to bring about a world where intercultural dialogue and responsible travel are part of every individual's experience - to build a new generation of global citizens, unburdened by stereotypes, emboldened by open minds, appreciative of their own heritage and understanding of others, through the dialogue and education that comes through hostelling. We believe the structure of Conversation Café is a perfect marriage and are excited to explore to partner with HI's vast network of nearly 80 quality hostel accommodations throughout the United States, ranging from urban high-rise buildings to small, more remote, rural settings.

We have held three pilots since last summer, all with great success (Thanks to volunteers Susan Partnow, Paul Gleiberman and HI staff, presently spearheaded by Rachel Payne, volunteer.) The first, on a July evening, brought eight people together, including individuals from Japan, Scotland, Israel and India - as well as US, including Tennessee. The conversation was rich and connecting. We learned some key ways to build on the success (i.e. work hard to make the invitation welcoming and the joining safe - people were a bit uncertain at first - and frame some deepening questions, to get beyond the banal enumeration of the day's activities and to draw out the richness of the international diversity.

The second pilot, in October, attracted 17 people! We speculate attendance was bolstered by the early fall of night, vs. the competing allure of a long summer night that makes additional touristing attractive. We broke the group into three, where they could choose among topics: "What have you learned about stereotypes in your travels?", "Why will you choose to stay at hostels in the future rather than hotels?" and "What are your dreams and how close are you to achieving them?"

Participant comments were extremely positive, and although it was already after 9:00pm, almost everyone wanted to continue the conversation. Breaking off into small groups and mingling amongst each other followed, and many of the participants even went out dancing together!

A third pilot was led by a volunteer and engaged a group of 8 in juicy satisfying conversation. The Chicago HI has expressed interest, as well as San Francisco . We look forward to embedding this deeper into the routine of the Hostel's typical week.